League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA June 5, 2012 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues District Attorney; County of Los Angeles

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles County and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Personal Qualities, "Three Strikes" Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What experiences and personal qualities best equip you to serve as District Attorney? Answer from Jackie Lacey: As Chief Deputy District Attorney, I am responsible for the day-to-day operations of the nation's largest local prosecutorial office. For the past 11 years, I have been involved in nearly every major decision regarding the prosecution of violent criminals in Los Angeles County. I have dedicated 26 years to prosecuting thousands of serious felony crimes and seeking justice for victims.  I have led efforts to create innovative crime-fighting tools to address graffiti, animal cruelty, drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence.  I  helped establish alternative courts for veterans, the mentally ill and women. Answer from Bobby Grace: As a prosecutor for over 23 years, I have been tasked with trying nearly 70 murder cases. In the pursuit of justice, I have consistently exercised patience, compassion, enthusiasm, aggressiveness, selflessness and leadership ability. These same qualities are essential to leading a successful administration of the largest prosecutorial agency in the nation. The DA of LA County needs trial experience across all of its divisions, a deep understanding of how each branch of law enforcement works, keen insight of prosecutorial strengths to assign cases effectively, and the respect of his peers and colleagues. I am proud to offer this level of expertise, knowledge and reputation. In addition, I gained tremendous foresight from one case in particular that left a lasting impression on me. That case was the prosecution of serial killer Chester Turner. Turner has the dubious record for murdering the most people in LA City history. He killed eleven women during the mid eighties and early nineties. He was identified through DNA evidence. From this case, I deeply recognized the fact that women are vulnerable targets in our society, but are often overlooked as victims. Turner's victims were all drug addicted and had arrests for prostitution. Society and law enforcement initially dismissed these women because of their gender and socioeconomic status. I quickly realized that I had to restore the humanity of the women and portray them as mothers, daughters, sisters and wives. It was also important from a policy standpoint that law enforcement value women as victims of violent crime and make the preservation and testing of rape/murder victim sex kits a top priority in our policies and budgets. 2. What has been the impact of "three strikes" legislation in L.A. County? Has it been cost effective? Should any changes be made in its application? Answer from Bobby Grace: The current "three strikes" law seeks a 25 year to life sentence only when the third felony offense is also a violent felony, or if the prosecutor handling the case makes the argument that the defendant deserves that sentence. This policy has saved the state's taxpayers millions of dollars. More importantly, it was the ethical and fair thing to do. As the elected District Attorney, I would work to re-sentence felons who were given 25 year to life sentences where the third felony conviction isn't a violent felony. I would also work to make the Los Angeles DA policy the law throughout the state of California. Currently, different counties have different policies and we must ensure that there is consistent justice across the state of California. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' answers are presented as submitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.