Dennis Herrera

Many states and local jurisdictions have brought legal challenges against President Donald Trump’s executive orders related to immigration and international travel but Herrera takes great pride in the fact that San Francisco’s lawsuit achieved tangible results in combating an executive order that would have punished sanctuary cities for refusing to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“We were able to get a nationwide injunction to stop it from going into effect,” he said. “Over the last couple years we have lived up to our mantra, using the power of the law to make a difference in people’s lives each and every day.”

Herrera also ended a long saga for the city in its battle to hold large landowners accountable for alleged violations of zoning codes that he believes have contributed to a shortage of affordable housing inside city limits.

The city attained a $60 million settlement with the Academy of Art University, who Herrera accused of operating at least 33 buildings in violation of zoning laws that led affordable housing to be converted into student dorms. San Francisco alleged that the institution’s actions removed 160 units from the city’s pool of affordable housing.

The academy will build 160 units of affordable housing for senior citizens and pay a $20 million fine to the city, $7 million of which will be spent on purchasing rent-controlled housing to maintain them as affordable housing.

The city contended that the institution had been violating zoning law for at least a decade.

Herrera also has ongoing litigation against the developer behind the Millennium Tower, a skyscraper that is tilting over time due to a poor foundation.

“It’s pretty clear they didn’t let prospective purchasers know, despite the fact they were aware of the problem at the time they were marketing the condos,” he said. “When you sell property you’ve got to disclose what you know. Any property owner knows that.”

— Joshua Sebold