Latino Deputy Mayor Quits to Return to Furniture Business

The highest-ranking Latino in Mayor Richard Riordan’s Administration has resigned to pursue business interests, the mayor’s office announced Thursday.

Sofia Garcia-Conde Zuckerman, Riordan’s deputy mayor for budgetary and fiscal matters, quit to return to her Eastside furniture business and a real estate practice, Riordan’s office said.

Zuckerman, a former recreation and parks commissioner, has held her post since March of last year and will remain on staff until mid-September at Riordan’s request.

Riordan praised her work on his staff and on the parks commission. He credited her for launching a “safe parks initiative” to install police substations in the city’s parks and for inaugurating El Pueblo Monument Authority to oversee historic Olvera Street, the city’s birthplace.

“Sofia has brought a thoughtful, entrepreneurial spirit to the operations she oversaw,” he said in a statement. “Her sturdy common sense has been a wonderful asset to my Administration--both in her oversight of several community services departments and her prior tenure as a recreation and parks commissioner.”

Zuckerman could not be reached for comment.

She was an early Riordan supporter during his mayoral campaign two years ago. After he was elected, Riordan appointed Zuckerman to the Recreation and Parks Commission. In March, 1994, he appointed her deputy mayor to advise him on financial issues and to handle paperwork routed through the mayor’s office from the City Council.

The mayor’s new chief of staff, Robin Kramer, is reorganizing the staff and has yet to decide whether to fill Zuckerman’s position or to assign her duties to one of the other five deputy mayors on staff, said Noelia Rodriguez, Riordan’s spokesperson.