Brooke Jenkins facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brooke Jenkins
30th District Attorney of San Francisco
Incumbent
Assumed office December 1, 2022 Acting: July 8, 2022 – December 1, 2022
Preceded by	Chesa Boudin
Personal details
Born	1981/1982 (age 43–44)
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of California, Berkeley (BA) University of Chicago (JD)

Brooke Jenkins (born 1981 or 1982) is an American lawyer. She is the 30th district attorney of San Francisco. A district attorney, or D.A., is the top lawyer for a city or county who decides whether to charge people with crimes.

Jenkins was appointed as the interim (temporary) D.A. in July 2022 by Mayor London Breed. This happened after the previous D.A., Chesa Boudin, was removed from office in a special recall election. A recall election is when voters decide to remove an official from their job before their term is over. Jenkins was a major supporter of the campaign to recall Boudin.

She was then elected to the position in November 2022 to finish the term. In November 2024, she was elected again for a full term. During her career, there have been times when legal organizations said she did not follow all the rules for lawyers. In April 2025, the State Bar of California, which oversees lawyers, required her to complete a special program about professional ethics.

Early Life and Schooling

Brooke Jenkins grew up in Union City, California. Her mother raised her. Her father, who is from El Salvador, had to leave the United States shortly after she was born because of his student visa status.

For college, Jenkins went to the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. After that, she went to the University of Chicago Law School to get her JD, which is a degree in law.

Career Before Becoming District Attorney

Jenkins became a licensed lawyer in California in 2011. Before working for the government, she spent two years working in corporate law. In that job, she defended car companies and other manufacturers in legal cases.

From 2014 to 2021, Jenkins worked as a prosecutor in the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. She started by handling smaller cases and later became a prosecutor for hate crimes. During one murder trial she worked on, a court later found that she had acted unfairly.

Campaign to Recall Chesa Boudin

In October 2021, Jenkins quit her job as an assistant district attorney. She then began to publicly support the campaign to remove D.A. Chesa Boudin from office.

While she was working on the recall campaign, Jenkins was paid about $175,000 by non-profit groups. She said she was a volunteer for the campaign itself. This led to questions about where her money came from during that time.

San Francisco District Attorney

First Actions in Office

Mayor London Breed appointed Jenkins as the interim D.A. on July 7, 2022. She officially took office the next day. One of her first actions was to fire 15 lawyers and other top advisors from the previous D.A.'s team.

Jenkins also changed several office policies. For example, she allowed her lawyers to seek tougher sentences for gang-related crimes. She also changed the rules for how some teenagers are charged for serious crimes. Under her leadership, the number of convictions (when someone is found guilty of a crime) went up by 5% from 2022 to 2023.

2022 Special Election

Jenkins ran in a special election in November 2022 to serve the rest of Boudin's term. She won the election with 53.7% of the vote.

During the campaign, a retired judge filed a complaint against Jenkins with the State Bar. The complaint was about the money she received from a non-profit group that was connected to the recall campaign. Jenkins had said she was a volunteer, but the payments raised questions about her role.

2024 Election

Jenkins ran for district attorney again in the 2024 election. She won the election, giving her a full four-year term in office.

Personal Life

Jenkins lives in San Francisco, CA. She is married and has two children and a stepdaughter.