SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — San Francisco’s Mayor London Breed has made a controversial pick to replace former progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin, after a recall which garnered major national attention — prosecutor and critic Brooke Jenkins.
Jenkins will take office as district attorney on Friday, after having been a vocal spokesperson in the effort to recall her former boss. She has recent experience in the office, with name recognition and a powerful campaign network, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
But those who opposed the recall of Boudin say this pick reflects a turn from progressive criminal justice policies for San Francisco. Jenkins, a Black Latina, described herself as a “progressive prosecutor” but criticized Boudin for his policies in the interest of criminal justice reform.
In a press statement Thursday, Breed said she talked to stakeholders all over the city and claimed she heard people most want to see that "reforms are not forgotten, but that accountability had to be an important part of the equation."
She said Jenkins stood out for understanding "both sides" during the recall adding, "She sacrificed her career to fight for people in the city, to fight for victims who needed a voice in the city."
Jenkins said to the public gathered, "We are at a tipping point in San Francisco, San Franciscans do not feel safe."
Data has shown the city saw a decrease in violent crime, with some elevation of different property crimes during the pandemic. Jenkins focused on retribution for violent and hate crimes, calling it her top priority to “end the existence of open air drug markets in our communities." She said she will pursue determining what happens to unhoused people on the streets, saying "It is not compassion to leave people on the street suffering."
Questioned about the recall, Jenkins says "I have never tried to lay blame for any circumstance in San Francisco on one single person."
She previously criticized Boudin's policies, telling podcast The San Francisco Experience in May that she thought he did not make public safety a priority. She said she worked with the recall to persuade voters that Boudin — whose office can only prosecute cases brought by the police department — was not holding people accountable for offenses.
Breed did not take a stance for or against Boudin, but publicly criticized his leadership.
Boudin was recalled by about 55% of responding voters last month after facing claims that his policies were responsible for concerns about crime in the city.
During the 2019 election, the San Francisco Police Officers Association invested at least $600,000 into ads opposing Boudin, accusing him of promoting policies that would aid criminals. Starting in 2020, conservative backers sunk millions into the recall effort. Opponents and Bay Area criminal law experts described the recall as a conservative effort to remove the progressive DA and pursue a punitive “law and order” approach.
Recall opponents like former police commissioner John Hamasaki called this “an unfortunate pick for San Francisco.”
“Ms. Jenkins is somebody who has consistently demonstrated poor judgment, a lack of ethics and a desire to return to unfortunately racist and tough on crime policies,” he said in a phone interview. He said Jenkins was not Breed's first pick but is supported by the police union and some backers of the recall.
A critic of the San Francisco Police Department, Hamasaki said, “The mayor wasted a really great opportunity to appoint somebody neutral, politically moderate. It really creates a sense that the criminal justice system is untrustworthy and the prosecutor's office is not likely to play by the rules moving forward."
He said he thinks other cities will notice these changes, adding "This is just going to exacerbate this cycle of using jails and prisons as the solution to all of society’s problems … reinvigorating the drug war, criminalizing mental illness and criminalizing the unhoused."
The San Francisco Police Officers Association's board said via email that "Jenkins is a qualified, competent, and compassionate prosecutor who will allow San Francisco to turn the page from the previous criminal defense attorney masquerading as the DA. We urge Ms. Jenkins to fairly hold criminal offenders accountable, provide compassion for those in the criminal justice system who need and deserve it, and to strongly protect and assist crime victims seeking justice."
Jenkins may not be in this position long. Voters will decide this November whether to keep her until 2023, or pick another candidate to finish Boudin’s term.
Boudin kept many campaign promises including holding police accountable for misconduct — often leading to very public clashes with the chief of police — and increasing diversion programs. He has not ruled out another run for office.
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