Eleanor Johns

1939 - 2023

Eleanor Johns
March 18, 1939 - April 1, 2023
Family, friends, community leaders and many of California's most prominent elected officials are grieving and remembering Eleanor Johns, former chief of staff to the Mayor of San Francisco and current president of the San Francisco Airport Commission, who died suddenly of a heart attack on April 1, 2023.
Known for her intelligence, directness, warmth, panache and incredible attention to detail, Eleanor was a self-made woman who became a powerful behind-the-scenes force in state and local politics. She was also a formidable presence in the cultural life of San Francisco for the past half century.
Johns is the only woman to serve in the role of Chief of Staff to the Mayor of San Francisco.
Eleanor Johns (née Kuntz) was born in Steubenville, Ohio, to Max and Blanche, Jews who escaped Poland before World War II and ran a local grocery store in Weirton, WV, where she grew up. She attended Purdue and Ohio State Universities, and in 1961 earned degrees in History & Social Science and in Education.
After making her way from the Midwest to San Francisco in the mid-1960s, Eleanor worked as a waitress, middle school teacher, and then paralegal. She was an avid supporter of then-Assemblyman Willie Brown, and a chance meeting led to a job in his law office in 1978.
In 1981, Brown became the Speaker of the California State Assembly, Eleanor moved from the law office to an important role in the office of the Speaker, and soon she was overseeing finances for the Speaker's political campaigns and those of the Assembly Democrats Committee. Eleanor and Willie Brown forged a professional bond that would change California politics and thrive for more than 40 years.
Eleanor became chief of staff soon after Brown took office as Mayor in 1996.
Although she maintained strong friendships and alliances with many political figures, Johns was the "glue" that held the Willie Brown world together for decades. She had an eye for every detail, spotting any inconsistencies, and making sure every "t" was crossed and every "i" was dotted.
She was also a mentor to scores of young public servants, from Vice President Kamala Harris to Gov. Gavin Newsom to Mayor London Breed.
"More than anyone else in government, Eleanor was the person who took whatever raw talents we had and turned us into professionals," Mayor Breed said.
"In terms of power, she occupied such a big space," Vice President Harris said, "but with Eleanor, it was never about her."
In 1976, Eleanor met San Francisco attorney Richard Johns, with whom she shared a love of Newfoundland dogs, Moorcroft pottery, and collecting antiques. Their boundless affection for the city of San Francisco, and for people of all walks of life, brought them together. They married in 1981 and established an ever-growing network of close friends over the decades.
"Eleanor was extremely well organized, exceptionally smart, always insightful, and completely reliable," Richard Johns said.
Her first marriage to Jerald Eisenberg had produced Johns's pride and joy, her only son, Jeff Eisenberg.
"In the political world, she was known as the power behind the scenes and stayed out of the public eye. So many people who worked with her have told me that they considered her their second mother. But in our private world, she made everything happen and was in charge of every detail … and I mean every detail," Jeff Eisenberg said.
"She was the center of our family: the spirit that brought us together. She lived across the street from us and was always there with unconditional love for all of us – especially her grandchildren. It was so special. I just really can't express in words how big the hole is that she is leaving behind."
Although Eleanor never formally retired, in recent years she devoted most of her time and attention to her greatest passion of all: her grandsons, Ben and Max Eisenberg.
In the 1990s, Eleanor served as a member of the California State Commission on Judicial Performance. She also volunteered in the community and supported many charitable organizations, serving as a board member of the San Francisco Jewish Community Center and the San Francisco Conservation Corps. She was first appointed to the San Francisco Airport Commission by Mayor Brown in 2003, and re-appointed by Mayor Newsom, the late Mayor Edwin M. Lee, and Mayor Breed.
When Mayor Brown's two terms at City Hall ended in 2004, Johns helped launch the Willie L. Brown, Jr. Institute on Politics and Public Service, where she served as executive director until her passing.
As much as anything, Eleanor Johns was known for being insightful and direct. She had a way of peering right into whatever was going on with someone – whether acquaintance, colleague, staffer or loved one – and fish it out. She was exacting, but also affectionate. She demanded the best out of people, but she also wanted the best for them. She gave people the benefit of the doubt … but woe unto the person who tried to put one over on Eleanor!
Mayor Brown remembered Johns as his closest colleague and one of his very best friends.
"I have had the benefit of meeting, befriending and working with some of the most remarkable people in the world," Brown said, "but nobody compared with Eleanor – her spirit, her intelligence, her competence, her loyalty. Simply put, Eleanor was the best."
Eleanor Johns is survived by husband Richard, son Jeff and daughter-in-law Melinda Aquino; grandsons; Ben and Max Eisenberg; sisters Norma Seixas of New York, and Floris Hoffenberg of Santa Rosa, Calif.; as well as nieces and nephews.
The Memorial Service for Eleanor Johns will be this Wednesday, April 5, 2023, at 12:30 at Congregation Sherith Israel, California and Webster Streets, San Francisco. There will be a reception following the service at the Presidio Golf and Concordia Club, 392 West Pacific Avenue, San Francisco.