Prominent personality Jon Jacobo takes leave amid rape allegations

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A view of San Francisco City Hall from the Civic Center Plaza. (Harika Maddala / Bay City News)

SAN FRANCISCO – An influential San Francisco city commissioner is stepping down after a woman on Friday claimed she raped her earlier this year.

Jon Jacobo, a member of the building inspection commission, co-founder of the community organization Latino Task Force and policy director of the Tenants and Owners Development Corporation, allegedly raped a woman on April 4, according to the allegation posted by the victim on Twitter.

Since the allegation, other prominent San Francisco officials have shared their solidarity with the woman. Supervisor Shamann Walton said his office was meeting with the city attorney to discuss legal options and asked Jacobo to resign from the Building Inspection Board, which he agreed to.

“My thoughts are with the victim for her courage and bravery in speaking out on this horrific situation that no one should ever experience,” Walton said on Twitter. “We need to support women who are victims of sexual assault.

The woman says she has no plans to press charges, but wanted to publish her story to free herself “from the burden of protecting him from the consequences.”

“One of the reasons I kept this story to myself for so long was that I didn’t want to hurt Jon by coming forward,” the statement read. “I cared deeply for him and will forever be heartbroken that someone I once admired could rape me in this way.”

Responding to the allegations, Jacobo said that “every trauma victim must be heard, and the process of speaking out is part of healing and righteousness.”

He is taking time off from work in addition to his resignation from the Building Inspection Commission.

“My memory of these events is different from his memory,” Jacobo said on Twitter. “I believed then, as I believe now, that our relationship was completely consensual. In April we attempted a restoration process and I will continue to work to understand why and how she thinks I hurt her.”

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