Articles like this are so disappointing, because they parrot a narrative that is easy to disprove with a little bit of research. So, I did that research. A thread on the donors for and against recalling Chesa: 1/x
Before I start, let me just say that I find this entire discourse unproductive. People from all backgrounds and incomes, living in all parts of the country, are entitled to participate in the electoral process. 2/x
However, if you’re going to make accusations that Recall Chesa is financed by rich tech bros from outside San Francisco, and that Support Chesa is all “criminal justice reform advocates,” we should at least get our facts straight. It turns out the exact opposite is true. 3/x
There are two major committees in the Support Chesa camp. The first is Friends of Chesa Boudin Opposing the Recall. They raised $41,671 in the last quarter from 115 donors. $14,850, or about 36%, came from donors outside SF. 4/x
The second is San Franciscans Against the Recall of Chesa Boudin. They raised $160,000 in the last quarter from 7 donors, including 5 individuals donating between $6k and $11k a piece, and two PACs, one donating $15k and the other donating $100k. 5/x
The first of the two PACs is Smart Justice California Action Fund. They raised $482,500 since mid-October 2020 from 6 donors. $477,400, or 99%, came from donors outside SF. 6/x
The second PAC is Real Justice. The data here is a little leaky, but the group’s filings show that they raised $203,250 since mid-October 2020 from 14 donors, including 13 individuals and yes, yet another PAC. Further down the rabbit hole we go... 7/x
All of Real Justice’s individual donors come from outside San Francisco, collectively contributing $3,250. The other $200,000 comes from The Action PAC. They raised $52,691 since mid-october 2020 from 32 donors. $50,691, or 96%, came from donors outside SF. 8/x
Let’s briefly review: It’s not easy to get a clear picture of where the Support Chesa money comes from, because a big chunk of it comes from PACs donating to PACs donating to a committee. 9/x
In the case of the first committee, about 36% of donations came from outside SF. In the case of the second (larger) committee, at least 72% of donations came from two PACs, the first of which receives 99% of its donations from outside SF. 10/x
The second of which PACs (conservatively) receives 96% of its donations from outside SF. 11/x
Notably, the three PACs discussed above are not SF-focused. While we can’t be sure, it’s a relatively safe assumption that, if anything, looking at donations from just the last six months will, if anything, *overcount* the SF residents in their donor base. 12/x
Finally, I’ll just note that, reviewing the occupations listed of the donors to these committees and PACs, it’s a lot of biglaw attorneys, investment bankers, college professors, and, well, heiresses and socialites, making $1,000+ donations. 13/x
Okay, what about the Recall Chesa campaign? Much simpler. Here you have one committee, the Committee Supporting the Recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin. It has raised $139,711 since its inception this year from 130 donors. $55,350, or 40%, came from outside SF. 14/x
There are a handful of trusts among this committee’s donors, and yes, a couple of real big money donors, but mostly it’s individuals contributing in the low $100s. 15/x
Anyway, draw your own conclusions, but I think the picture is fairly clear. And, unless you’ve seen the raw data, don’t believe everything you read. As usual, if I made any errors here, let me know! 16/x
Sources:
Friends of Chesa Boudin Supporting the Recall, San Franciscans Against the Recall of Chesa Boudin, and the Committee Supporting the Recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin filings: sfethics.org/disclosures/ca…, click on “Disclosure Statements” and search by name. 17/x
Real Justice filings: cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Commi… 18/x
Smart Justice California Action Fund filings: cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Commi… 19/x
The Action PAC filings:
cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Commi… 20/20

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More from @JayNDonde

2 Apr
In response to claims by some that crime in SF is down despite most residents’ experiences to the contrary, I decided to dig into the data and see whether this claim is true or we’re all being gaslighted. A thread on crime, punishment, and Chesa Boudin. 1/x
The first important conclusion is that SF is a relatively safe big city in terms of non-property-related violent crimes. The second is that we are very much not a safe city in terms of property-related crimes, both violent and non-violent. 2/x
The third conclusion is that it’s misleading to say crime in SF is down -- this elides important distinctions between categories of crime. The fourth conclusion is that in crime categories that are down, it’s more likely due to the effects of COVID than Chesa’s policies. 3/x
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