Sponsored link
Friday, July 11, 2025

Sponsored link

News + PoliticsNo surprise—Boudin recall will be on the June ballot

No surprise—Boudin recall will be on the June ballot

If you spend $1.4 million, you can qualify almost anything—but this will be a big test for the integrity of elections and SF's political leadership.

-

To the surprise of nobody, the supporters of the effort to recall Chesa Boudin turned in enough signatures to put the issue on the June 7 ballot.

If you spend enough money on paid signature-gatherers, who use all kinds of dubious practices, you can qualify almost anything these days.

Chesa Boudin won the election. Now his opponents want a do-over.

“After spending $1.4 million, and using shady and misleading tactics, it’s no surprise that this radical recall has bought its way onto the ballot,” said Julie Edwards, a spokesperson for the campaign against the recall.

Now we will see a critical test of local politics.

Seven of the 11 supes have signed on to oppose the recall. Sup. Myrna Melgar isn’t on the website, but she told me she opposes the recall on principle. So has Assemblymember Phil Ting.

Assemblymember David Chiu didn’t take a position on the recall, and is now the city attorney. Mayor Breed has said nothing.

The recall will be paired with the traditional June primary, which could, conceivably, be the third election for Chiu’s seat.

The first attempt to recall Boudin, led by Republican Richie Greenberg, didn’t qualify. That effort relied on volunteer signature gathering.

This time around, the effort is directed and run by people who were supporters of Breed’s DA candidate, Suzy Loftus, who lost to Boudin. It’s not hard to see this as an effort to run a do-over, in the wake of a global pandemic, when crime patterns changed all over the country and courtrooms were closed so prosecutions were stalled.

This recall fervor—in this case, clearly driven by right-wing opposition to Boudin’s progressive policies—has the potential to change local politics. If you lose a race in which contributions are limited to $500, you can just go and file a recall, where contributions are unlimited, and let big money drive the election—and in San Francisco, give the mayor a chance to replace the elected candidate.

How much of the local political establishment will either go along with this or duck? Will the news media see this as a change for the mayor to replace someone who beat her candidate with the person she wants in the job?

The stakes in this campaign are huge, and go beyond Boudin.

48 Hills welcomes comments in the form of letters to the editor, which you can submit here. We also invite you to join the conversation on our FacebookTwitter, and Instagram

Tim Redmond
Tim Redmond
Tim Redmond has been a political and investigative reporter in San Francisco for more than 30 years. He spent much of that time as executive editor of the Bay Guardian. He is the founder of 48hills.
Sponsored link
Sponsored link

Featured

Britney blackout: Author Jeff Weiss relives the ’00s pop culture cataclysm

Music journalist's gonzo new book 'Waiting for Britney Spears' dives into the tabloid-strewn wreck of the schlocky decade.

Under the Stars: Madlib’s sonic crystal ball spins again

Plus: Kendra Morris scores a reggae-tinged 'Flat Tire,' Jay Som rocks back with 'Float,' Directions in Stereo dips into the wax stacks

Good Taste: An obsessive early guide to the Outside Lands food multiverse

Fun bevs, free samples, fries as meals, super splurges, and more: It’s not too soon to plan your festival menu.

More by this author

Will supes oust one of the most effective members of the Homeless Oversight Commission?

And what does this say about the mayor and the board changing policy on Prop C and 'housing first?'

Supes to vote on Billionaire Budget deal amid protests over housing money

Plus: A crackdown on RV parking that will make more families homeless, and will the Police Commission do a real national search for the next chief? That's The Agenda for July 6-13

Wiener-Newsom CEQA ‘reform’ is a dangerous fraud

Lithium battery factories without environmental review. Miami Beach development along the coast. And it's not going to make housing more affordable
Sponsored link

You might also likeRELATED