San Francisco's Mayor Breed weighs D.A. appointment options following Boudin's recall

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco's Mayor London Breed is offering some insight into her priorities when it comes to appointing a new district attorney. 

At this point the mayor is not offering any clues about whom she may appoint. The mayor says she has already started conversations with people who've expressed an interest in the job.

With voters having had their say on Proposition H, Mayor Breed will now be in familiar territory, appointing a replacement following a recall. The mayor had already replaced three recalled members of the San Francisco school board in February's special election. As in that case, the mayor says she will take her time selecting a replacement. For now she's already started talking with candidates. 

"I wouldn't necessarily say I have a list, I would say there are a lot of people who have reached out to my office to express interest," said Mayor Breed. Breed also appointed District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey last month when former Supervisor Matt Haney was elected to California State Assembly. 

Last September, she appointed David Chiu as the city attorney when former City Attorney Dennis Hererra accepted a job as the Public Utilities Commission general manager. 

There were concerns with Chiu's appointment that the ongoing city attorney's investigation into city corruption would lose steam. Hererra said with confidence that would not be the case. 

Meanwhile, the Department of Elections will continue counting votes from the D.A. recall, and is expected to certify the recall by the end of the month. 

The mayor is expected to make her appointment shortly after that. The mayor said the vote on Chesa Boudin wasn't a referendum on criminal justice reform. She says the city can achieve that and have a district attorney who also holds criminals accountable. 

"This is something we care about," said Breed. "We want justice, but we also want to make sure that people have a second chance."

Supervisor Dorsey was one of two supervisors to publicly support the recall. Supervisor Dorsey saying this is not a time for recall supporters to celebrate, it's a time to focus on what the future of law and order will look like in San Francisco. "It's not a question of whether we're soft on crime or tough on crime, it's ‘Are we being smart on crime?’" said Dorsey. 

Supporters of the district attorney expressed disappointment in the election results, the ACLU of Northern California released a statement insisting "that the next San Francisco district attorney pursue reform, reduce incarceration, hold police accountable when they break the law, and root out racial bias in the criminal justice system."

KTVU obtained a short list of potential D.A. appointments from a City Hall insider on election night. They include; Brooke Jenkins, a former prosecutor in the D.A.'s office under Boudin, until she resigned and became a voluntary spokesperson for Prop. H, Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who endorsed Prop. H publicly, prosecutor Nancy Tung, and Joe Alioto Veronese – a former fire and police commissioner. 

Whoever the mayor appoints, the voters in San Francisco will be voting on a new district attorney in November.

Voters in San Francisco also rejected Proposition C, which would have limited recalls, and blocked the mayor's appointments from running for the position in the next election. That means this November, if Chesa Boudin decides to run for DA again, he could potentially run against whoever the mayor appoints.