I’m writing you this evening to provide you with a brief update on San Francisco’s newly appointed District Attorney, Brooke Jenkins. Jenkins is a former prosecutor in recently recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin’s office.
She was one of 59 attorneys—more than 40% in the office—to leave the DA’s office after Boudin took control in January 2020. After leaving, Jenkins became a volunteer for Safer SF Without Boudin, a broad coalition of activists, small business owners, and public safety advocates who led the recall effort.
Although Jenkins is a progressive prosecutor who has long sought alternatives to incarceration, she has heavily criticized the chaotic management, high turnover, and ideologically driven decisions of Boudin’s office. In an interview with NBC, Jenkins claimed that Boudin resisted charging crime and released offenders without opportunities for rehabilitation, putting them into positions where they were more likely to reoffend. She also believes that Boudin prioritized ideology and politics over the day-to-day handling of cases during his time in office, which she said yielded a disorganized office, plummeting morale, and bad outcomes for victims and their families.
Prior to her time in Boudin’s office, Jenkins worked as the Assistant Director of Enforcement for the NCAA, where she investigated violations of NCAA legislation, and later as an associate for Bowman and Brooke, where she represented automotive manufacturers in high exposure product liability and personal injury cases across the country. Jenkins also served under L.A County District attorney, George Gascón, during his tenure as D.A. in San Francisco.
Jenkins will serve as interim D.A. until November 2022, when San Francisco voters will select a new attorney in the November election. Since voters in San Francisco rejected Proposition C last June—which would have blocked the Mayor’s appointments from running for the position in the next election—Chesa Boudin could potentially run against Jenkins should he decide to run again.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you for your continued membership.
Jen
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