SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco’s mayor has named an outspoken critic of ousted District Attorney Chesa Budden as his replacement, saying her choice is the right person to continue criminal justice reform while holding offenders accountable.
London Mayor Breed announced Thursday that Brooke Jenkins will be the next district attorney after voters in the famously liberal city ousted the politically progressive Budden in a special recall election last month. She will be sworn in on Friday.
Jenkins, who left Budin’s office in 2021 to volunteer for the recall, is both black and Hispanic. She will be San Francisco’s first Hispanic district attorney. Vice President Kamala Harris was the city’s first black prosecutor.
“We are a city of second chances. But the truth is, we have to differentiate between people who choose hate, violence and a life of crime,” Jenkins said at a news conference announcing her appointment. “I want to be clear: holding offenders accountable does not prevent us from moving forward with vital and important reforms to our criminal justice system.”
Budden, a former public defender elected in 2019, was ousted in a June 7 election fueled by frustration over public safety in the deeply Democratic city. Viral videos of people shoplifting and attacking elderly people, especially Asian Americans, have rattled residents.
Former District Attorney Chesa Budin was ousted in a June 7 recall election due to the rapid decline in San Francisco’s public safety during his tenure. San Francisco Chronicle via Gett
Breed said she chose Jenkins because of her experience, sense of justice and compassion for both victims and offenders. The mayor did not reveal how she voted on the recall, but she confronted Bouden about the performance.
“She sacrificed her career to fight for the people of this city, to fight for the victims who needed a voice in the city,” Breed said.
Jenkins, who also considers herself a progressive prosecutor, said during the campaign that Budden was too tough. He abolished cash bail for defendants and announced that juveniles would not be tried as adults, no matter how serious the crime. Jenkins said she would like to see those tools available to prosecutors to use as they see fit.
In an interview with The Associated Press before the election, Jenkins said being a progressive prosecutor means being “innovative in finding alternatives to incarceration, but trying to make sure our defendants don’t reoffend.”
Budden, who has not ruled out running for district attorney again, said his time in office has been hampered by a pandemic that has closed courts and intensive treatment and counseling programs relied on to rehabilitate offenders.
Jenkins joined the San Francisco District Attorney’s office in 2014.
She said she plans to run in November to serve out the remainder of Budden’s term through 2023.
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