Blames ‘right,’ but left rejected him
Newly recalled San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin defended his soft-on-crime policies and blamed “right-wing billionaires” for his overwhelming defeat in Tuesday’s special election — despite being kicked out by voters who are overwhelmingly Democrats.
Boudin, 41, spoke shortly after results showed about 60% of voters backed booting him from office midway through his term.
“The right-wing billionaires outspent us 3 to 1,” said Boudin, who in addition to blaming the outcome on outside efforts to discredit the progressive movement claimed residents at the ballot box were expressing frustration over the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The son of convicted Weather Underground terrorists and a former public defender, Boudin was elected DA in 2019 on a platform that included promises to keep low-level offenders out of jail and to prevent juveniles from serving long prison sentences.
But Boudin’s light-touch approach backfired amid an uptick in crime — including a spate of smash-and-grab robberies at high-end stores, an increase in attacks on Asian Americans, rampant shoplifting and open-air drug dealing.
‘So many break-ins’
“There are so many car breakins, house break-ins and stolen bicycles,” resident Kevin Wakelin told the San Francisco Examiner. “No one can afford a brand new bicycle every other week but that truly happens to some of us, and it’s terrible. He [Boudin] needs to take responsibility for that.”
Despite his rejection by the voters, Boudin insisted that while “people have a right to be frustrated,” his ideals would survive his downfall.
“We have two cities. We have two systems of justice, right? We have one for the wealthy and the well-connected and a different one for everybody else, and that’s exactly what we are fighting to change,” he said, later adding: “We are not afraid. Justice is on our side. Our cause is righteous. And we have already won. We can never incarcerate our way out of poverty.”
Recall proponents toasted their victory with leaders of the state’s hotel and retail associations and lauded Boudin’s defeat as a victory for San Francisco tourists, shoppers and workers who had sounded the alarm about rising crime and deteriorating conditions in one of America’s most liberal cities.
Mary Jung, a chair of the recall campaign, said voters had delivered a “clear message” that they want a new prosecutor who will hold “serious, violent and repeat offenders accountable while never forgetting the rights of victims and their families.”
Still progressive
The group also rejected Boudin’s claims that the recall — known as Proposition H on the ballot — was funded by Republican bigwigs.
“This election does not mean that San Francisco has drifted to the far right on our approach to criminal justice,” Jung said in a statement.
“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.”
“This is not a message to the rest of the country, but to take care of our community,” agreed recall organizer Andrea Shorter in an interview with the Examiner. “It’s really making sure you have balance around the idea of progressive reform and safety. They are one and the same, and we got off track.”
Raj Marwari, 40, said he voted to recall Boudin because “things
have gotten worse in every way.”
“Safe is not a word I’d use to describe San Francisco,” Marwari told the Los Angeles Times.
He added that ousting Boudin won’t fix everything wrong with the City by the Bay, but “when the player’s doing bad, you’ve got to pull ’em.”
Mayor London Breed will name a replacement for Boudin until a special election is held in November. Boudin would be eligible to campaign for his old office in that race.