[by Don Santina]
Chesa Boudin is a decent man and his policies as District Attorney of San Francisco reflect his compassion for people and his commitment to justice. The election to recall him is one of the most important elections in the City’s history. Mark the day: June 7th. This special election will decide whether the policies of the criminal justice system will be determined by the people or the billionaires.
In 2019, Boudin won election fair and square, but now local billionaires and millionaires are laying out mega dollars to remove him from office. It’s the same playbook the Republicans have been using for the past year, basically trying to overthrow the results of an election they don’t like. They tried and failed to recall Governor Gavin Newsom; now they’re after Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon and Chesa Boudin.
The main group behind the recall calls itself “Neighbors for a Better San Francisco,” but the headquarters for the “Neighbors” is in Marin County.
William Oberndorf is the big money guy behind the “Neighbors.” He’s in for $900,000. He also gave $3.5 million to the Republican “Senate Leadership Fund.” These are the same senators who support building a wall on the border and giving the goons from ICE the green light to round up immigrants all around the country.
Oberndorf is joined by other billionaires and millionaires, like the wealthy socialite Diane Wilsey, who kicked in $50,000. She also hosted a fundraiser for Donald Trump. The Fisher family, whose Gap clothing store wealth was created by sweatshop labor overseas, bundled in $200,000. Miriam Haas, whose family closed the historic Levi’s manufacturing plant in the Mission because labor got too expensive, put up $133,000. Other investors and venture capitalists donated even more, like $300,000 each from Stephen Merrill and John Pritzker. We’re talking about real money here.
Why are these Fat Cats so eager to get rid of Chesa?
Is it because Chesa Boudin stands up for working people?
Shortly after he took office, Boudin formed the Economic Crimes Against Workers Unit to protect workers’ rights by enforcing California labor laws concerning wage theft, labor trafficking, unfair competition and workplace retaliation.
The Fat Cats don’t like this unit in the DA’s office.
Why? Because Fat Cats get fat and stay fat by keeping wages low and not paying benefits like health insurance and sick pay. They also like to falsely classify employees as “contractors.” Boudin sued them for doing that.
These billionaires and millionaires have paid for a lot of media chatter about the “crime wave” in San Francisco, but—according to actual statistics from the San Francisco Police Department—crimes of assault, robbery and larceny are actually lower than they were before Boudin took office. That’s important to remember; don’t be fooled.
An example of Chesa’s compassion for justice is his establishment of the Innocence Commission to review wrongful convictions. As a result of the Commission’s work, Joaquin Ciria, who spent 32 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, was freed. Joaquin is now back with his family.
Keep Chesa Boudin as District Attorney by Voting NO on Proposition H on June 7. Don’t let billionaires overturn a fair election. Don’t be fooled. Show these bullies that your vote is not for sale. Get out on June 7 and VOTE NO on PROP H! And tell your real neighbors to Vote No too.
[Don Santina was an organizer in the Mission for over 10 years. His latest mystery novel, “A Bullet for the Angel,” dives into murder and gentrification in 1959 San Francisco.]