Political Organizer Jon Jacobo Pleads Not Guilty for Sexual Assault Charges

Jon Jacobo, once a prominent organizer in San Francisco politics, pled not guilty on Tuesday to the multiple charges he is facing of alleged sexual assault and domestic violence.

Jacobo’s indictment comes nearly three years after a colleague first publicly accused him of rape. A total of four women have come forward accusing Jacobo of sexual assault, according to the San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, who announced the charges against Jacobo on Monday.

“The charges are very serious,” San Francisco Superior Court Judge Kenneth Wine said. “I do think given the record before me that Jacobo is a danger to the public.”

Jacobo, who was a leader at the affordable housing nonprofit TODCO until April, appeared for the arraignment wearing an orange jumpsuit. The former board member of Calle 24, an organization fostering community in the Mission, is being held on a $2 million bond.

Sasha Perigo, who publicly accused Jacobo of rape in 2021, attended the hearing via Zoom. Jacobo’s partner, Gabriela Lopez, a former San Francisco School Board member, was in the courtroom.

“This has been a case already tried in the media,” Martina Avalos, Jacobo’s attorney, told the judge. “These allegations are false.”

Jacobo is facing one count of rape by force, one count of oral copulation by force, one count of sexual battery by restraint and one count of domestic violence. San Francisco police arrested Jacobo around 2 p.m. Monday, according to a police spokesperson.

The indictment arrives as San Francisco’s Democratic clubs face a reckoning over reporting and responding to sexual misconduct internally.

“Predators are often able to escape meaningful accountability when it comes to violence and abuse — both through the criminal legal system and outside of it,” Perigo and other survivors wrote in a public statement on Monday after the charges were announced. “Especially for those who have power and influence — whether that is wealth, political standing, social stature, knowledge of the legal system, friends and colleges who enable this exemption from consequences.”

After the hearing, Avalos told reporters that the case is “politically motivated.” She said Jacobo would not pose any threat to the public while the case is pending.