Voters moved to recall woke San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin (pictured in September 2019) on Tuesday, leaving residents to wonder who will next be tasked with tackling the city's soaring crime

Voters moved to recall San Francisco’s woke district attorney on Tuesday, leaving residents to wonder who will next be tasked with tackling the city’s soaring crime. 

Mayor London Breed, who never shied from voicing her disapproval of ousted DA Chesa Boudin, will solely appoint the city’s next prosecutor. 

Analysts predict the centrist Democrat will select a candidate with a tough-on-crime stance and whose views are more ideologically-aligned with her own.  

Boudin, 41, was cast out Tuesday by a more than 60 percent vote in the recall election. He had been widely expected to lose his job after residents of the California enclave had become increasingly worried about violent crime. 

The former public defender was elected in January 2020. He was made the target of a multi-million-dollar recall campaign earlier this year by residents who say the city has become an increasingly unsafe place to live due to his soft-on-crime policies.

Voters moved to recall woke San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin (pictured in September 2019) on Tuesday, leaving residents to wonder who will next be tasked with tackling the city's soaring crime

Voters moved to recall woke San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin (pictured in September 2019) on Tuesday, leaving residents to wonder who will next be tasked with tackling the city’s soaring crime

Mayor London Breed (pictured in February 2020), who never shied from voicing her disapproval of ousted Boudin, will solely appoint the city's next prosecutor. She has not yet said who she would like to serve as the city's interim caretaker

Mayor London Breed (pictured in February 2020), who never shied from voicing her disapproval of ousted Boudin, will solely appoint the city’s next prosecutor. She has not yet said who she would like to serve as the city’s interim caretaker

Breed, 47, has not yet said who she would like to serve as the city’s interim caretaker, but analysts speculate her top choice may be a longtime prosecutor who previously launched a bid for the job. 

Nancy Tung ran against Boudin in the 2019 election, coming in third with 19.3 percent of the vote. Despite having lost in the prior election, she has said she would likely run again in 2023, The San Francisco Standard reported.

Tung, a trial prosecutor and former Deputy California Attorney General, is notoriously tough on crime and publicly issued her support for a federal crackdown on San Francisco’s open-air drug markets. 

Last December, Breed declared a state of emergency in the Tenderloin neighborhood, one of the city’s poorest and most drug-infested areas, and announced a sweeping crackdown on open air drug use and drug dealing in the downtown community. 

The mayor also nominated Tung for a position on the police commission in 2020, but her candidacy was rejected by the Board of Supervisors with a 10-1 vote.

The liberal board, voting amid a nationwide movement for police reform following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, argued she lacked a track record of police reform actions, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

Tung said in March she would seek the DA position if Boudin was recalled, citing a platform of ‘community-centered justice.’

‘What that really means is that prosecution priorities should be greatly focused on what is most important to the community,’ she said at the time.

Analysts speculate Breed's top choice may be a longtime prosecutor Nancy Tung (pictured) who previously launched a bid for DA. Tung is notoriously tough on crime and publicly issued her support for a federal crackdown on San Francisco's open-air drug markets

Analysts speculate Breed’s top choice may be a longtime prosecutor Nancy Tung (pictured) who previously launched a bid for DA. Tung is notoriously tough on crime and publicly issued her support for a federal crackdown on San Francisco’s open-air drug markets

Former San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Brooke Jenkins (pictured in May) may also be on the mayor's short list to replace Boudin. She was among the more than 50 attorneys in Boudin's office who quit in October 2021 due to his lack of commitment to prosecuting crimes

Former San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Brooke Jenkins (pictured in May) may also be on the mayor’s short list to replace Boudin. She was among the more than 50 attorneys in Boudin’s office who quit in October 2021 due to his lack of commitment to prosecuting crimes

Experts argue former San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Brooke Jenkins may be on the mayor’s short list to replace Boudin.

Jenkins was among the more than 50 attorneys who had worked in Boudin’s office and quit in October 2021 due to his lack of commitment to prosecuting crimes.

