San Francisco DA under fire for potential hired nepotism

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins is accused of nepotism after she quietly promoted a close friend to her chief of staff despite being trained as a psychiatric mental health nurse, having no legal experience and holding a second workplace.

Monifa Willis, who also works as an assistant professor of nursing at the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing, where she reportedly earns a salary of $100,000, was initially hired by the DA’s office in 2022 to lead the Services Division for Victims of the agency. She took up her new position in March.

The appointment raised questions about hiring a friend for a prominent role in a large office. The position pays around $289,000 annually.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Jenkins said she was proud to have Willis as her chief of staff and said her hiring was not a conflict of interest. It is the first time in the history of the office that the role has been filled by someone who is not a lawyer.

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San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins (Tayfun Coskun Agency/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“As a registered psychiatric mental health nurse, Monifa brings a wealth of experience and unparalleled expertise in providing trauma-informed care to victims of crime and those affected by the criminal justice system,” said Jenkins. “In her role as Chief of Staff, Monifa oversees the Division of Victim Services, the Policy Team, Grants, Special Projects and Programming.”

Willis will also launch new programs and initiatives focused on crime prevention and intervention efforts, Jenkins said.

Willis became a registered nurse and, after earning her master’s degree at UCSF in 2014, became certified as a psychiatric mental health nurse, according to her biography on the UCSF website.

Ryan Khojasteh, a former prosecutor running to unseat Jenkins, his former boss, said Willis’ initial hiring was nepotism, compounded by her lack of a law degree.

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Monifa Willis, chief of staff in the San Francisco district attorney’s office, was promoted by prosecutor Brooke Jenkins, a close friend. (KTVU)

“She’s not qualified to be number two in a criminal law office,” he told Fox News Digital. “It’s actually baffling to me that Jenkins thought this was even remotely a good idea.”

Jenkins’ office said the chief of staff position is exempt and does not require a law degree and that Willis meets the qualifications for the job.

The Chief of Staff position requires four years of managerial experience in a supervisory role in a legal, legislative or clinical social environment, depending on the position qualification. In addition, the chief of staff does not supervise the prosecutors, which is done by the assistant chief prosecutor.

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Monifa Willis, a nursing professor, was promoted to chief of staff by San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, prompting allegations of nepotism. (KTVU; Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Jenkins and Willis have known each other since high school, where they were track teammates, according to a 2022 report by Mission Local. The two went out to dinner, rented a car, attended a football game and visited a waxing salon together, according to public Venmo accounts dating back to 2021, The San Francisco Standard reported.

Since becoming Jenkins’ chief of staff, Willis has continued to work as a professor at UCSF.

Employees in the DA’s office are not permitted to engage in any outside activities that would take time away from their regular job duties, according to a DA policy. At the time of her appointment as head of the Division of Victim Services, Willis filed a secondary employment form, the DA’s office told Fox News Digital.

The office verbally approved the application for her second job.

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District Attorney Brooke Jenkins speaks during the launch of Domestic Violence Awareness Month at San Francisco City Hall on Oct. 24, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“She agreed to change her course time but did not immediately submit an updated secondary employment form. Submitted an updated secondary employment form on 07/25/2024, as soon as this surveillance came to her attention,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Willis’ secondary employment at UCSF is not an issue, the agency said.

“She teaches a class on Wednesday evenings during UCSF’s fall, winter and spring quarters,” the DA’s office said. “She doesn’t teach in the summer. Her teaching responsibilities do not affect her ability to perform any of her duties at the Prosecutor’s Office.”

Lexa Grayner worked under Jenkins before moving to the Bay Area at the Alameda County District Attorney’s office.

“This is just one more incident that validates what we’ve known all along about Brooke Jenkins,” Grayner told Fox News Digital. “He is not someone we can trust. She makes decisions for her own political career at the peril of San Francisco’s criminal justice system.”

Jenkins’ office did not respond to requests for comment about Grayner’s departure.

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins speaks at a news conference at the San Francisco Police Department as Mayor London Breed and Police Chief William Scott listen on April 13, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun Agency/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Willis’ part-time job as a college professor also raised questions about her affordability. Fox News Digital reached out to Willis.

The San Francisco Ethics Commission, which is responsible for administering and enforcing ethics standards within city government agencies, declined to comment on the matter.

Jenkins was appointed DA, a position once held by Vice President Kamala Harris, by San Francisco Mayor London Breed in 2022 after the successful recall of Chesa Boudin, for whom she actively campaigned. She was elected in her own right months later.

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Upon taking office, Jenkins purged several employees, including Khojasteh. During Jenkins’ tenure, several people left the DA’s office, which was destabilized, Khojasteh said.

The prosecutor’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

“What Jenkins has done is reward his friends and allies at the expense of a well-run and functioning office,” Khojasteh said.