Dennis Herrera
| Dennis J. Herrera | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City Attorney of San Francisco | |
|
Assumed office December 11, 2001 |
|
| Preceded by | Louise Renne |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Anne |
| Children | Declan |
| Education |
Villanova University (B.A.) George Washington University (J.D.) |
| Profession |
Lawyer Politician |
| Website | City Attorney website |
Dennis Herrera is the elected City Attorney of San Francisco, perhaps best known for his longtime legal advocacy for same-sex marriage in California, including the In re Marriage Cases, 43 Cal.4th 757 (2008), and Hollingsworth v. Perry, 570. U.S. (2013), also known as the legal fight against Proposition 8. He was first elected as City Attorney in 2001, and re-elected without opposition in 2005 and 2009. He ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of San Francisco in the 2011 election, finishing third in the City's ranked-choice voting system.
Born November 6, 1962 in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, Herrera grew up in the nearby middle class community of Glen Cove. His father was a psychiatrist who immigrated from Colombia after serving as part of a UN Peacekeeping force during the Suez War of 1956. His mother is the child of Italian immigrants, and today still practices as a nurse in Glen Cove.
Herrera earned his Bachelor’s degree from Villanova University in Pennsylvania, and his Juris Doctor from the George Washington University School of Law in Washington, D.C. Herrera worked various jobs to support himself during his education, from his newspaper route as a young boy, to restocking shelves at the local grocery store, to serving as a short order cook in a local diner. Upon graduating from law school in 1987, Herrera was offered an associate position at a maritime law firm in San Francisco and moved to the city.
After his move to San Francisco, Herrera became an active member of the community, joining his local Democratic club and helping to get Democratic candidates elected in the city. In 1990, he was appointed to the Waterfront Plan Advisory Board, and later served on the Finance Committee for the California Democratic Party.
In 1993, Herrera served as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Maritime Administration in Washington, D.C. After helping run an office with 1,100 employees, he returned to private practice in San Francisco as a partner in the maritime law firm of Kelly, Gill, Sherburne & Herrera.
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