At the time, Jenkins accused Boudin of making San Francisco more dangerous by regularly handing down more lenient sentences than are prescribed by law, releasing criminals early and in some cases not filing charges at all.

Jenkins was a prominent voice and leader in the campaign to recall Boudin. 

Over the weekend, in an interview with KPIX, she called on residents to vote him out of office, claiming: ‘Chesa doesn’t prioritize public safety in his decision making.’

Jenkins was a prominent voice and leader in the campaign to recall Boudin

Jenkins was a prominent voice and leader in the campaign to recall Boudin

She also criticized his office for being unethical in its handling of cases.

‘When I meet Chesa supporters they often tell me that he is holding police accountable. That’s dead wrong,’ she said. ‘What cop has he successfully prosecuted and what police case has he filed that isn’t riddled with claims of unethical conduct by his office? He’s failing at this.

‘Police accountability can’t be political. It has to be based on law and done the right way. The case he took to trial ended in a not guilty verdict and was stained by scandal. That’s not an accomplishment.’

She added: ‘We live in a society where there must be accountability for our actions. Accountability can take many different forms in the criminal justice system and does not equate to prison in every case – despite Chesa supporters trying to mischaracterize that statement.

‘Many people who commit serious crimes are in desperate need of rehabilitation and deserve that chance. Chesa is failing require offenders to get that help. He thinks a free pass is the answer and it’s not and never will be.’ 

Breed may also opt to appoint former cop Joe Alioto Veronese (pictured) who said he would be running for San Francisco DA in 2023. Veronese promised to aggressively prosecute misdemeanors and particularly thefts, which have plagued the city in recent months

Breed may also opt to appoint former cop Joe Alioto Veronese (pictured) who said he would be running for San Francisco DA in 2023. Veronese promised to aggressively prosecute misdemeanors and particularly thefts, which have plagued the city in recent months

Breed may also opt to appoint former cop Joe Alioto Veronese who has previously said he would be running for San Francisco DA in 2023.

Veronese, the son of former city supervisor and mayoral candidate Angela Alioto, already filed the paperwork allowing him to bid for the position in the next election and has positioned himself as a ‘criminal justice reformer’ who can ‘work well with police.’

‘What I would immediately do is I would stand shoulder to shoulder with the San Francisco Police Department and let them know that I will support you, and I will back you, as long as you operate within your training,’ he told the Chronicle.

He also argued his ‘unique experience’ of having served as police commissioner under then-mayor Gavin Newsom, a fire commissioner and a civil rights attorney for more than two decades puts him in a position to excel at the job.

‘I come to this position with a unique experience of having both the civil rights practice as well as the police experience,’ he argued.

Veronese was among the politicians rooting for Boudin to be ousted

Veronese was among the politicians rooting for Boudin to be ousted

Veronese promised to aggressively prosecute misdemeanors and particularly thefts, which have plagued the city in recent months.

‘A year in jail is a long time for someone who steals — who goes into Walgreens and fills a bag,’ he stated. ‘That is plenty of leverage to hold against an individual.’ 

He also said he opposes no-knock warrants and civil asset forfeitures, two issues popular with progressives, and os open to reintroducing gang enhancements. 

Boudin has essentially eliminated gang enhancements which can add years to a criminal’s sentence if prosecutors believe they committed their crime as part of their role within a gang. 

Gang enhancements have been criticized for having ‘inherent racial bias.’  

Analysts predict Breed may also be considering Catherine Stefani (pictured), who currently sits on the city's Board of Supervisors. She led an effort last year trying to force Boudin's office to release data outlining how often he punishes violent criminals

Analysts predict Breed may also be considering Catherine Stefani (pictured), who currently sits on the city’s Board of Supervisors. She led an effort last year trying to force Boudin’s office to release data outlining how often he punishes violent criminals

Analysts predict Breed may also be considering Catherine Stefani, who currently sits on the city’s Board of Supervisors.

Stefani was the first elected official to publicly support the effort to recall Boudin. However, when asked by the Chronicle if she would want to replace the DA, she declined to comment.

