San Francisco Bay Area colleagues recall working with Kamala Harris
SAN FRANCISCO -- On Sunday, President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who has deep ties to the Bay Area.
In 1998, Harris became assistant district attorney in San Francisco, prosecuting homicide, sexual assault, burglary and robbery cases. Two years later, Harris began working for then-city attorney Louise Renne, handling child abuse and neglect cases.
"We worked together quite closely during that period of time," Renne told CBS News Bay Area on Sunday. "I found her very personable. She was easy to get along with. She was a strong person. On the personal level, I know Kamala to be a family person. I know her to be honest. I know her to be straightforward. I know her to be a determined person. I know her to care a lot about the things we as Americans care about: education and equality for everybody."
Renne, who was the first female city attorney in San Francisco history, said there is one, specific day that is ingrained in her memory while Harris worked for her office.
"When you're dealing with family and children that are in the court system, obviously it's not always for pleasant reasons. So when adoptions take place, that was a happy day because children were being adopted into a permanent home situation. So, I remember the first day that Kamala was going to be the head of the court proceeding for adoption. She came into my office with an armful of teddy bears. She said, 'Louise, come on! It's adoption day! We've got to go over, we're going to hand out teddy bears!'" Renne said. "To me, that showed a real side of sensitivity and a warmness of heart that I have always remembered."
Renne endorsed Harris' bid to become San Francisco district attorney in 2002, a race in which she was the least-known among three candidates who included the incumbent, her former boss, Terence Hallinan.
Harris would win in a 2003 runoff, becoming the first person of color elected as district attorney of San Francisco. She was re-elected to a second term in 2007 after running unopposed.
During Harris' second term as district attorney, Connie Chan was her aide. Chan, who is currently a San Francisco supervisor representing District 1, joined a long list of Democrats Sunday endorsing Harris to be the Democratic presidential nominee.
"I am who I am today because of her. She inspired me to run for office but, really, she inspired me to dedicate my life to public service," Chan told CBS News Bay Area. "She hears everybody out about what the problem is then, on the spot, says 'OK, then what is our solution today?' She will not let people walk out of the room until we propose solutions to the problem. This is someone who is going to bring us together to problem solve."
Chan described Harris as hardworking, analytical and thoughtful.
"She doesn't just jump into something because a press headline says so. It's because she has really thought it through and she makes those decisions by putting people first instead of politics," Chan said.
Renne is waiting for the process to play out before endorsing Harris but said she would not hesitate to support Harris if she's chosen to be the Democratic nominee.
"If the Democrats select Kamala Harris to be the standard-bearer for the party? Absolutely! And will I campaign on her behalf? Absolutely. I have relatives all over the country. I have people I know all over the country. I would travel on the campaign trail, if need be," Renne said. "She has a depth of experience of dealing with people at all levels. Not just at the top level but at all levels. When she was in the city attorney's office, you weren't dealing with rich people. You were dealing with poor people. You were dealing with families and children in stressful circumstances. So, you could see firsthand what is going on in real life. And I think that's important for anybody in politics at a high decision level to really have that kind of a broad understanding. And Kamala has that kind of a broad understanding."
