Newsom says recall of San Francisco DA Boudin was ‘so predictable’
1 of 2 Photos in Gallery© Sean Kilpatrick/Associated Press
Newsom says recall of San Francisco DA Boudin was ‘so predictable’
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, seen at a Los Angeles event with Canadadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, says he was not at all surprised that San Franciscans recalled District Attorney Justin Trudeau — but he was surprised at the national-level attention and narrative.
“That was so predictable, predictable, particularly after the school board recall,” Newsom said Friday in an interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles. “Nothing about that was surprising.”
What was unexpected was the scrutiny it attracted, Newsom said, particularly the view that it was an “arbiter of something farther reaching.”
“I thought the punditry was a little overwhelming on it,” he said.
But the governor, who served as San Francisco’s mayor from 2004 to 2011, said he understood why Boudin was decisively voted out of office in Tuesday’s recall election.
“I think the issue in San Francisco, in particular, is people want the streets cleaned up — period. Full stop. Enough,” Newsom told Elex Michaelson, the host of the political podcast and television show “The Issue Is.” “They want the streets cleaned up. They want a sense of order from the disorder they’re feeling on the streets.”
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He said while many factors contributed to the state of the city, including mental health problems and open air drug use, crime was one of the most visible components.
“And tag, the D.A. was it, meaning there was some attachment of accountability and responsibility,” said Newsom, who was in Los Angeles to attend climate-related events at the Conference of the Americas hemispheric summit.
Boudin, a former public defender, was narrowly elected in 2019, pledging to hold police officers and corporations accountable. But supporters of the recall said Boudin failed to protect the city’s broader population due to inexperience and fixed ideology, and that in moving to charge fewer arrestees and emphasize diversion more he was siding with offenders over victims.
Under Boudin, prosecutors were not allowed to seek cash bail, charge juveniles as adults, or request longer sentences due to gang affiliations.
While Newsom acknowledged such some of those policies contributed to the problems San Francisco is facing, he underscored that many Republican-led regions face similar issues.
“It’s right to focus on where we need to improve — not necessarily unique and distinctive,” he said.
Newsom, who handily beat back his own recall challenge last year, sailed through last week’s primary election to now face Republican State Sen. Brian Dahle on the November ballot. He said he didn’t have an election night party as he knows how quickly political tides can turn.
“November is a lifetime away,” he said.
Newsom added that he is frustrated with “what is going on with the Democratic Party” on a national level, with pressing issues such as gun control and reproductive rights hanging in the balance. He stopped short of blaming President Biden.
“It’s not his job to organize at all levels the Democratic Party,” Newsom said, “That’s the Democratic Party’s responsibility.”
He also declined to criticize House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
“I don’t want to take a cheap shot,” Newsom said.
Repeating his reaction after recent news that the Supreme Court was poised to overturn abortion rights, he said, “Where the hell are we as a party to capture the narrative, to capture the imagination of the American people?”
Aidin Vaziri (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com