She also led an effort last year trying to force Boudin’s office to release data outlining how often he punishes violent criminals.

‘Doing nothing doesn’t work,’ Stefani told NBC Bay Area in October. ‘There’s not a lot of transparency right now coming out of the DA’s office.’ 

She also criticized Boudin’s soft-of-crime policies, calling the DA ‘incompetent.’ 

‘If he thinks lack of prosecution is the answer, I’d like to know why,’ said Stefani. ‘I think it’s incompetence – the fact that these cases are being brought to him and not charged and no interventions made.’ 

Stefani also recently introduced a measure that could create a city office for the victims of violent crimes, even if the incident wasn’t reported to law enforcement.

‘Many victims of crime aren’t even served through the D.A.’s Office, because either the crime isn’t reported or no arrest is made or no charge is filed,’ she told the Chronicle, suggesting that the proposed ballot measure stemmed from her dissatisfaction with Boudin and his policies.

Last Friday, Stefani participated in a walk to end gun violence. She posted about the event on Twitter, saying: 'We are fearless, we are determined, and we will keep fighting for a future free from gun violence!'

Last Friday, Stefani participated in a walk to end gun violence. She posted about the event on Twitter, saying: ‘We are fearless, we are determined, and we will keep fighting for a future free from gun violence!’

The moderate Democrat was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2018 after having previously served as a prosecutor.

She also touts herself as a gun violence prevention activist and uses her social media platforms to advocate for stricter gun control.

Last Friday, she participated in a walk to end gun violence, telling her followers: ‘Today we wear orange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day to honor the victims and survivors of gun violence and to demand an end to the carnage tormenting communities across our country. 

‘We are fearless, we are determined, and we will keep fighting for a future free from gun violence!’ 

The Chronicle argues Breed may opt against selected Stefani to replace Boudin because having her act as DA would be a ‘double-edged sword.’

Breed would benefit from having a prosecutor who would back her tough-on-crime initiatives, but would then lose a crucial ally on the Board of Supervisors, which is dominantly progressive. 

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin was voted out of office on Tuesday, with citizens irate over the city’s crime ridden state pushing out the progressive politician

San Francisco on Tuesday voted to recall Boudin amid rising anger at the city’s crime-ridden state. He had been widely expected to lose his job and 60.5 per cent of voters made their feelings clear over his woke policies by deciding to recall him.

Only 24 percent of the city’s electorate of 495,000 turned out, with 70,730 voting against the DA, with some ballots remaining to be counted.

Recall proponents cheered the news at a victory party, with California state leaders of the hotel and retailers associations lauding Boudin’s removal as a sign that visitors, shoppers and employees will be prioritized again in a city that relies heavily on tourism.

‘This election does not mean that San Francisco has drifted to the far right on our approach to criminal justice,’ Mary Jung, a chair of the recall campaign, said in a statement Tuesday. 

‘In fact, San Francisco has been a national beacon for progressive criminal justice reform for decades and will continue to do so with new leadership.’

Leanna Louie stands with a sign and bullhorn on 19th Avenue urging motorists to recall the District Attorney

Leanna Louie stands with a sign and bullhorn on 19th Avenue urging motorists to recall the District Attorney

Boudin embraces supporter Dayday Reynolds Priestly as he canvassed on 3rd Street in the Bayview neighborhood yesterday ahead of the vote

Boudin embraces supporter Dayday Reynolds Priestly as he canvassed on 3rd Street in the Bayview neighborhood yesterday ahead of the vote

The districts of Haight-Ashbury, Castro and the Mission backed Boudin, but the rest of the city was against him.  

Boudin remained defiant in a speech to supporters, saying he was outspent by ‘right-wing billionaires.’ 

He said voters were understandably frustrated by the pandemic and a city government that has failed to deliver on safety, housing and equity. 

‘We have two cities. We have two systems of justice. We have one for the wealthy and the well connected and a different one for everybody else,’ he said on Tuesday night. ‘And that’s exactly what we are fighting to change.’ 

