San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin recalled


San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin has been recalled, The Associated Press and San Francisco Chronicle are both projecting, and on Tuesday night, he conceded defeat.
With 45 percent of precincts reporting, 61 percent of voters are in favor of recalling Boudin. Speaking to supporters on Tuesday night, Boudin said, "This was never about one vote count. It was never about one election night party. This is a movement, not a moment in history."
The 41-year-old was elected in 2019, and promised to eliminate cash bail and divert low-level offenders into mental health and drug treatment programs. During his first two years in office, violent and property crimes dropped, while burglaries and motor vehicle thefts rose. Boudin chose not to seek the death penalty or try juveniles as adults, and reduced the use of sentencing enhancements, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The recall campaign against Boudin, which was heavily funded by business groups, accused him of not doing enough to keep San Francisco safe, citing an increase in smash-and-grab robberies and brutal attacks against elderly Asian Americans.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
6 elegant Queen Anne Victorian homes
Feature Featuring original diamond-glass doors in New York and a registered historic landmark in Arkansas
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Gabbard fires intelligence chiefs after Venezuela report
speed read Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has fired the top two officials leading the National Intelligence Council
-
California may pull health care from eligible undocumented migrants
IN THE SPOTLIGHT After pushing for universal health care for all Californians regardless of immigration status, Gov. Gavin Newsom's latest budget proposal backs away from a key campaign promise
-
'Natural disasters don't happen only in the movies'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump vows to lift Syria sanctions
speed read The move would help the new government stabilize the country following years of civil war
-
Senate rejects Trump's Library of Congress takeover
speed read Congress resisted the president's attempts to control 'the legislative branch's premier research body'
-
Hamas frees US hostage in deal sidelining Israel
speed read Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier, was the final living US citizen held by the militant group
-
White Afrikaners land in US as Trump-declared refugees
speed read An exception was made to Trump's near-total ban on admitting refugees for the white South Africans
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideast
speed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government