Suzanne Theresa Loftus is an American attorney who served as interim

San Francisco district attorney The San Francisco District Attorney's Office is the legal agency charged with prosecuting crimes in the City and County of San Francisco, California. The current district attorney is Brooke Jenkins. Occupants of this office have gone on to highe ...

, nominated by Mayor

London Breed London Nicole Breed (born August 11, 1974) is an American politician who is the 45th and current mayor of the City and County of San Francisco. She was supervisor for District 5 and was president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Board ...

after the resignation of

George Gascón George Gascón (born March 12, 1954) is an American attorney and former police officer who is the district attorney of Los Angeles County. A member of the Democratic Party and a former Republican, Gascón served as the district attorney of San ...

. Loftus ran in the 2019 San Francisco District Attorney election, losing narrowly to criminal justice reform advocate

Chesa Boudin Chesa Boudin (, ; born August 21, 1980) is an American lawyer who served as the 29th San Francisco District Attorney's Office, District Attorney of San Francisco from January 8, 2020 to July 8, 2022. He is a member of the Democratic Party (United ...

Early life and education

Loftus earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of San Francisco School of Law The University of San Francisco School of Law (USF Law) is the law school of the private University of San Francisco. Established in 1912, it received American Bar Association accreditation in 1935 and joined the Association of American Law Sc ...

Career

Prior to serving as interim San Francisco district attorney, Loftus was president the

San Francisco Police Commission The San Francisco Police Commission is the governing body of the San Francisco Police Department. 2020 meeting The Police Commission heard testimony from SFPD Chief Bill Scott about arrests at protests against police brutality triggered by the ...

and served as General Counsel of the

California Department of Justice The California Department of Justice is a statewide investigative law enforcement agency and legal department of the California executive branch under the elected leadership of the California Attorney General (AG) which carries out complex cri ...

. She also served as Assistant Attorney General under

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...

. Loftus now serves as CEO of the Center for Youth Wellness, a non-profit family health and wellness center in the

India Basin India Basin is neighborhood in the southeastern part of San Francisco, California, considered to be part of the larger Bayview–Hunters Point neighborhood. History The history of India Basin is a curious combination of industry and open space, b ...

neighborhood of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. On October 4, 2019, Loftus was nominated to serve as Interim San Francisco district attorney. In the 2019 San Francisco District Attorney election, Loftus and Boudin emerged as frontrunners. Loftus, viewed as more moderate than Boudin, was endorsed by Governor

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California fr ...

, Lieutenant Governor

Eleni Kounalakis Eleni Kounalakis (née Tsakopoulos; born March 3, 1966) is an American politician, businesswoman, and former diplomat serving as the 50th lieutenant governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman elect ...

, U.S. Senators

Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein ( ; born Dianne Emiel Goldman; June 22, 1933) is an American politician who serves as the senior United States senator from California, a seat she has held since 1992. A member of the Democratic Party, she was ...

and

, and numerous members of the California delegation to congress. San Francisco elections utilize a ranked-choice voting system, where candidates who receive the fewest votes are eliminated until a winner is selected. Loftus lost to Boudin in a close race, receiving 49.17 percent of votes cast to his 50.83 percent. Loftus continued to serve in an interim basis until Boudin was sworn in on January 8, 2020. Loftus was a candidate for a seat on the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee. The election, coinciding with California's presidential primary, was held on March 3, 2020, and open to registered Democrats and "no party preference" voters who choose the Democratic ballot.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loftus, Suzy 21st-century American lawyers Living people Date of birth missing (living people) Lawyers from San Francisco University of San Francisco School of Law alumni Santa Clara University alumni 21st-century American women lawyers Year of birth missing (living people)