Another troubling week for Asian Americans. The discrimination of the past century is a direct line to modern San Francisco, where violence against Asian residents was a problem long before the politics of a pandemic scapegoated Asian Americans. We must prosecute crimes and support victims.

District Attorney Chesa Boudin won his election promising bold criminal justice reforms. Yet accountability must accompany reform. Given the failures in the New Year’s Eve case that led to the death of two women, we must hold Chesa Boudin accountable for his pledge to “protect public safety in San Francisco.”

Supervisors want to speed up the previously scheduled closure of County Jail No. 4. But sheriff Paul Miyamoto has publicly said parts of the legislation are “irresponsible” and “a threat to public safety.” We support closing the dilapidated and seismically unfit jail. So does the sheriff. The problem with the proposed legislation is that it takes away the sheriff’s ability to add new beds to the remaining jails if he needs them for unforeseen circumstances. Click to read more details and send a letter to City Hall.

An open letter to Chesa Boudin, the public defender who will be San Francisco's next district attorney and top prosecutor.