{"id":34698,"date":"2022-08-11T19:19:38","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T19:19:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/?p=34698"},"modified":"2022-08-11T19:19:38","modified_gmt":"2022-08-11T19:19:38","slug":"john-hamasaki-to-run-against-brooke-jenkins-for-san-francisco-da","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/11\/john-hamasaki-to-run-against-brooke-jenkins-for-san-francisco-da\/","title":{"rendered":"John Hamasaki to run against Brooke Jenkins for San Francisco DA"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nJohn Hamasaki<\/a>, a criminal defense attorney and a former San Francisco police commissioner is planning to run for district attorney in this fall\u2019s special election, positioning himself as an ideological foil to newly appointed District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

Hamasaki\u2019s decision to run for office comes after Chesa Boudin<\/a> announced he would not seek his former post<\/a> in the November race. Boudin was recalled from the DA\u2019s office last June following a bitter citywide debate over crime and criminal justice in San Francisco, but still commands a large contingency of loyalists who support his reform-minded policies.<\/p>\n

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In an interview with The Chronicle, Hamasaki said he made the decision to run after becoming increasingly disheartened by Jenkins\u2019 drug policies<\/a>, and what he views as a deference to Mayor London Breed, who appointed her.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of us in the criminal justice system had hopes that the mayor would make a responsible and even moderate choice, and I think a lot of folks would have stood down,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve seen instead is a mayor\u2019s office basically running the district attorney\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Prior to stepping down from the Police Commission in April, Hamasaki was regarded as the watchdog group\u2019s most outspoken \u2014 and often controversial \u2014 member, known for his incendiary commentary on law enforcement and locking horns with Police Chief Bill Scott and city supervisors.<\/p>\n

Hamasaki said his career\u2019s work as a defense and trial attorney, as well as his time on the Police Commission has prepared him for the role of top prosecutor.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy work, in addition to representing individuals charged in the criminal system, (included) representing victims of crimes when prosecutors have failed to do their jobs,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen a lot throughout my different career \u2014 the good, the bad and the ugly of the criminal justice system.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hamasaki said the city is continuously struggling with a perception that local leaders are not responding to and not respecting the rights of ordinary San Franciscans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s a real, strong perception that the corruption that exists in City Hall has has allowed the conditions on our streets to deteriorate to the point where we end up on the news or various crises,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s something that can be addressed through returning to an independent District Attorney \u2014 removing the mayor\u2019s office from running the day to day office.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think, as a prosecutor, I would be able to help get the city back on track,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Hamasaki said he decided not to seek a second term on the commission due to what he saw as the group\u2019s inaction after Scott\u2019s decision to pull out of a use-of-force reform agreement with the District Attorney\u2019s Office. It was unclear, however, if he would have been able to secure enough votes from the Board of Supervisors to be reappointed after sparring with several board members.<\/p>\n

In addition to sparring with police at commission meetings, Hamasaki has become known for his provocative and sometimes combative Twitter presence \u2014 one that hit a boiling point last year when he openly traded jabs with Supervisor Catherine Stefani.<\/p>\n

After Hamasaki tweeted what he called an \u201cuncomfortable truth\u201d about teens and guns \u2014 arguing that it was sometimes more dangerous for police to confiscate the weapons \u2014 Stefani called for Hamasaki to \u201cstep aside.\u201d<\/p>\n

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