Former Supervisor Tom Ammiano - District 9

Decorative graphic Former Supervisor Tom Ammiano
Tom Ammiano Born December 15, 1941,Tom Ammiano represented District 9, encompassing parts of the Mission District and the Bernal Heights and Portola neighborhoods. He was elected to the city-wide Board in 1994, and re-elected in 1998, when he became Board President. His efforts to have the Board elected by district instead of city-wide succeeded, and, running as a resident of Bernal Heights, he was elected to the new Board in 2000 and 2004.

Tom Ammiano grew up in Montclair, New Jersey. He received a bachelor's degree in communications from Seton Hall University in 1963 and a master's degree in special education from San Francisco State University in 1965. He taught English to children in South Vietnam as part of a Quaker program until 1968, when he left the country shortly after the Tet Offensive.

Among his accomplishments on the Board of Supervisors is the creation of the San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance, which was passed by a unanimous vote of the Board of Supervisors and signed by Mayor Gavin Newsom on August 7, 2006. This makes San Francisco the first city in the nation to provide universal healthcare access. Ammiano is also the main architect of the city's Domestic Partners Ordinance, which provides equal benefits to employees, and their unmarried domestic partners, in companies who do business with the City and County of San Francisco.

Aside from his teaching and political activities, Tom Ammiano has been stand-up comedian since 1980. Sometimes called "The Mother of Gay Comedy," he pioneered open-mike gay comedy at the Valencia Rose cabaret in San Francisco. He was also featured in the Oscar-winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk.


Legislative History

Term:

  • Elected November 1994 for term January 1995 to January 1999
  • Elected November 1998 for term January 1999 to January 2001
  • Elected November 2000 for term January 2001 to January 2005
  • Elected November 2004 for term January 2005 to January 2009
  • President of the Board, January 1995

Committee and Board Assignments:

  • Board of Supervisors
  • Budget and Finance Committee
  • Budget and Finance Subcommittee
  • Budget Committee
  • City and School District Committee
  • City and School District Select Committee
  • City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee
  • City Planning Audit Select Committee
  • City Services Committee
  • Finance and Audits Committee
  • Finance and Labor Committee
  • Finance Committee
  • Government Audit and Oversight Committee
  • Health and Human Services Committee
  • Health, Family, and Environment Committee
  • Housing and Social Policy Committee
  • Land Use and Economic Development Committee
  • Land Use Committee
  • Public Health and Environment Committee
  • Public Utilities and Deregulation Committee
  • Rules Committee
  • Select Committee on Ending Gun and Gang Violence
  • Transportation and Commerce Committee
  • Zoo Audit Select Committee