New Supervisor Follows in Family Footsteps

photo: John Oppenheimer

Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier in her office at City Hall on Feb. 17.

By George McConnell

Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier's office on the second floor in City Hall is just around the corner from Room 200, where 30 years ago, her grandfather, Joseph L. Alioto, held court for eight years as mayor of San Francisco.

"I was close with my grandfather and he was very helpful to me," she said.

Alioto-Pier is a fifth generation San Franciscan who grew up in Pacific Heights. Her father, Joseph M. Alioto, is an anti-trust attorney. She attended local schools before enrolling at UCLA to study anthropology. As a member of a well-known and influential family, she is no stranger to the world of politics. Her aunt, Angela Alioto, is a former supervisor and mayoral candidate.

Alioto-Pier's exposure to public life made a deep impression and led to her decision to enter public service.

"I realized at an early age that government was a good place to get things done, and I had a desire to serve," Alioto-Pier said.

She began her career working for Vice President Al Gore as a domestic policy adviser on telecommunications policy.

In 1995, she launched the first of three campaigns when she moved to St. Helena and ran for the First Congressional District seat, which covers Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake and Mendocino counties. She captured the Democratic Party's nomination from a field of five candidates, but, in a hard and bitter race, failed to unseat incumbent Frank Riggs in the general election.

In 1998, she was her party's nominee for the office of secretary of state. In that race, she lost by just 1.1 percent of the vote to Republican Bill Jones.

In 2001, she ran again for secretary of state, but was beaten by former San Francisco supervisor and Assemblyman Kevin Shelley in the Democratic primary.

She served on the SF Port Commission from May 2003 until she was appointed supervisor for District 2 on Jan. 19 by Mayor Gavin Newsom. Her appointment filled the vacancy created when Newsom was elected mayor.

In a body known more for contentious disagreement, there was immediate consensus on the Board of Supervisors, even by the mayor's fiercest critics, that Newsom had made a smart choice.

"I wanted to appoint someone who can work with everybody,'' Newsom said.

District 2 is located on the northern tip of the San Francisco and encompasses Sea Cliff, the Presidio, Laurel and Pacific Heights, the Marina District and parts of Russian Hill.

"The lack of jobs is the main issue facing San Francisco today," said Alioto-Pier.

In District 2, she said education, jobs, traffic, utility undergrounding and the yacht harbor are priorities.

"I am glad to be here and I welcome ideas and suggestions from my constituents," she said.

Alioto-Pier currently serves on the supervisor's City Services Committee. Salaries for San Francisco supervisors were recently raised to $112,320 per year.

She suffered a tragic twist of fate in 1981 when she became paralyzed from the waist down as a result of a ski lift accident. Her disability, she said, did not deter her ambitions.

President Ronald Reagan appointed her to the President's National Council on Disabilities Advisory Board when she was 17 and she served as a delegate to the US-Japan Summit Conference on Disabilities.

Alioto-Pier uses a hand-operated wheelchair and drives a Jeep equipped with special hand-controls to get around.

"One of the positive things I have gained from my disability is a greater understanding and sympathy for others. Being in this position allows me to help with issues affecting the disabled," she said.

She lives with her husband, Thomas Pier, a third year law student, and their two children in Pacific Heights. She relaxes by reading and spending time with her family.

"Being a supervisor is a definitely a full-time job," Alioto-Pier said.

Like her predecessor, she is considered a moderate, but reiterates that she is not bound by Newsom's views because of her appointment. Her term expires in January 2005. In November, she is eligible to run for two consecutive four-year terms before being termed out as a supervisor.

"Running for office has given me the opportunity to meet lots of different kinds of people and exchange ideas and opinions. I have always been impressed that people really want to believe," Alioto-Pier said.

Alioto-Pier can be reached at her City Hall office at (415) 554-7752 or by e-mail at michela.alioto-pier@sfgov.org.