San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin will face a recall election next year following the certification of the petition to remove him from office on Tuesday.
The San Francisco Department of Elections announced on Tuesday it had certified the petition to recall Boudin. The recall election will be held on June 7, the same day as the statewide primary election.
KNTV first reported that the petition had been certified after obtaining a Department of Elections letter to recall organizers. The Department of Elections and recall organizers responded to KCBS Radio's request for comment and confirmation of KNTV's report following Tuesday afternoon's announcement.
A spokesperson with the Committee Supporting the Recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin, which organized the initial recall effort that failed to reach the ballot, said the committee encouraged Boudin "to resign and save the city from the time and expense of conducting his recall" in June.
"We are anticipating a successful recall with big turnout," the spokesperson said, predicting a "landslide" victory.
KCBS Radio is awaiting comment from the anti-recall committee.
A progressive prosecutor, Boudin narrowly defeated Suzy Loftus in a ranked-choice election to become San Francisco's District Attorney two years ago. Boudin previously worked as a public defender in the city, running on a platform centered on ending mass incarceration and increasing police accountability. San Francisco ended cash bail last year during Boudin's first months in office, and Boudin last week charged an on-duty police officer with homicide for just the second time in the city's history.
Recall proponents argue the city has become less safe under Boudin's watch. San Franciscans for Public Safety Supporting the Recall of Chesa Boudin, which organized the successful petition, argues on its website that "burglaries, car break-ins, homicides and overdose-related deaths are at a crisis level" in San Francisco while Boudin fails to deliver on his promises of criminal justice reform and police accountability.
The second petition gathered over 83,000 signatures, according to recall organizers, well over the 51,000 necessary. A San Francisco Chronicle analysis published on Monday that pro-recall committees have raised almost twice as much money ($1.6 million) than a committee backing Boudin ($650,000).