Six Compete for Los Angeles County's Top Prosecutor Job

Sylvia Moore

As Steve Cooley prepares to retire after three terms as Los Angeles County’s top prosecutor, the race to succeed him will be the hottest show on the June 5 primary ballot. Six candidates are officially running for District Attorney, a non-partisan office. The cast includes front-runner and current L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich; Cooley’s protege, Chief Deputy DA Jackie Lacey; Democratic Party favorite and Senior Deputy DA, Danette Meyers; Deputy DAs John Breault III, Bobby Grace and Alan Jackson. The race is also notable for the number of African-Americans (Lacey, Meyers, and Grace) and women (Lacey and Meyers) running. Two candidates, Mario Trujillo and Steve Ipsen, dropped out last month.

Whoever gets more than 50 percent of the vote on June 5 will avoid a runoff in November. California primary elections tend to have among the lowest voter turnout, so only a fraction of voters could determine who gets to run the largest prosecutorial agency in the country responsible for prosecuting 60,000 felonies and 130,000 misdemeanors a year. The DA’s office is also at the forefront of some of the most pressing matters facing California’s criminal justice system, from three strikes to the treatment of juveniles to the death penalty. So who are the candidates and where do they stand on the major issues?

CARMEN TRUTANICH

Elected as L.A. City Attorney in 2009, Trutanich promised during that race that he would not seek higher office before completing two terms. In an about-face, Trutanich decided in jump into the DA’s race before even finishing his first term. That move brought heavy scorn from local media. Nevertheless, the former Republican and current independent is still the front-runner in the race, having received endorsements from many in the L.A.-area political establishment, from Democrats to Republicans. He also landed the endorsement of several labor groups, including the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.

Trutanich has been lauded for going after special interests like billboard companies, but he has been criticized for his bellicose attitude toward Occupy L.A. protesters and medical marijuana dispensaries. One of Trutanich’s rivals, Alan Jackson, successfully sued to keep the City Attorney from designating himself “Los Angeles Chief Prosecutor” on the ballot. Adding fuel to his critics’ fire, Trutanich has had a habit of skipping candidates forums.

Trutanich has indicated support for Cooley’s three strikes policy of allowing prosecutors more discretion in how to apply the controversial law. He says he wants to expand anti-gang programs in schools, get more job training for youth, and strengthen laws against sexual predators.

JACKIE LACEY

Though Cooley encouraged Trutanich to run for Los Angeles City Attorney, he’s now backing his Chief Deputy DA for the top prosecutor job. Lacey had endorsed Cooley - instead of her fellow Democrat, Kamala Harris - in his failed bid for California Attorney General, so perhaps he felt an obligation to return the favor. At a recent Culver City Democratic Club candidates forum, a Lacey surrogate (Lacey herself was unable to attend) said the chief deputy would continue Cooley’s current policies if elected as District Attorney. Lacey’s top priority is rooting out corruption among public officials - an important concern in light of the recent scandals in the cities of Bell and Vernon. Besides Cooley, Lacey has the endorsement of several Los Angeles-area lawmakers, public safety officials and community leaders.


DANETTE MEYERS

Meyers, a 26-year veteran prosecutor, has positioned herself as the choice among the Democratic Party base. Her endorsements include the Culver City Democratic Club and the L.A. County Democratic Party, having beaten out fellow Democrats Jackie Lacey and Bobby Grace. Among Meyer’s priorities are curbing the number of death penalty cases, reforming the juvenile justice system, and boosting the number of environmental crime prosecutions. In a dig at Cooley, Meyers has been highly critical of the promotions process at the DA’s office, and what she claims has been retaliation in the District Attorney’s office after Cooley and county officials were sued over collective bargaining rights. At the Culver City Democratic Club forum, Meyers said that life sentences for petty theft is a waste of money, and that she would give senior prosecutors more discretionary power over three strikes cases. Meyers is best known for prosecuting actress Lindsey Lohan.

JOHN BREAULT III

Breault, a Deputy DA, is the mystery man in this race. So far, he isn’t campaigning and hasn’t put up a web site.

BOBBY GRACE

Known for prosecuting serial killer Chester Turner, Grace has served as a Deputy DA since 1988. His top issues are fighting local government corruption and fraud, fixing the juvenile justice system, stopping child abuse and addressing truancy. Grace stated at the Culver City Democratic Club forum that he wanted to see all counties in California apply Los Angeles’ policy regarding three strikes. He added that he supports Gov. Jerry Brown’s prison realignment plan, which transfers the supervision of low-level offenders from the state to the county jails. As an elected board member of the union representing Deputy DAs, Grace said he supports the right of workers to unionize. All three Democrats in the race - Grace, Lacey and Meyers - said they support the right of Californians to access medical marijuana, but stressed that marijuana dispensaries should be strictly regulated. Grace is endorsed by Culver City Democratic Club member and former Los Angeles City Controller, Rick Tuttle.

ALAN JACKSON

Jackson, the registered Republican in the race, made his claim to fame prosecuting fallen music mogul Phil Spector and appearing regularly on cable’s Court TV. A prosecutor for more than 17 years, Jackson also spent time in the DA’s gang unit. He is backed by several prominent local Republicans and public safety officials. Jackson is a strong supporter of the death penalty, believing that the policy serves as a deterrent. However, Jackson has stated that, if elected, he would continue Cooley’s policy regarding three strikes. He believes that Deputy DAs should receive more training to prepare for Gov. Brown’s new realignment policy, but says prison overcrowding could be handled by contracting to send prisoners to jails in other states. Jackson also wants to strengthen the office’s ability to prosecute gang offenses, government corruption, high-tech crimes and environmental crimes. Jackson successfully sued to prevent Carmen Trutanich from designating himself “Los Angeles Chief Prosecutor” on the June 5 ballot.

Sylvia Moore is the Vice President of the Culver City Democratic Club, the Blog Editor for California One Care, and a Delegate from the 47th Assembly District to the California Democratic Party.