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Geneviéve Jones-Wright

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Geneviéve Jones-Wright
Born
Geneviéve LaChelle Jones-Wright[1]

San Diego, California, U.S.[2][3]
Education
Occupation(s)Attorney, Public Defender
Political partyDemocratic

Geneviéve LaChelle Jones-Wright is an American attorney and activist who served as a San Diego County public defender from 2006 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she was an unsuccessful candidate for San Diego County District Attorney in 2018 and mayor of San Diego in 2024. She gained notoriety for being falsely handcuffed and held at gunpoint by a San Diego police officer in 2016.[4]

Biography

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Geneviéve LaChelle Jones-Wright was born and raised in southeastern San Diego[2][3] by a single mother who worked as a cafeteria worker at Lincoln High School.[5] She graduated from Patrick Henry High School, earned her bachelor's degree from the University of San Francisco, obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law, and later pursued a Master of Laws from California Western School of Law.[5][6]

Jones-Wright began her legal career as a public defender in San Diego in 2006.[6] She served on San Diego’s Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention and volunteered as a legal reviewer for the California Innocence Project.[5][6][7] In March 2021, she was inducted into the San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame in recognition of her activism.[citation needed]

In January 2016, Jones-Wright was involved in a notable incident where she was pulled over and handcuffed at gunpoint by police in front of Malcolm X Library in Valencia Park due to a reported DMV error regarding her license plates. The incident, which she recorded and shared on her Facebook page, raised questions about law enforcement practices in San Diego County.[4][8][9]

Political campaigns

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In 2018, Jones-Wright ran for San Diego County District Attorney against interim District Attorney Summer Stephan, who had been serving since the resignation of Bonnie Dumanis in July 2017.[6][10][11][12] During her campaign, Jones-Wright emphasized her support for criminal justice reform, including prioritizing public safety and rehabilitation over increased prosecution, the testing of every rape kit in San Diego,[13] and for increased rights and protections for voluntary sex workers.[14][15] She also criticized the War on Drugs and argued in favor of rolling back cannabis possession convictions and defending California's cannabis laws against federal intervention.[16][17][18][19][20]

She was endorsed by then-Senator Kamala Harris, then-Lieutenant Governor of California Gavin Newsom, businessman George Soros,[21][22][23] Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher, the San Diego County Democratic Party,[24] and NFL player and activist Malcolm Jenkins.[25]

Ultimately, Jones-Wright lost the June 5, 2018 primary election outright to Summer Stephan, garnering 37.02% of the vote to Stephan's 62.62%.[26]

2024 San Diego mayoral candidacy

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Main article: 2024 San Diego mayoral election

In December 2023, Jones-Wright announced plans to run for Mayor of San Diego in 2024 against incumbent Todd Gloria.[27] During the campaign, she criticized Gloria's housing and homeless policies, arguing for stricter regulations on short-term home rentals.[28] Despite her progressive views, she faced challenges garnering support from key political figures who had endorsed her in her previous campaign for District Attorney. Jones-Wright was endorsed by San Diego County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe[29] but was not endorsed by Vice President Kamala Harris or Governor Gavin Newsom, who had previously endorsed her run for District Attorney, instead supporting Todd Gloria's re-election bid. Additionally, many progressive groups, such as the LGBTQ Victory Fund, Equality California, and the San Diego County Democratic Party, chose to endorse Gloria's re-election bid over Jones-Wright's candidacy.[30][31][32]

In the March 5th, 2024 primary, she received only 16% of the vote to incumbent Mayor Todd Gloria and independent San Diego police officer Larry Turner, who garnered 50% and 23% of the vote, respectively. She did not advance to the general election.[33]