Boudin is seen on Tuesday night at an election evening event, as the ballots were counted

Boudin is seen on Tuesday night at an election evening event, as the ballots were counted

Boudin addresses his supporters at the election night party on Tuesday

Boudin addresses his supporters at the election night party on Tuesday

Boudin and his wife, Valerie Block, are seen at the election night event on Tuesday in San Francisco

Boudin and his wife, Valerie Block, are seen at the election night event on Tuesday in San Francisco

The end of Boudin's tenure did not come as a surprise, and was as polls predicted

The end of Boudin’s tenure did not come as a surprise, and was as polls predicted

Boudin said the recall effort was driven by right-wing businesspeople and by less-than-liberal police officers.

‘This is a Republican- and police union-led playbook to undermine and attack progressive prosecutors who have been winning elections across the country,’ he told The Guardian.

‘The playbook involves delegitimizing and fear-mongering and recalling. It’s a tactic being used by folks who are increasingly unable to prevail in elections when they put forward their views about public safety and justice.’

However, Boudin was elected on a platform of criminal justice reform and his notoriously progressive laws have been widely blamed for rising crime and homelessness in the Bay Area since the start of the pandemic, where brazen looters have been seen ransacking stores and breaking into cars in greater numbers.

So far this year, statistics show that the crime wave has worsened, with the city’s murder rate rising 11 percent, and rapes up by nearly 10 percent.

Boudin’s time in office has also seen a marked rise in vagrancy – a stand-out issue in the Bay Area, where homelessness and drug use has run rampant under Boudin’s watch.

San Francisco police report 20 murders so far this year, an 11 percent increase from the 18 reported in the same time last year. 

Larceny theft, meanwhile, has skyrocketed under Boudin, with 13,424 cases reported this year – a 20.4 percent rise from the 11,151 reported last year. 

Assaults also saw a spike of 11 percent with 1,035 cases reported so far this year, and rapes have gone up by nearly 10 percent, with police reporting 97 cases in 2022 – compared to the 89 seen this time last year.

As larceny continues to see the largest increase in crime, the Bay Area has contended with a series of smash-and-grab robberies in the past year, with brazen thieves raiding stores in the middle of day. 

Video from a Walgreens in San Francisco last month shows three shoplifters empty the store’s shelves and pack everything they can into bags, before running out the pharmacy.

Recall backers claimed Boudin’s policies have made San Francisco less safe. They have aired ads highlighting shocking videos of smash-and-grab robberies and looting from stores in the city. Under Boudin's lax crime laws, the perpetrators regularly avoid prosecution

Recall backers claimed Boudin’s policies have made San Francisco less safe. They have aired ads highlighting shocking videos of smash-and-grab robberies and looting from stores in the city. Under Boudin’s lax crime laws, the perpetrators regularly avoid prosecution

As larceny continues to see the largest increase in crime, the Bay Area has contended with a series of smash-and-grab robberies in the past year, with brazen thieves raiding stores in the middle of day

As larceny continues to see the largest increase in crime, the Bay Area has contended with a series of smash-and-grab robberies in the past year, with brazen thieves raiding stores in the middle of day 

Because of policies implemented by Boudin, whose criminal justice reform policies often allow the offenders off scot-free, the clerks are left only able to watch

Because of policies implemented by Boudin, whose criminal justice reform policies often allow the offenders off scot-free, the clerks are left only able to watch

Drug store chains like Walgreens and CVS have become attractive and easy targets for shoplifters, leading to numerous store closures in the Bay Area. 

In the area’s largest city, San Francisco, low-level offenses, such as retail thefts, have been effectively de-criminalized under Boudin’s leadership.

Walgreens said last year that retail theft in San Francisco was five times the chain average and security costs were 46 times the chain average, the Chronicle reported.

According to the latest available crime data, grand larceny rates in California’s liberal bastion were up 26 per cent in mid-April, compared with the same period last year.

California Gov Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has vowed to crack down on gangs of retail thieves, despite a controversial 2014 law – Proposition 47 – that barred prosecutors from charging suspected shoplifters accused of stealing less than $950 worth of merchandise with felonies. 

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