The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (SFDSA) threatened to “initiate” a recall of “any politician” who tries to “defund” them.
“If any politician attempts to defund us or cripple law enforcement again, we will initiate, start to finish a recall process of that politician,” the SFDSA wrote in a post on X.
According to the SFDSA’s website, the organization’s “goal is to fully represent the approximately 750 deputy sheriffs and senior deputy sheriffs who comprise the majority of the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department.”
The SFDSA’s post comes after San Francisco Mayor London Breed lost reelection and conceded the race to Daniel Lurie, who has never been elected to office before.
Breed was the city’s first black female mayor and she had gone back and forth on calling to “defund the police.”
The New York Times reported that Lurie, who founded the Tipping Point Community, a non-profit organization that strives to fight against poverty, had promised to “improve public safety and city services for residents.”
San Francisco, which was known for being a technology hub, was hit hard during the coronavirus pandemic as many people switched over to working remote jobs.
The outlet noted that “during and after the pandemic, property crime surged,” fentanyl usage led to “an average of two people” being killed “each day,” and homeless encampments increased:
During and after the pandemic, property crime surged, fentanyl killed an average of two people each day, and homeless encampments abounded. Police officers took longer to respond to crimes, public schools were closed longer than nearly anywhere else, and numerous departments were roiled by corruption scandals.
The post from SFDSA also came as California residents shifted rightward in the recent election, voting overwhelmingly to pass Proposition 36, a ballot measure that will “allow felony charges and increases sentences for certain drug and theft crimes.”
Proposition 36 would allow “felony charges for possessing certain drugs and for thefts under $950, if defendant has two prior drug or theft convictions,” according to the ballot measure summary.