References

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  1. ^ "Genevieve Lachelle Jones-Wright Profile | San Diego, CA Lawyer | Martindale.com".
  2. ^ a b "Progressive Geneviéve Jones-Wright Seeks to Become District Attorney in San Diego". Daily Kos. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  3. ^ a b Belfer, Aaryn (2018-03-13). "District Attorney candidate Geneviéve Jones-Wright claps back". San Diego CityBeat. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  4. ^ a b "Morning Report: The DA Hopeful With an SDPD Encounter to Remember - Voice of San Diego". Voice of San Diego. 2017-07-05. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  5. ^ a b c "Meet the Public Defender Who Wants to Be San Diego's Top Prosecutor - Voice of San Diego". Voice of San Diego. 2017-07-05. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  6. ^ a b c d "Longtime Public Defender Announces Bid for San Diego District Attorney - Times of San Diego". Times of San Diego. 2017-07-05. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
  7. ^ "Genevieve Jones-Wright | City of San Diego Official Website". www.sandiego.gov. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  8. ^ Service, City News. "Public Defender Announces Run For San Diego County District Attorney". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  9. ^ Stewart, Joshua. "Public defender enters DA race". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  10. ^ Mento, Tarryn. "San Diego District Attorney's Race Pits Public Defender Against County's Interim Prosecutor". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  11. ^ "Geneviéve Jones-Wright campaigns to become the next San Diego County District Attorney -". McKinnon Broadcasting. 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  12. ^ Ash, Allison (2018-05-15). "Undecided voters could decide District Attorney race". 10News. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  13. ^ Hindmon, Jade. "#ShowUsYourMailers: Mailer From Geneviéve Jones-Wright Calls For Testing Every Rape Kit". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
  14. ^ "There's Virtually No Such Thing as Voluntary Sex Work, Says DA - Voice of San Diego". Voice of San Diego. 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
  15. ^ "Morning Report: ICE Is Getting Fewer Notices From the Sheriff Under SB 54 - Voice of San Diego". Voice of San Diego. 2018-05-22. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
  16. ^ "Pot Legalization Brings 'The Resistance' to San Diego's Top Law Enforcement Races - Voice of San Diego". Voice of San Diego. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  17. ^ "Morning Report: New Question for Candidates, Pot or Not? - Voice of San Diego". Voice of San Diego. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  18. ^ "Politics Report: Candidates' Cannabis Use - Voice of San Diego". Voice of San Diego. 2018-03-31. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  19. ^ Jayne, Pamela (2018-02-14). "Are the Feds coming for California's cannabis?". San Diego CityBeat. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  20. ^ "DAs Making it Easier to Clear California Cannabis Convictions | Leafly". Leafly. 2018-02-12. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  21. ^ "Big-money Soros contributions change prosecutor campaigns". CBS. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  22. ^ writers, U-T Letter. "Citizens United, not George Soros, is the actual villain here". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  23. ^ "Billionaire Soros pumps $400K into DA's race to get Jones-Wright elected". inewsource.org. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  24. ^ "San Diego Democratic Party Endorses Sheriff, DA, Assessor Candidates - Times of San Diego". Times of San Diego. 2017-07-20. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  25. ^ "Malcolm Jenkins - Leading the Eagles On and Off the Field - Extended Interview - The Daily Show with Trevor Noah". Comedy Central. 7 March 2018. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  26. ^ "Gubernatorial Primary Election. Official results" (PDF). sdvote.com. June 5, 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  27. ^ Source (2023-12-08). "Geneviéve Jones-Wright Enters Mayoral Race Against Incumbent Todd Gloria". OB Rag. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  28. ^ Bowen, Andrew. "Live results: 2024 Primary Election - San Diego Mayor". kbps.org. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  29. ^ "Endorsements". Jones-Wright for Mayor 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  30. ^ Stahl, Shane (2024-01-10). "Equality California Endorses 13 Pro-Equality Candidates to Kick Off 2024". Equality California. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  31. ^ Keith, Jarod. "LGBTQ+ Victory Fund Endorses 57 More Out Candidates for 2024 Races". LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  32. ^ "Democratic Candidates in the March 2024 Primary". San Diego County Democratic Party. May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  33. ^ "Incumbent Todd Gloria ahead in San Diego mayor's race, early voting results show". NBC 7 San Diego. San Diego, CA. March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
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