The Real Meaning of Chesa Boudin’s Recall

<p><i>This episode contains strong language.</i></p><p>This week, voters in San Francisco ousted Chesa Boudin, their progressive district attorney. The move was seen as a rejection of a class of prosecutors who are determined to overhaul the criminal justice system.</p><p>But what happened to Mr. Boudin is really a fine point at the end of a much longer story.</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/astead-w-herndon?smid=pc-thedaily">Astead W. Herndon</a>, a national political reporter for The New York Times.</p><p>Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>By ousting Mr. Boudin, voters in San Francisco put an end to one of the United States’<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/07/us/politics/chesa-boudin-recall-san-francisco.html"> most pioneering experiments in criminal justice overhaul</a>.</li><li>The progressive backlash in California has<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/08/us/politics/california-voters-democrats-crime.html"> sent a signal about the potency of law and order</a> as a political message in 2022.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>