New York Times guest essay warns 'urban disorder' is 'threat to Democrats'
San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin was recalled as the city deals with rampant homelessness and crime
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A New York Times guest essay argued that conflating criminal justice reform and "urban disorder," such as the homelessness crisis in San Francisco amid progressive former district attorney Chesa Boudin's recall, is a "threat to Democrats across the country."
Author and former Democratic strategist Gil Duran said that what Boudin's "ouster was not, despite claims to the contrary, was a clear rebuke to the movement for criminal justice reform in California: State primaries delivered victories for that very movement."
"Still, the conflation of criminal-justice reform with urban disorder is a threat to Democrats across the country. The recall made Mr. Boudin an emblem of the city’s dysfunctions, but its problems predate his election in 2019, and conservatives have long derided ‘San Fransicko’ as a symbol of the Democratic Party’s excesses and failures," Duran wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chesa Boudin during an appearance on the SF City Insider podcast at the San Francisco Chronicle in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 28, 2019. (Yalonda M. James/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
OUSTING CHESA BOUDIN, SAN FRANCISCO'S PROGRESSIVE DA, IS ‘BITTERSWEET,' RECALL ACTIVIST SAYS
Duran said that Democrats should take Boudin's recall seriously as the "vulnerability" will continue because of San Francisco's problems with homelessness and crime.
"No Republican has been elected here in decades. It’s a city controlled entirely by Democrats in a state controlled entirely by Democrats. And anyone with an iPhone can walk down Market Street collecting troves of anecdotal evidence to prove the horrors of Democratic governance," he wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He wrote that overall crime rates were down in California and that Boudin's recall was more about "frustration" rather than "referendum on reform."
Homeless people are seen on streets of the Tenderloin district in San Francisco, California, United States on October 30, 2021. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., said Boudin's recall was "predictable."
SAN FRANCISCO'S HOMELESS STATS SOAR: CITY BLAMES BIG BUSINESS, RESIDENTS BLAME OFFICIALS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Republicans discovered a "rich vein of Democratic voter discontent," he wrote, adding that Democratic politicians should take Boudin's fate as a "glimpse of their own" and be sure to act on the homelessness crisis.
"If they continue to fail, it will solidify the impression that California is where progressive dreams go to die," he concluded.
File photo - The skyline of San Francisco, California showing the Transamerica Building framed by the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge is pictured at sunset Feb. 27, 2008. (REUTERS/Robert Galbraith)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}George Gascón, a district attorney in Los Angeles, is also facing a recall effort. This is the second time voters will attempt to recall him after he came into office in 2020.
The campaign supporting his recall collected the required number of signatures to get the effort on the ballot, the group said on Thursday.