Supervisor Ed Jew pleads not guilty to felony charges

District 4 Supervisor Ed Jew
Photo(s) by Luke Thomas

By Ananda Shorey

July 16, 2007

Embattled San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew entered a plea of not guilty this morning to nine felony charges related to questions over whether he lives inside the district he represents and whether he misrepresented his residence in candidate nominating documents.

The District 4 supervisor appeared in San Francisco Superior Court department 9 this morning to face the charges.

Jew's lawyers have said they believe there is sufficient proof that he satisfied residency requirements prior to running for public office in the November 2006 election.

However, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera has pointed to evidence suggesting Jew did not fulfill the requirements to run for city office.

It has been speculated that Jew rarely resided at his Sunset District home in the months leading up to his announcement of candidacy for the District 4 election.

Miniscule water usage was allegedly recorded at the home during the months leading up to the election.

Jew's attorneys have said this can be attributed to the supervisor's dedication to his Chinatown flower shop.

Jew has allegedly had some form of presence at his Sunset District home, located at 2450 28th Ave., intermittently since around 1984.

In addition to the criminal charges over his residency, Jew still faces an FBI probe into his alleged acceptance of $40,000 in cash from a group of businessmen having permit problems. Jew denies wrongdoing and no federal charges have been filed.

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