District Attorney Chesa Boudin Tuesday became the fourth San Francisco politician to be removed from office in just the last few months.
His 18 months in office were dominated by the COVID pandemic and the outbreak of widespread property crimes, including a rash of mass retail break-ins and assaults on several members of the AAPI community.
Many of those victims complained that Boudin declined to pursue hate crime charges in those assaults and several of his former deputy prosecutors also became some of his loudest critics.
They complained about the way the district attorney, a self-described reformer, would handle prosecutions. Often opting for what they described as “lenient plea deals''.
After the results came in, he addressed his supporters saying he's the victim of the anger voters felt because of the pandemic.
“People are angry, and they're frustrated. And I want to be very clear about what happened tonight,” he said. “The right-wing billionaires outspent us three to one. They exploited an environment in which people are appropriately upset. And they created an electoral dynamic in which we were literally shadow boxing.”
Boudin did not take any questions from reporters, including if he plans on running again.
At the Del Mar Tavern on Lombard Street, a couple of hundred people, in favor of the recall, celebrated the results that came in shortly before 9 p.m. -- 61% of voters wanting a new DA.
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“San Francisco can move forward with new leadership and chart a safer and better path forward,” said Mary Jong.
Boudin’s recall now means Mayor London Breed will be appointing someone to the DA's office for the second time since she's been in office.
She appointed the replacement for former District Attorney George Gascon when he moved to Los Angeles.
“You know I trust the mayor to make a good decision,” said Jong. “I know people have been talking to her, I don't know who they are. I don’t have an opinion on that.”
