“VC Lives Matter”: Silicon Valley Investors Want to Oust San Francisco’s Reformist DA

In 2019, Chesa Boudin won his election with support from communities of color who wanted to make the criminal justice system less racist, and improve public safety through means other than mass incarceration. Since taking office in January 2020, he’s built a reputation as one of the most impactful progressive prosecutors in the country -- by ending cash bail, reducing mass incarceration and holding police accountable. But some tech investors aren't happy. They've claimed that Chesa is "coddling" criminals in San Francisco. These are lies, plain and simple. The level of dishonesty and misinformation coming from the recall effort is staggering.  His billionaire friends have been spending lavishly to help fund the recall, including Tucker Carlson fan-boy David Sacks, and Facebook exec Chamath Palihapitiya.Last year, Jason Calacanis, an angel investor for Robinhood and uber, launched a GoFundMe to hire an "investigative reporter" to "hold the DA of SF accountable." Here’s the problem: These right-wing tech venture capitalists are lying about crime in San Francisco. And the proof is in the pudding: ✅ Violent crime in San Francisco has dropped to levels below comparable cities since Chesa's term began.    ✅ Property crime in San Francisco has decreased dramatically.   ✅ Charging rates across all crime types in San Francisco have increased.   ✅ Homicides in San Francisco remain near record lows despite surging in other Bay Area cities.    ✅ Robberies, rapes, and assaults have decreased during Chesa's tenure These tech investors and right-wing Trump supporters are spending millions to reverse our movement and take us back to a time when innocent people languished behind bars and police acted with impunity. And most importantly, their policies will make our city less safe. So please, consider donating whatever amount is meaningful to you to help Chesa fight back and keep our city, and our movement on track. Chesa Boudin was elected District Attorney of San Francisco in 2019 to reform our criminal justice system. Now, right-wingers  want to reverse our progress and return our city to a time when innocent people were locked away and police acted with impunity. Please chip in today to keep up the fight to reform San Francisco's criminal justice system. Thank you for your support,  Team Chesa Boudin 20 Galli Drive Ste A Novato, CA 94949

 

---

 

Ad paid for by Friends of Chesa Boudin Opposing the Recall, FPPC #1437058, Financial Disclosures available at SFethics.org Committee major funding from: 1. Christian Larsen ($100,000) 2. Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Candidate PAC ($65,000) 3. Jessica McKellar ($50,000)

 

FWD: New data prove the recall effort is lying about crime in San Francisco

Hi, it's Chesa Boudin.  Yesterday, I sent you a detailed analysis of crime in the Bay Area showing that -- despite the mainstream narrative -- property crime and thefts are down by double digits since my term began in 2019.  The email accidentally included a broken link, so I wanted to share the correct one. You can read the full article here. Despite our success in reducing crime by reforming the criminal justice system, the recall effort is spending millions to overturn the will of the voters and stop our movement in its tracks. So again, I'm asking for your help: Please, consider making a contribution of whatever amount is meaningful to you to stave off the recall and keep our movement on track. Thank you,  Chesa Boudin Year-End Stats Show SF Property Crime Down 11.2% Below Pre-Pandemic Levels, Despite ‘Moral Panic’

 

A detailed analysis of property crime in Bay Area cities shows that San Jose and Berkeley have seen property crime decrease over the last two years, and while many Bay Area cities saw an increase in 2021, thefts are still down double-digit percentages compared to 2019.

There are two dueling Bay Area priority crime analysis pieces circulating in the media discourse today, and you pick which one you want to reinforce your assessment of whether property crime is out of control, or being wildly exaggerated by people with political agendas. The Los Angeles Times has a provocative article called “San Francisco confronts a crime wave unusual among U.S. cities,” which is long on individual anecdotes but skimpy on data, and drawing the expected response from the “Recall Chesa Boudin and replace Him with Batman” crowd.

San Francisco confronts a crime wave unusual among U.S. cities.#recallchesa@safersfnoboudin https://t.co/7tBIbwhgbo

— David Perry (@DavidPerrySF) January 3, 2022

Meanwhile, the Bay Area News Group has its own piece published today entitled “Amid mob theft scare, Bay Area property crime in 2021 was modestly up and down.” The point of that one, which does analyze year-to-year data now that we have complete 2021 data, is that yes, property crime was generally up in 2021 compared to 2020 in many Bay Area cities. Yet even the 2021 rate was well below the pre-pandemic rate from 2019, a perception undermined by a number of high-profile cases which begat predictable Fox News hysteria.

Amid mob theft scare, Bay Area property crime in 2021 was modestly up and down https://t.co/Gw203HG8pu

— Mercury News (@mercnews) January 3, 2022

The Bay Area News Group’s assessment breaks this down by city. “Oakland saw a 7.5% increase in all property crime from 2020 but is still down 12.3% overall from 2019,” according to the assessment. “San Francisco, up 11.8% in property crime from the year before, remains 11.2% below its 2019 levels.”

“Even Walnut Creek — where a mid-November mass attack on a downtown Nordstrom reverberated nationwide — has seen property crime decline 9% from two years ago,” the news group notes. "And even more contrary to public perception, the new group adds that “Many cities — San Jose and Berkeley, for two — enjoyed a second consecutive year of decreases in property crime.”

Image: SFGov.org

But the issue has become a political hot potato, and one where elected Democrats from Nancy Pelosi to Gavin Newsom to London Breed have felt the need to make a big stink of how they are tougher on crime than the rest of their fellow Democrats. Assessing the political winds with their fingers just pulled freshly from their mouths, many are unapologetic about ignoring the data and deferring to media hype.

“I’m not a big person into just looking at macroeconomic statistics. I look at what are people in my district are feeling,” Bay Area congressional Rep. Ro Khanna told the Bay Area News Group. “They’re concerned about public safety. They’re concerned about going to shop outside, being outside at coffee shops, their cars being stolen.”

The blame for the crime surge that is not a crime surge is typically directed at San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, and/or the 2012 measure Prop. 47, which reduced penalties for non-violent crimes. Yet it seems far-fetched that flash-mob burglars know what Prop. 47 even is, or who their county’s district attorney happens to be at a given time.

“As for Prop. 47, there’s a lot of different opinions out there. I’m not sure we have enough data yet to make any definitive conclusions on it,” Walnut Creek police chief Jamie Knox told the News Group. “Crime ebbs and flows on a number of factors.”  

Related: SFPD and City Hall Announce Initiative to Crack Down On Retail Theft Which Includes Privately Funded Police [SFist]

Image: @BrockKeeling via Twitter