San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said it best: “We are going to continue to be the brunt of every joke and attack on Fox News, and rightfully so.”
She was referring to the decisoin last month by the California Supreme Court that bail for supposedly “non-violent” offenses must be “attainable.”
That means hordes of repeat offenders are going to go free.
Drug dealers who have been arrested dozens of times; retail looting gangs that steal over and over again because they know they won’t be prosecuted; smash-and-grab petty thieves who make residents post signs in their car windows pleading for mercy; all would be eligible for easy release.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins speaks during a news conference. AP This is the worst possible outcome for a city that had been mounting a comeback.
For the past couple of years, San Francisco had been enjoying a drop in crime.
First, voters tossed out radical DA Chesa Boudin in a recall election in 2022. Boudin had come to office as the anti-cop Black Lives Matter movement was gaining steam. He pledged not to prosecute so-called “quality of life” crimes, like public urination.
His tenure was a failed experiment in “criminal justice reform” gone too far.
Chesa Boudin waves at cars honking in support as he canvasses on 3rd Street in the Bayview neighborhood. AP Brooke Jenkins took over and immediately adopted a more sensible approach. Voters also replaced left-wing London Breed with the more pragmatic Daniel Lurie.
With the AI boom bringing jobs and revenues back to the city, San Francisco began to feel like itself again.
All of that is in jeopardy now. Bail is not supposed to be impossible, but “attainable” bail is just a key to the jailhouse door.
California’s Supreme Court has long been one of the most extreme left-wing benches in the country. Their decision reflects a profound contempt for law enforcement, for the rule of law, and for the well-being of the people of San Francisco.
Out of the seven justices on the state’s highest court, only one was appointed by a Republican. The rest were appointed by Democrats Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom. Newsom also has a vacancy to fill. He is certain to appoint another radical, as he angles to appease his party’s base ahead of the 2028 presidential primary.
Curiously, none of the debates in the race for governor has featured questions about judicial appointments. But picking judges is one of a governor’s most important duties.
The “attainable” bail decision is another reminder of the stakes for our state in November.
