SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – Rallying against the recall – San Francisco’s District Attorney Chesa Boudin is defending his record as the push to recall him continues.
Boudin addressed a number of issues Monday, including the perceived rise in crime in San Francisco and the role his critics say he’s playing in that.
Concerns over public safety have been the biggest battle for the district attorney.
Groups that have gathered behind the recall effort say there’s been a lack of accountability for people who commit crimes in the city which has led to a rise in crime.
Boudin says many of these claims are not true and that he is working to make San Francisco safe.
He is also working to change the perception that he’s soft on crime and that his policies are not working.
He spoke before a group in the city’s Excelsior District Monday saying fear-mongering is being used to hurt his record.
“Look at the data, look at the evidence. We are doing whatever we can to hold people who commit crimes accountable and to make San Francisco safer for everyone,” Boudin said.
The San Francisco police union and city residents have criticized Boudin for being neglectful in prosecuting criminals.
Even two former assistant DA’s have supported a recall of Boudin, both recently resigned from the office citing public safety concerns.
Boudin argues his office is doing what it is supposed to do.
“It’s up to the police to make arrests. And when police do make arrests, it’s up to me to hold them accountable. And that’s exactly what I do. When the police brought me five arrests from the Union Square flash mob robberies, we filed felony charges against all five of them,” Boudin said.
When asked whether he’s being made a scapegoat, Boudin says the city’s issues run deeper than prosecuting crime.
“We have a housing crisis. We have an overdose crisis. There are lots of areas where we need our public health partners, our housing partners, to step up and solve these problems. We cannot lock our way up, out of poverty,” Boudin said.
Boudin has said out-of-state, dark money has been behind the effort to oust him.
The recall election will take place next June.