By Gracy Joslin
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Gil Duran, previous resident of Sacramento where the tragic gun violence broke out April 3, leaving six dead and at least 12 injured, is critical of current Sac District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert’s campaign for Attorney General.
In particular, he said he disapproves of DA Schubert’s consistent politicization of crimes and tragedies, as well as unwarranted blame placed on Democrats when violent crimes occur.
Former editor for the Sacramento Bee, and now writing for the San Francisco Examiner, Duran details in a recent article “the tragedy stopped me in my tracks,” upon hearing of the massacre that took place in his previous neighborhood.
Duran, who has been recently writing a column about violent crime rates in Sacramento under DA Schubert, says, “Her entire campaign is based on exploiting crime fears to score political points” yet she presides over a city with “skyrocketing violence.”
Moreover, Duran identifies blame as a consistent political strategy of Schubert’s, saying, “She regularly attacks Democratic leaders, tying them to heinous crimes,” referring to when she has publicly blamed Attorney General Rob Bonta, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, and Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón for alleged increases in crime.
Ironically, while in the midst of blaming DA Gascón for Los Angeles crime rates, in Sacramento violent crimes actually outpaced those in Los Angeles, said Duran.
Crime in Sacramento between 2019 and 2021 was surging more than in Los Angeles. “Homicides went up 67 percent, according to city records, while aggravated assaults jumped 43 percent in that time frame,” Duran pointed out.
In addition, San Francisco, under DA Boudin’s leadership, had 48 murders in 2020, while Sacramento County had more than twice as many—122 murders to be exact.
In 2021, Sacramento again had almost twice as many murders than did San Francisco (56 total in San Francisco and 109 in Sacramento County).
Duran identifies the problematic double standard: When such violent crime occurs and, “When the DA is a conservative… we’re supposed to be satisfied with thoughts, prayers and tough talk… and accept that gun violence is simply a price we pay for a free society.”
Duran raises a compelling point that if DA Schubert and her supporters want to blame Democrats for every violent crime within their city, when the tables are turned, she, too, should be blamed.
Duran, with these aggravating facts, argues that Schubert should be more worried about a recall election, opposed to a promotion to Attorney General.
Criminals are increasingly “priced out” of San Francisco, to places like Sacramento county. Differences between the two cities are much-more influenced by “who” lives there.