It has been nearly a year since San Francisco voters unseated their liberal District Attorney Chesa Boudin in an election as public frustration over property crime and the visible desperation and misery on the city’s streets mounted.
There was no compelling evidence that Boudin’s policies had made crime worse; Overall, crime in San Francisco changed little during his tenure. But voters rejected his progressive message of forbearance.
Boudin, who has largely remained silent since being recalled, is taking on a new role this week: as founding executive director of the new Criminal Law and Justice Center at UC Berkeley School of Law. Responsibilities are broad and include teaching, researching the impact of changes in California criminal laws, and advocating new laws at the State Capitol and in court.
“It’s a job that allows me to draw on the lived experience I’ve had from visiting my parents in prison for a combined 63 years and the real-world work experience I’ve gained both as a public defender and as an elected district attorney in San Francisco have collected,” Boudin said. When he was a toddler, his parents, members of a radical left-wing group, were jailed for their part in a botched robbery that killed three men.
As he begins his new job, Boudin, 42, reflects on the past year, his tenure and the ongoing struggle for public safety in San Francisco.
Debates over crime, the fentanyl epidemic and homelessness have been rather contentious since he left office. City leaders have promised more aggressive enforcement; One proposal would exclude undocumented immigrants convicted of distributing fentanyl from protection under the city’s sanctuary policy, making it easier for them to be deported.
“I absolutely disagree with scapegoating or attacking immigrants for what are clearly entrenched structural inequalities and a public health crisis,” Boudin said. “It never worked and was often a red flag for fascism. Scapegoating immigrants is not what we do in San Francisco, and it will not make us any safer.”
Regarding the fatal shooting of Banko Brown by a security guard at a downtown drugstore last month, Boudin delivered harsh words to his successor, Brooke Jenkins, who declined to press charges in the case. Her handling of the case sparked protests, particularly over her public statements early in the investigation that the case appeared to be in self-defense.
“Any seasoned prosecutor knows, and Jenkins should have known full well, that while a case is still under investigation, at least not supposedly, you don’t speak up and represent the defense,” he said.
Boudin defended his decision to charge two police officers with on-duty shootings — charges Jenkins later dropped and which he said were politically motivated.
“I campaigned on this issue,” Boudin said of police shootings. “It wasn’t political. That’s what voters wanted.”
In his new job, Boudin could return to the courtroom as a lawyer on a range of issues, including overhauling bail laws.
“It’s a subject I’ve worked on for many, many years,” he said. “I firmly believe that being poor is not a crime in this country. And that we have a presumption of innocence. And that people who are presumed innocent should not be imprisoned just because they are poor.”
When asked if he would ever run for office again, he simply replied, “Never say never.”
Tim Arango is a Correspondent for the National Desk and lives in Los Angeles.
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Guests are fed up with minimal service. Will a little warmth win her back?
where we travel
Today’s tip comes from John Merkler, who recommends coastal parks in San Diego:
“Together, Torrey Pines State Beach and Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is one of the most sublime spots in Southern California and one of the top 10 in the state.
The beach and adjacent cliff is not just a geological fantasy with a rich history; They are a natural wonder and a never-ending source of relaxation, pleasure and often entertainment. It is an inspiration that never ceases to surprise and delight.”
Tell us about your favorite places in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We will report more about this in future issues of the newsletter.
And before you go, some good news
Call it postmodern love.
Joseph Bartlett Fay and Daniel Wayne Garness first met in person at an architectural landmark – now known as the Burns House – designed by Charles Moore, the postmodern architect, on a hilltop in the Santa Monica Canyon.
“Dan is a residential and landscape architect,” Fay said. “I’m an architecture enthusiast.”
Fast forward 11 years. Fay, 68, and Garness, 70, were married this month in a small ceremony attended by some of their loved ones.
“A good home is a snapshot of the world,” Garness told the New York Times. “Equal parts protection and dreams. Marriage is maybe a bit like that too.”
