Recalling Chesa Boudin: The backstory

Photo: Paul Kuroda

In The San Francisco Standard:

Powerhouse Behind Boudin Recall Dismisses Ethics Concerns

by Michael Barba

The leader of the Chesa Boudin recall confirmed for the first time that she connected District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to the three nonprofits that paid her six figures at the same time that the campaign cast her as a volunteer.

The acknowledgement came Monday after the politico initially denied getting Jenkins the jobs at the nonprofits closely linked to the recall.

“I provided a connection for District Attorney Jenkins to the nonprofits that she consulted for,” Mary Jung told The Standard. “The leadership of those organizations ultimately made the decision to bring her on as a consultant.”

After Mayor London Breed appointed her to replace Boudin, Jenkins disclosed earning more than $170,000 working as a consultant for the nonprofits during the recall. While she maintains her work for the charities was unrelated to the recall, the payments raised questions about whether she deceived the public....

Her denial in the case of one of the nonprofits, Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, initially seemed to contradict a statement Jenkins made that Jung and an associate put her in contact with the nonprofit.

“It was a conversation with Jay Cheng and Mary Jung,” Jenkins, who reported earning $153,000 from the nonprofit, told The Chronicle....

How Jenkins landed her employment with the nonprofits is important because the payments could put her in legal jeopardy depending on whether she was indirectly paid to act as a spokesperson for the recall.

An anonymous complaint filed with the San Francisco Ethics Commission and California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) accuses Jenkins of failing to register as a campaign consultant—a possible misdemeanor....

Jung chaired the deep-pocketed recall campaign that propelled Jenkins to power. She also had connections to the nonprofits that paid Jenkins, including as the CEO of one of them, Sister’s Circle Women Support Network....

See also A Third of All ‘Recall Chesa Boudin’ Donations Come From One Tech Donor and No on the Boudin recall.