Ashland, CA — Today, Jennifer Esteen’s campaign for State Assembly announced the endorsement of San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin. Boudin was elected in November 2019 on a progressive platform centered on ending mass incarceration, protecting crime survivors, and addressing the root causes of crime – a platform supported by Esteen.
Esteen and DA Boudin’s work overlaps in their priorities around mental health. They share a vision to truly invest in mental health and public health that leads to rehabilitation, rather than relying on jails and hospitals simply because we have insufficient treatment options.
“I have gotten to know Jennifer, not just in the context of campaigns, but in the context of real work that affects real people. There’s nothing more important than having folks like Jennifer in office, who know what happens on the ground, who have been on the front lines, who have been in the trenches,” said District Attorney Chesa Boudin. “Jennifer has done amazing work as a labor organizer, but also beyond – as an advocate around public healthcare issues and so many other issues that affect our community and our state. Getting people like Jennifer elected is hard, but has such meaningful impacts for all of us, which is why I am so proud to support her and and look forward to continuing to partner with her to make meaningful investments in mental health, safe communities, and more.”
Esteen is running for Assembly for many of the same issues that motivated DA Boudin to run, including re-imagining public safety, investing in mental health and public health.
“I have seen firsthand the ways in which diminished funding for mental health care — along with inflated investments in jails and prisons — means that people who need psychiatric treatment are often incarcerated rather than provided with community-based outpatient care. I am grateful for the work DA Boudin is doing to change that in San Francisco, and look forward to continuing our work to ensure that is extended across California,” said Esteen. “As a legislator, I will work with DA Boudin to advocate for shifting funds back into community-based care, to ensure our community has access to compassionate and high-quality mental health services.”
Post based on press release to ZENNIE62MEDIA, Inc from DA Boudin.