Mayor suspends District 4 supervisor; Carmen Chu named interim

Mayor Gavin Newsom notified the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 25 that he has suspended Supervisor Ed Ju from his office representing District 4 and transmitted written charges alleging official misconduct, the clerk told the board.

The clerk read the mayor's communication into the record, saying the suspension was made under "treasure section 15.105" and that the mayor had also appointed Carmen Chu to serve as the interim supervisor for District 4 during the suspension. The clerk told the board that Chu had been sworn in by the mayor earlier that day and that the office's paperwork had been completed.

The announcement came at the start of the board's Sept. 25 meeting. Board President Aaron Peskin asked the clerk to call roll and then read the communication from the mayor into the record. The clerk's statement was the only formal item the board recorded regarding the suspension; no vote or further action by the board was recorded in the transcript that followed the announcement.

The suspension and appointment were announced before the board moved to the day's business and an afternoon special order. The clerk's communication, as read into the record, is the formal notice from the mayor to the board and to the Ethics Commission described on the agenda.

The board proceeded with the agenda after the clerk's announcement. The transcript records Supervisor Daley urging that the mayor appear regularly at the board's monthly special order to discuss governance matters; Daley said this day would have been a fitting opportunity for the mayor to appear and to welcome the new interim supervisor.

The clerk's reading is the only action recorded in the public transcript regarding the suspension and the interim appointment. The transcript does not include the text of the mayor's charges nor any discussion of the Ethics Commission's review schedule. The board did not take further formal action on the suspension during the meeting.