David Serrano Sewell, J.D.

Patient Advocate MS/ALS
Appointed by the Lt. Governor

A Los Angeles native, David was raised in a household that valued public service, volunteer work, and political involvement. David has commented that “those early experiences were important, they taught me the value of caring for others, hard work, and loyalty.”

Currently, David is employed as a Deputy City Attorney in the S.F. City Attorney’s Office, assigned to the Port of San Francisco. In this capacity, David advises the Port on transactional, land use, permitting, and trust law.

Moving to San Francisco in 1989 to attend San Francisco State University, he served as Student Body President in 1993.

David is a veteran of numerous local and statewide campaigns. In 1995, he served as an aide to Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr., working on land use and permitting issues. In time, he decided to attend Golden Gate University School of Law. During law school, he was a member of Law Review, was awarded the Witkin and Cali Award in Federal Administrative Law, was as an extern in the chambers of Judge Maxine M. Chesney, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California.
He was admitted to the State Bar in June, 2003.

He has served on the City’s Ethic’s and Elections commission, respectively, and the board of directors of BRAVA! For Women in Arts, a community based theatre group focusing on Latina playwrights.

After his own diagnosis of MS, he began volunteering with the Northern California Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, assisting the organization in their advocacy efforts. David firmly believes “that advocacy is crucial to ensuring that precious research dollars are spent is a manner that will benefit patients.