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The newly anointed leader of San Francisco’s Sheriff’s Department of Accountability – Office of Inspector General and the clear front-runner for one open seat on the Alameda County Superior Court bench will face a tough choice soon.
That’s because they’re the same person.
Terry Wiley told Embarcadero Media Foundation on Monday that a confluence of circumstances led to him qualifying for the March primary ballot uncontested for judge in Alameda County within weeks of getting hired as the inaugural inspector general in San Francisco.
“I have time to think things through, but I don’t have to make a decision until November,” said Wiley, the former longtime prosecutor in Alameda County who catapulted to prominence as the internal candidate for district attorney who ultimately lost the election to Pamela Price in 2022.
“I’m fully committed to the city and county of San Francisco as the inspector general,” he added.
Wiley found himself with options open after stepping down from the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office last February, weeks after Price’s tenure began.
“I was enjoying retirement and starting my own little practice,” Wiley said, noting he had taken on just a few cases as a private attorney to that point. “And then bam, all at once everything hit … and sometimes that’s how life goes.”
“I was aware of an opening on the bench and I was interested, so I filed to run,” Wiley said. “And as I was going through the process … I was made aware of the inspector general position also in San Francisco. I was encouraged to apply.”
After entering his name for the nationwide recruitment San Francisco’s Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board was doing to hire its first-ever inspector general, Wiley said he found himself among the three top candidates selected for final interviews.
“And while all of this was going on, no one filed to run against me (for judge),” Wiley said.
Wiley ultimately qualified as the only candidate for the Alameda County Superior Court judgeship assigned on the ballot as “Office No. 5” when the deadline passed on Dec. 13.
His appointment as inspector general in San Francisco was announced exactly one week later.
“Terry brings a sharp legal mind who is experienced with the criminal justice system and has a lauded history of working on reforms,” oversight board President Julie D. Soo said in a press release on Dec. 20. “Just as important, he has a demonstrated deep commitment to serving diverse communities. We were looking for someone who could hit the ground running and engage well with constituents.”
“I am very excited about the new challenge leading the Office of Inspector General and continuing my commitment to public service,” Wiley added in the press release. “I bring 33 years of experience and look forward to addressing reforms and accountability with the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office.”
Wiley said he has been “extremely busy” during these first weeks as inspector general, as he and his team are essentially creating a new department and are in the middle of the budget cycle, which is particularly difficult this year for San Francisco like many other jurisdictions in California.
In the meantime, he will appear on the March 5 ballot as the only candidate for Alameda County’s judicial “Office No. 5” – which represents the bench seat opening up with Judge Don C. Clay not seeking reelection and retiring in March. Wiley couldn’t remove his name even if he wanted to, because the candidacy withdrawal deadline passed on Dec. 8.
Wiley said he is under the impression that the judicial term for which he is effectively a shoo-in would start on the normal six-year cycle in January 2025, so he plans to make a decision about what to do by the fall.
Each is a full-time position that would seem like the same person could not hold simultaneously – although a definitive answer on that legality question is still pending for Embarcadero Media Foundation. For its part the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office said, “Our office is not aware of any law stating if he can or cannot legally hold both positions.”
