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Mayor's nominee Thomas Mazuko presents experience to Rules Committee ahead of full-board confirmation
Summary
Thomas Mazuko, the mayor's nominee to the San Francisco Police Commission, outlined decades of prosecutorial and federal experience and emphasized community policing and violence-prevention strategies; two supporters spoke and the committee forwarded the nomination to the full Board without recommendation.
Supervisor Tom Mamiano, chair of the San Francisco City and County Rules Committee, called the meeting to order and read Item 1: a motion confirming the mayor's nomination of Thomas Mazuko to the San Francisco Police Commission (term ending 04/30/2008). Thomas Mazuko approached the bench and introduced himself to the committee and public as Mayor Gavin Newsom's nominee.
Mazuko described his background as a native San Franciscan, a 1982 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, with subsequent legal training and experience in litigation. He said he was sworn in as an assistant district attorney on 05/07/1990, served roughly nine-and-a-half years in the DA's office — ending in the gang violence unit — and later worked as an assistant U.S. Attorney in organized-crime and major-crimes units. He said those roles included coordinating Project Safe Neighborhoods work and directing grant-funded prevention programs.
"I want to bring professionalism to the San Francisco Police Department," Mazuko said, describing a focus on reducing homicide and gang violence through both enforcement and prevention. He told the committee he would declare any conflict that arose from his work as an assistant U.S. Attorney and cited his familiarity with ethics rules and teaching legal ethics at USF.
Two speakers addressed the committee in support. Kevin Ryan described hiring Mazuko as an assistant U.S. Attorney and praised his leadership of Project Safe Neighborhoods, saying Mazuko is "fair," "collegial" and cares about the community. Bruce Chan, speaking from experience in private practice and prior public-defender work with Mazuko, said Mazuko had not been a "rubber stamp" prosecutor and had rejected cases that lacked proof, which Chan said demonstrated independent judgment useful for police-discipline oversight.
After questions on scheduling and conflicts, the chair explained committee practice and procedure and said the committee would forward the nomination to the full Board of Supervisors "as a committee report without recommendation." The clerk confirmed that forwarding practice.
The item will next be considered by the full Board of Supervisors; the Rules Committee took no final confirmation vote at this meeting.
