A member of the SF political dynasty files will run for DA

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Joe Alioto Veronese — a civil rights attorney and former police and fire commissioner, and a household name in city politics — on Wednesday withdrew papers to run for District Attorney at City Hall against newly appointed District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.

Jenkins, who has been in office for less than a month, was appointed to the post by the Mayor of London Breed to fill the vacancy created when District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who was elected in 2019, was recalled in June last. A special election in November will decide whether Jenkins will fill the remainder of Boudin’s term, which ends in January 2024. (Another election, in November 2023, will fill the DA’s term for 2024-2028.)

Prior to his appointment, Jenkins had been the public face of Boudin’s recall effort after he resigned as assistant district attorney in 2021. Boudin has not announced whether he will run for either other elections; Alioto Veronese previously said he intended to run in November 2023.

“San Francisco’s turnaround starts today,” Alioto Veronese told KRON4 News. “The district attorney’s office must have one goal: to fight crime in San Francisco. The DA should not focus on groundbreaking ceremonies, protecting the mayor, or conducting social experiments on the people of San Francisco. Our prosecutor’s office will do a job: fairly and fairly prosecute the criminals who prey on San Francisco. We will make our streets safe again.

Jenkins’ communications team did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday morning. Jenkins was busy this morning announcing that she had revoked more than 30 pending plea deals offered to alleged fentanyl dealers.

Mayor Joseph Alioto applauds Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. after introducing him during ceremonies Monday, Jan. 6, 1975, at San Francisco City Hall, where he addressed a gathering that included officials from Northern California city and county. Brown was sworn in earlier today in Sacramento. He would serve as governor again from 2011 to 2019. (AP Photo/RB)

Alioto Veronese, 49, owns the Alioto legal group. He served as California Criminal Justice Commissioner, San Francisco Police and Fire Commissioner, and previously worked in the district attorney’s office during Terence Hallinan’s tenure.

Her grandfather, mayor of San Francisco from 1968 to 1976, was on the shortlist for the vice presidential nomination during the tumultuous 1968 Democratic National Convention. Her mother Angela Alioto Veronese, served as city supervisor of 1989 to 1997 (when supervisor was a general position, not elected by district as it is today). For one term, from 1993 to 1995, she served as Chair of the Board of Directors.

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Angela Alioto tried to follow in her father’s footsteps twice: winning 16% of the vote in the first round of the 2003 mayoral election, in which she came in third place behind the president of the city council. then-administration Matt Gonzalez and future mayor Gavin Newsom; and winning 6.9% of the vote in the first round of the 2018 special election for mayor, in which she came last behind then-supervisor Jane Kim, former state senator Mark Leno and l current Mayor London Breed .

The Alioto political family are cousins to the former owners of the now closed Alioto’s restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf, which announced its permanent closure earlier this year.