Chesa Boudin to be sworn in as San Francisco district attorney

SAN FRANCISCO - The new year marks a new chapter in San Francisco politics.

On Wednesday morning, Mayor London Breed will be sworn in for her first full term in office.

Later in the day, she is scheduled to swear in Chesa Boudin, San Francisco's new district attorney.

The 39-year-old has generated controversy in the latest election where he won on a platform of change. 

"He's very bright, has a great education and a lot of experience," said Richard Corriea, a member of Boudin's transition team. 

However, critics say Boudin was a public defender with no experience as a prosecutor.

"As a career public defender, he will remain a public defender in his district attorney role, but we already have a public defender. We don't need two," said Joe Engardio with Stop Crime SF. 

Stop Crime SF is a citizens group that advocates for victims, crime prevention and prosecutions. 

Engardio is also running for the District 7 supervisor seat, which includes West Portal and Stonestown. 

He said his cars were broken into twice last year. 

"We need to watch and see what he does and let's, for the sake of all of san francisco,  that he does take crime seriously, that he does prosecute crime," said Engardio.  

"Let's get together and talk about making this both the most compassionate and safest big city in the country," said Corriea who is a retired San Francisco police commander. 

He is also currently director of the International Institute of Criminal Justice Leadership at the University of San Francisco.

He describes himself as an optimist and shares the new district attorney's vision that there needs to be change in dealing with the city's problems including property crimes, open drug use and sales. 

"He recognizes that he has the entirety of San Francisco that's looking to him to help them solve problems in the city. I think he’s open to listening to what people have to say," said Corriea.  

Both he and Engardio said they would like to see the new district attorney do more to help crime victims such as involving them during the criminal justice process, which includes alerting victims when suspects are released.  

"We do need to give him the benefit of the doubt. He hasn't started the job yet. 

There are worries, There are concerns based on his campaign rhetoric," said Engardio. 

Chesa Boudin's swearing-in ceremony will be held at Herbst Theater at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The event is open to the public, but staff said there are no more tickets available.