SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee and City Administrator Naomi M. Kelly announced on Monday, February 29 that Catherine Stefani was appointed as the County Clerk. She was sworn into office on Monday.
“Catherine is a dedicated public servant known at City Hall for her consensus building, good judgment and commitment to public service, having served as legislative aide for the Board of Supervisors for nine years,” said Mayor Lee. “I know that Catherine will bring a high level of professionalism to advance the work of the County Clerk’s Office to serve all of our City’s diverse communities.”
“The County Clerk interacts with the public at many of the most meaningful times in their lives and must ensure that the City and County of San Francisco is well represented,” said City Administrator Kelly. “I am confident that Catherine Stefani will effectively serve San Franciscans.”
According to a press release from Mayor Lee’s office, the Office of the County Clerk is a division managed by the City Administrator. Stefani will be responsible for the office’s overall management, daily operations, revenue and functions with an annual budget of approximately $2.2 million and a staff of 17 individuals. The County Clerk’s Office provides services that include: Marriage Licenses and Domestic Partnerships; Fictitious Business Names; SF City ID Cards; Birth and Death Certificates; and Notary Public and Miscellaneous Services that include filing of environmental impact reports and process server filings.
The County Clerk protects personal and property rights, acting as the repository for these documents. During the last fiscal year, over 50,000 individuals were served by the County Clerk’s Office and over 13,000 marriage licenses, 30,000 certified vital records and nearly 2,500 City ID cards were issued.
Stefani has years of experience working in the public and improving the efficacy of government services. Since 2007, Catherine worked as Legislative Aide for Supervisors Mark Farrell and Michela Alioto-Pier. She worked as a Legislative Analyst for assembly member Herb Wesson and Policy Analyst for Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez of San Jose. Catherine was also Deputy District Attorney in Contra Costa County.
She has a Bachelor’s degree in Government from St. Mary’s College of California. She has a J.D. and LL.M degrees from the University Of Pacific McGeorge School Of Law. She was admitted to the California Bar in 1995 and currently lives in SF with her husband and two kids.