Boudin Critic Replaces Him As San Francisco District Attorney

By Madison Hirneisen | The Center Square, The Center Square California

July 10, 2022

(The Center Square) – Following the historic recall of San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin in June, the city on Friday officially got a new top prosecutor.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed tapped Brooke Jenkins, an outspoken critic of Boudin who resigned from her post as Assistant District Attorney in 2021 to embrace the recall campaign, to serve out the remainder of Boudin's term. Jenkins was sworn in Friday in San Francisco.

"Never in my eight years of working in criminal justice have I ever heard San Franciscans express the level that they feel about the lack of safety in our city," Jenkins said Friday. "As the district attorney, I plan to restore the accountability and the consequences that have been lost in the criminal justice system in San Francisco."

Jenkins served as Assistant District Attorney from 2014 to 2021 but resigned in October "as a result of mounting dissatisfaction with the direction of the office," according to the mayor's office. Throwing her support behind the recall effort, Jenkins lambasted Boudin's criminal justice policies, asserting that he failed to hold repeat offenders accountable and allowed perpetrators back into the community without consequence.

Jenkins often took to Twitter to show her support for the effort to oust the former district attorney.

"When I meet Chesa supporters, they often tell me that he is holding police accountable. That's dead wrong," Jenkins wrote in a tweet on June 4, just days before the June 7 primary election that resulted in Boudin's recall. "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."

Supporters of the recall effort targeting Boudin said the district attorney failed to hold "serial offenders accountable" for crimes and said his actions made the city less safe. Boudin supporters, however, countered that Boudin implemented criminal diversion programs as he promised during his campaign and spearheaded efforts to address ghost guns and retail theft.

In assuming her new role, Jenkins said her office would work to "restore order to our city," while moving forward with reforms to the city's criminal justice system. She vowed Friday to take action on enforcing drug laws, addressing hate crimes against the Asian American community and gun violence.

"Accountability does not mean that we reject reform," Jenkins tweeted Friday. "We can have responsible reform and accountability both at the same time. I vow to this city to balance both in pursuit of justice and safety for all."

Mayor Breed expressed support for Jenkins during Friday's ceremony, saying the new district attorney understands and will work to address the city's issues with gun violence, fentanyl and hate crimes.

"We've been through a lot in this city, and there's not one person that's going to fix this," Breed said. "But there is a strong DA that will take over and will do everything she can to ensure safety, accountability and justice."

The focus of the work of The Center Square California is state and local-level government and economic reporting that approaches stories with a taxpayer sensibility.