San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon announced to his staff Thursday he will resign his post before his term is up at the end of the year, officials with the DA's office confirmed.
Gascon sent a letter to his staff, saying in part he has "decided it’s time for me to move on to a new opportunity." The letter goes on to say he and his wife will return to Los Angeles to rejoin family there and "explore a run for District Attorney."
The letter says he tendered his resignation to Mayor London Breed, effective Oct. 18 at 6 p.m.
Breed released the following statement later Thursday: "People depend on the District Attorney to keep our residents and communities safe each and every day. We can't afford to have an absence of leadership in the DA's Office because victims of crime need to be represented and people who commit crimes in our city need to be held accountable."
Gascon, 65, is the former San Francisco police chief and a former assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. He served as chief in Mesa, Arizona, from 2006 to 2009.
Cristine DeBerry, Gascon's chief of staff, will take over as interim DA, according to the letter.
