Ed Lee’s decision on S.F. supervisor harder than it looks

A vacancy was created when David Chiu was elected to the state Assembly in November.

Lee will make the appointment, the person will be sworn in on Thursday afternoon and everything will go smoothly, free of drama.

[...] this is just beginning of the City Hall intrigue.

Pak and the Chinatown Community Development Center are pushing for Planning Commission President Cindy Wu.

[...] moderate North Beach groups are promoting neighborhood activist Julie Christensen.

[...] somewhere in the background is wily Aaron Peskin, a former BOS president who is either pulling strings or mounting a comeback; he can run again after sitting out one four-year term.

Sure, she voted along with the progressives against 8 Washington, the “Wall on the Waterfront” condo project, they say, but there are plenty of times when she was the swing vote on the Planning Commission to support the mayor.

[...] it is entirely reasonable that barring a poor choice — hello, Christina Olague — that person will win elections and serve 10 years: two four-year terms and the two-year bonus.

[...] he’s worried that Christensen would so alienate the Chinatown crowd that they will rise up and vote in a bloc to defeat her.

[...] Wu moved to the district only last fall, so she doesn’t have roots in the district like Christensen, who has run a business in North Beach for 30 years.

The Asian American community is actually well represented in city government, beginning with the mayor; the assessor, Carmen Chu; Supervisor Kim; and the current board president, Katy Tang.

If he picks Christensen, there will be blowback because she’s not Asian, but with her neighborhood contacts and accomplishments, she should be able to overcome it.