The Grow SF Report, Vol. 33: Boudin Recall Submits Signatures, ex-Staff Support Recall
The Grow SF Report, Vol. 33: Boudin Recall Submits Signatures, ex-Staff Support Recall
Plus...Supervisors Kill 500 Units of New Housing to Preserve a Parking Lot
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of October 24, 2021:
- Chesa Boudin recall submits 83,000 signatures
- Boudin’s former staff speaks out in support of recall
- Supervisors kill 500 homes, preserve parking lot instead
- FDA Vaccine advisers recommend Pfizer vaccine for kids 5-11
- Get crabs at the wharf
District Attorney recall submits 83k signatures — likely enough to qualify for ballot
The effort to recall District Attorney Chesa Boudin submitted 83,000 signatures to the Department of Elections last week. This nearly equals the total number of votes Boudin received in his election.
Since it takes 51,000 verified signatures from San Francisco voters for a recall to qualify for the ballot, this effort is very likely to meet the verification threshold. Based on the time officials have to verify the signatures, you can expect the Boudin recall to appear on that June ballot.
Boudin’s former staff support recall
Some of the 50 attorneys who have left the district attorney’s office since Chesa Boudin took charge spoke out in favor of his recall.
Brooke Jenkins, a former homicide prosecutor in the DA’s office who is Black and Latina, “agrees with the central tenet of Boudin’s campaign: that the criminal justice system is racist and needs reform.” But she thinks Boudin “prioritizes ideology and politics over the day-to-day handling of cases”, which has led to “an unorganized office, plummeting morale and bad outcomes for victims and their families.”
Former prosecutor Xochitl Carrion, an out queer Latina who recently left the general felonies unit after six years in the office, agreed, saying “High turnover results in multiple attorneys working on a case where things can fall through the cracks, and the last prosecutor is left with the responsibility to make everything right. It’s incredibly stressful.”
Shirin Oloumi, who left her job as a prosecutor, believes Boudin’s “priority first and foremost was public perception, and the second priority was incarcerated people.”
Read the full Chronicle report, which includes a rebuttal from Boudin.
SF Supervisors killed 500 homes to preserve a parking lot
This empty lot used by Nordstrom for valet parking could have been 500 homes.
Amidst a crippling housing shortage that causes one of the nation’s highest poverty and homelessness rates, the SF Board of Supervisors yet again killed 500 new homes in favor of preserving a parking lot. Thank you to Supervisors Haney, Stefani, and Safaí for voting in favor. Read the full story on the SF Chronicle.
California’s Housing and Community Development agency announced Thursday that they are investigating this decision as a possible violation of the Housing Accountability Act.
FDA vaccine advisers vote to recommend Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11
Vaccine advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration voted 17-0 with one abstention Tuesday to recommend emergency use authorization of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11.
Full FDA approval is likely a week or two away.
It may soon be legal to buy Dungeness crab at the Wharf
San Francisco may soon allow people to buy live, whole Dungeness crab directly from boats at Fisherman’s Wharf, under a proposal by the Port of San Francisco.
The proposal would be an expansion of a current program that allows retail fish sales from commercial fishing vessels at Fisherman’s Wharf Harbor. In 2017, the Port of San Francisco began the direct sales of whole, gutted fish from fishermen, comparing the program to a farmers’ market for fish.
Your Action Plan
Now that you know what’s happening, help us shape what happens next:
Recall School Board Election Launch
The historic campaign to recall three San Francisco school board commissioners is hosting a launch rally and information session at Manny’s on November 4 at 6 pm.
Parents, teachers, and residents who created San Francisco's largest grassroots campaign will celebrate a successful signature gathering effort and discuss what it will take to win the special recall election in three months.
Should JFK Drive be for people instead of cars?
Manny’s is hosting a panel discussion about the future of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park on November 2 at 6pm. Grow SF thinks our nation’s largest city park should be for kids, families, walkers, runners, and bikers — not cars. RSVP to the panel and make your opinion heard!
Fun in SF
Check out some of our favorite fun activities happening in SF right now:
Patrick Kelly at the de Young Museum
This exhibition celebrates the career and legacy of Black fashion designer Patrick Kelly (1954–1990). First presented by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2014, the exhibition presents seventy-nine fully accessorized ensembles.
Kelly drew upon his childhood in the United States South, his African American heritage, his experiences in the club and gay cultural scenes in New York and Paris, and muses from fashion, art, and Black history to create light-hearted yet sophisticated designs that pushed racial and cultural boundaries. The exhibition situates Kelly and his work in the broader context of art and fashion history by exploring the inspirations behind his designs, his significant collection of racist memorabilia (whose images he wrested to tell his own story), and footage from his exuberant and groundbreaking fashion shows.
Love the Grow SF Report? Share it
Help Grow SF grow! Share our newsletter with your friends. The bigger we are, the better San Francisco will be.
Topical Tweets
Yes, there is good stuff on Twitter. Here’s some of it:
Sometimes you need a little guerilla urbanism
Drink an SF Zoo Brew
Update: SF COVID-19 Vaccinations
The FDA has authorized boosters for the following populations:
All Johnson & Johnson recipients older than 18
Elderly and high-risk Moderna recipients
Elderly and high-risk Pfizer-BioNTech recipients
Consult this CDC webpage to determine if you are “high-risk”
Note: Recipients of one vaccine may choose a different vaccine for their booster. For example, if you got the Johnson & Johnson shot, you may choose J&J, Moderna, or Pfizer for your booster.
San Francisco’s Department of Public Health Adult Immunization & Travel Clinic (AITC) and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG) have been offering boosters to J&J recipients for months. Boosters are now available at any vaccination site.
Current stats
Vaccination Rate: 89% of SF residents over 12 have received at least 1 dose. 84% have been fully vaccinated.
Eligibility: All SF residents 12 and older are eligible to be vaccinated! Vaccinations for kids ages 5 through 12 should be available soon.