New San Francisco Chief Didn't Have to Fight for Job

San Francisco Mayor London Breed was given the names of five potential candidates to replace outgoing Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, and when the choice got down to two, the lobbying began in earnest.

The Firefighters Union led the charge, asking all of their political allies, including former mayor and now Gov. Gavin Newsom to pitch a call to Breed in favor of Deputy Chief Jeanine Nicholson.

Truth be told, it wasn’t that hard of a sell.

After more than 20 years of rising in the ranks — paramedic, firefighter , battalion chief and then deputy chief — Nicholson had the support of the Fire Commission, the rank-and-file and Hayes-White.

In fact, Nicholson’s selection is just about the only thing that the firefighters union and the outgoing chief have agreed on in years.

One group that wasn’t completely sold on the pick was the Black Firefighters Association, which feels that black males have been underrepresented on the department’s command staff.

Nicholson, however, appears ready to face the challenges that come with the job.

“I love working to bring calm to chaos,” she said.

Nicholson lives in Berkeley and plans to move into the city, not that she will have to worry about finding an affordable place to live.

The Fire Department has its own four-bedroom chief’s residence on Bush Street.

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