One of the biggest questions in the San Francsico district attorney race is how candidates plan to handle “quality-of-life” crimes like vehicle break-ins, public intoxication, drug dealing, petty theft and graffiti.

Here’s how the four candidates responded to an American Civil Liberties Union questionnaire on the issue.

• Chesa Boudin: “We will not prosecute cases involving quality-of-life crimes. Crimes such as public camping, offering or soliciting sex, public urination, blocking a sidewalk, etc., should not and will not be prosecuted. Many of these crimes are still being prosecuted, we have a long way to go to decriminalize poverty and homelessness.”

• Suzy Loftus: “Past practices of an over-reliance on citations are costly, redirect vital resources away from significant crimes and disproportionately impact working class, juvenile, immigrant, and indigent populations. Over-reliance on charging quality-of-life infractions has not proven effective at deterring aberrant behaviors. I will prioritize taking a problem solving-approach to quality of life concerns that engages our city partners and community based organizations to more effectively remedy neighborhood concerns.

• Leif Dautch: “While no one should ever be prosecuted for a status offense or simply because of their poverty, quality-of-life offenses like car break-ins sometimes require prosecution. ... So I make a point at our house parties and campaign events of telling people who are understandably concerned about quality-of-life issues in our city that accountability for those offenses does not mean targeting the homeless, which would be both ineffective and morally problematic.”

• Nancy Tung: “I will not eliminate prosecution for these offenses. I believe that these crimes are an opportunity for intervention, to get a person services, job training or other opportunities as a pathway out of the criminal justice system. Diversions are indeed a tool of a prosecution, as are deferred prosecutions. At the same time, I do not believe we should sacrifice some of our most vulnerable communities by allowing quality-of-Life crimes to persist unchecked.”

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phillip Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KGO-TV morning and evening news and can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier