Feinstein Names New Staff Director

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has announced the appointment of her Washington-based director of communications, Bill Chandler, as her California state staff director and political director, effective May 30.

Chandler, who once served as press secretary for Mayor Tom Bradley of Los Angeles, joined Feinstein’s first Senate campaign as press secretary in 1992. He will be based in San Francisco, where he succeeds Hadley Roff, a longtime Feinstein aide.

Susan Kennedy, former executive director of the California Democratic Party and a Feinstein staff member since the 1994 campaign, will succeed Chandler as director of communications.

Roff, Feinstein’s chief deputy when she was mayor of San Francisco, said he planned to “step out of the political trenches for a while.” He said he would do some writing and teaching at San Francisco State University.

The moves complete a major reorganization of Feinstein’s staff since her narrow election victory over Republican Mike Huffington in November. Kam Kuwata, Feinstein’s 1992 and 1994 campaign manager and state staff and political director, left Feinstein’s staff after the election to work for a private foundation in Los Angeles.