Who is Joe Alioto Veronese? Former cop likely to replace woke DA Chesa Boudin
San Francisco citizens ousted their District Attorney Chesa Boudin in a recall election on Tuesday, June 7. Boudin, the 29th DA of San Francisco, still has a year left in his tenure but California's city's progressive prosecutors have called him too soft on crimes that aren't in their best interests. About 60.5 percent of voters have decided to remove him from his job. With him being ousted, the city's centrist Democratic Mayor London Breed will soon find his replacement.
London Breed, 47, could appoint a candidate whose interests align with hers for better functioning, of course. The same was explained by prosecutor-turned-defense-lawyer Mark Bederow. He said on Monday, June 6, "Every progressive prosecutor, Bragg included, will take note that if a progressive prosecutor in San Francisco can be thrown overboard by an overwhelming liberal electorate, voters elsewhere — including Manhattan — may do the same thing."
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However, voters will also be deciding on Proposition C, which would bar mayoral appointees from returning in a replacement election. So, if the recall is succeeded, a special election for the DA position would be held in November to decide who will finish Boudin's term up until 2023. Hence, some of Breed's candidates might not be interested in this interim position. As of now, there are some promising candidates on Breed's list, such as Nancy Tung, Brooke Jenkins, Catherine Stefani, and the most promising candidate, Joe Alioto Veronese.
Who is Joe Alioto Veronese?
Joe, 49, is an American civil rights attorney, a criminal justice reformer, and most importantly, a Democratic Party politician, which works best for Mayor London Breeds. According to the SF Examiner, Joe, a former cop, is Breed's top pick and will be running for San Francisco District Attorney in 2023. During a conversation with SF Chronicle, Joe explained what type of DA he would be. He said, "What I would immediately do is I would stand shoulder to shoulder with the San Francisco Police Department and let them know that I will support you, and I will back you, as long as you operate within your training."
Joe was the police commissioner when Gavin Newson ran the city. During his conversation with The Chronicle, he addressed theft, a pressing issue in the city, and said, "A year in jail is a long time for someone who steals — who goes into Walgreens and fills a ba. That is plenty of leverage to hold against an individual.” Joe is also the co-founder and executive director of The National First Responders Fund, which is a non-profit foundation dedicated to serving first responders with financial support. Career-wise, he has achieved a lot. He's been the California Criminal Justice Commissioner, San Francisco Police Commissioner, San Francisco Fire Commissioner, San Francisco District Attorney Investigator, and Reserve San Francisco Police officer.
Meanwhile, about 70,730 out of 495,000 voters have voted against the current DA, as some ballots remain to be counted. Recall proponents along with California state leaders of the hotel and retailers associations have been lauding Boudin's removal as the reduced crime rate will cause the city's tourism to increase two-fold.
"This election does not mean that San Francisco has drifted to the far right on our approach to criminal justice," said Mary Jung, a chair of the recall campaign, in a statement, Daily Mail reported. "In fact, San Francisco has been a national beacon for progressive criminal justice reform for decades and will continue to do so with new leadership."
On the other hand, Boudin said the recall effort was driven by right-wing business people and by less-than-liberal police officers. "This is a Republican- and police union-led playbook to undermine and attack progressive prosecutors who have been winning elections across the country," he told The Guardian. "The playbook involves delegitimizing and fear-mongering and recalling. It's a tactic being used by folks who are increasingly unable to prevail in elections when they put forward their views about public safety and justice."