What Can Our District Attorney Do for Us?

The District Attorney (DA) is the most powerful elected official within our criminal justice system. They
decide who goes to jail and for how long. For too long, Contra Costa County has had a DA whose views and
practices were out of step with his constituents. Our next DA can reform the office, and bring it in line with
the will of the community.

Our Next DA Can Reduce Mass Incarceration

Contra Costa voters have consistently supported statewide efforts to reduce our over-reliance on an expensive,
inhumane prison system. Our next DA can use their discretion to further those efforts:
Support Bail Reform: The continued use of unjust money bail policies contributes to the
over-incarceration of poor people and people of color simply because they cannot afford to pay their
way out. Our next DA should support ending cash bail.
Implement Alternatives to Prosecution: Our jails and prisons are filled with people who committed
low-level crimes. Many of them are homeless or drug addicted. They need access to services, not jail
time. Our next DA can support programs that keep our most vulnerable out of our justice system.

Our Next DA Can End Excessive Sentences

Contra Costa voters have supported efforts to stop pursuing excessive sentences for our countys most
vulnerable people, including Propositions 36, 47 and 57. Our next DA can use their discretion to adopt a more
humane approach to sentencing:
Stop Pursuing the Death Penalty: The death penalty is broken, expensive, and unfair. Contra Costa
has voted twice to end it; our next DA should use their discretion to stop pursuing it.
Treat Kids Like Kids: Children are fundamentally different from adults -- they have less impulse
control and possess profound capacity for transformation. Our next DA should sharply limit the
circumstances in which they are prosecuting children as adults.

Our Next DA Can Reduce Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System
The Contra Costa County Administrators Office found disturbing racial disparities at every level of our local
criminal justice system. Our next DA can right these wrongs:
Expand Implicit Bias Training: Our next DA can train attorneys within the office on the ways
implicit bias affects our decision-making processes, and can support rigorous data collection to make
sure the office is not discriminating against people of color.
Promote Workplace Diversity: Our next DA can prioritize inclusive hiring and promotions. Diverse
workplaces are less likely to tolerate overt and subtle forms of racism or sexism. Research suggests
that increasing the number of minority prosecutors can also help to reduce disparities.

Our Next DA Can Hold Public Officials Accountable For Their Misconduct
The Contra Costa DAs Office has been notoriously corrupt. Our next DA needs to implement high ethical
standards, and hold public officials accountable for their misconduct.
Support Ethics Reform: Our next DA can create rigorous conflict-of-interest standards, and ensure
that prosecutors are not withholding evidence from the defense.
Hold Police Accountable: Trust in law enforcement is fading. When officers break the law, our DA
needs to hold them accountable.