San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin Recalled, AP Projects

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin has been recalled, the Associated Press called at 9:04 p.m. PT.

Preliminary returns show that 61 percent of San Franciscans voted “yes” on a proposition to recall the progressive district attorney, while 39 percent voted “no.” The AP estimated that 45 percent of votes had been counted, including all ballots mailed before election day.

Boudin will be removed from office 10 days after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors accept the results, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed will choose a replacement.

Boudin, a former public defender, was narrowly elected as district attorney in 2019, and promised a host of progressive criminal justice reforms. He eliminated cash bail, pursued criminal prosecutions against nine police officers, ended the prosecution of children as adults, and offered more defendants the opportunity to enter treatment programs rather than prison.

But even in a Democratic stronghold like San Francisco, voters felt these reforms were too far-reaching. A nationwide rise in crime has dampened previous enthusiasm for progressive criminal justice reforms. San Francisco’s homicide rate remained consistent, but burglaries have risen 45 percent since 2019, according to KRON4. Homelessness and open-air drug markets remain stubbornly persistent. Anti-Asian hate crimes increased 567 percent in the city in 2021.

A petition to recall Boudin came after the 2020 killing of two women near Market Street. Suspect Troy McAlister had been arrested five times, but in each case, the DA’s office did not file charges.

Polls leading up to the recall consistently showed that Boudin would be recalled.