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LWVLeague of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA June 6, 2006 Election
Smart Voter

Marc Buller
Answers Questions

Candidate for
District Attorney; County of Santa Clara

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Questions & Answers

1. What experience and training would you bring to this office?

I have over 20 years of experience as a Santa Clara County prosecutor. Currently, I supervise the Sexual Assault Unit, the General Felony Division and the outlying courts in North and South County. I have tried before a jury over 50 serious or violent felony cases.

Under my leadership the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office will be the most effective and ethical office in the country. Santa Clara County will be represented by the best trained and most commitment lawyers of any law firm in the nation. I have expertise in partnering with members of the Juvenile Justice community and I will call upon those partnerships to create a safe and secure community for all of our young people to thrive and become productive members of our community.

My staunch support for crime prevention prompted my extensive work with the San Jose Unified School District to create the Juvenile Prevention program called Law Related Education. This innovative program engages students in the justice system by teaching them the principles of fairness, responsibility and justice.

I have served the community outside the courtroom, by founding and securing funding for the Community Prosecution Unit. This program partners Deputy DA's with community leaders to address the causes of crime in underserved communities throughout Santa Clara County.

I have firm roots in the Santa Clara County Community. A graduate of San Jose's Leland High School and San Jose State University, I am active in many community organizations including Little League, La Raza Lawyers, Almaden Valley Youth Counseling, my family's church and my children's schools.

2. What changes do you think need to be made in the way this office operates?

The district attorney's solemn obligation to the people of Santa Clara County is to seek justice in a fair and ethical manner. Any conduct that falls short of that pledge to the people should not be tolerated in any fashion.

The people of this county, having placed their trust in the district attorney's office, must feel confident that trust has not been compromised. Recently, aa series of articles have been published that question the conduct of the district attorney's office and the ethical standards the people of this county demand.

I agree that mistakes in the administration of justice have occurred and that this district attorney's office was a party to those errors.

The response to the articles and corresponding question of trust of the system by the public necessitates action.

Every individual and organization should always strive for improvement. Reflecting on the information published over the past week, all of us within the district attorney's office should use this series as a rallying point to further our commitment to the highest ethical standard in our work. The true test of one's self is to stand up to adverse circumstances and better one's self through the process.

I believe the men and women of the Santa Clara County district attorney's office, which I have proudly been a member of for more than 20 years, will prove their true character and restore any lost confidence and trust for the criminal justice system. The ethical standards we all hold in the utmost regard will be at the forefront of the restoration. As your next district attorney, I will have the privilege of working with the most professional and ethical prosecutors in the country to make our county safer, more secure and committed to justice for all of the people of this county.

My tenure as district attorney will be marked by the highest ethical standard, with fair and just prosecutions. We will continue to aggressively prosecute the guilty and will never sacrifice public safety in the face of unfair criticism.

I look forward to joining my fellow prosecutors and law enforcement professionals in protecting the people of our county. Join me as I strive to achieve liberty and justice for all.

3. Do you think that the budget for this office should be increased or decreased and how should this be done?

The budget for the District Attorney's office should reflex a firm committment to public safety. Under my administration I will work with the County Board of Supervisors to increase our budget to ensure my office has the resources to serve the people of this County. I will continue to seek federal and state resources to augment our budget. I have a successful record within the District Attorney's Office in managing budgets and using outside resources to balance and increase our ablility to serve the community.


Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League. 

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: April 27, 2006 16:13
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