Criminal Justice
District Attorney Chesa Boudin speaks to the press after dropping off his ballot at the polling station in San Francisco City Hall on Monday, June 6, 2022. | Camille Cohen/The Standard
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin was recalled on Tuesday, so what happens now?
The Standard reached out earlier this week to John Arntz, the director of the San Francisco Department of Elections, to get a better idea on when Mayor London Breed would be allowed to appoint an interim DA and when an election would likely take place to appoint a permanent successor.
@sfstandard San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin awaits his fate as today’s recall election vote comes to a close. But IF Boudin is recalled, will he immediately be out of office? Not exactly. We explain the timeline for appointing a replacement, should voters elect to remove Boudin from office.#sfstandard #sanfrancisco #londonbreed #chesaboudin #districtattorney #electionday #election #political #politics #news #vote #recall #sf #sfnews #bayarea #tiktok #fyp #foryou #foryoup ♬ Lazy Sunday - Official Sound Studio
Is Chesa Boudin immediately out of office?
No. The vacancy in the DA’s office occurs 10 days after the Board of Supervisors declares the election results. After each election for local offices or measures, the director of elections—aka Arntz—certifies the results and then provides the certified results to the clerk of the board. The clerk’s office would then include an item for the board to declare the results on the next meeting agenda.
“I expect to certify the election at the end of June and could possibly send the certified results to the board to declare during its June 28 meeting,” Arntz told The Standard.
When is the soonest Mayor Breed would be able to appoint an interim district attorney?
Breed can appoint someone to fill the vacancy no earlier than 10 days after the board declares the results.
Will there be an election for the top prosecutor job this November?
Yes. First Mayor Breed appoints an interim DA, and then an election to fill the DA position will appear on the November ballot, Arntz said.
Whoever wins the November 2022 election would serve the remainder of the current term, which ends in January 2024.
The regularly scheduled election for the next DA term in San Francisco will occur in November 2023.
Josh Koehn can be reached at [email protected]
