Candidate for
District Attorney; County of Humboldt

Education

• I attended the University of California at Davis and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1982.
• I attended Santa Clara University Law School and graduated in 1985. Criminal Justice Service:
• While in law school, I interned with the Santa Clara County Public Defender and District Attorney. My responsibilities included preparing defendants for court appearances and prosecution of those charged with environmental crimes.
• Following law school, I was a certified law clerk in the San Diego District Attorney's Office from August to December of 1985. I prepared and argued legal motions in felony cases.
• I served 1986-1993 as Deputy District Attorney for Contra Costa County, I tried numerous jury cases. For over two years I was assigned to the unit that handled all abuse cases (elder, adult/child sexual and physical abuse). One case reached the California Supreme Court and involved the ability to present evidence in serial rape cases. I also handled the review and charging of felony cases.
• I served January 1994-November 2011 as Deputy District Attorney for Humboldt County handling misdemeanors and all levels of felonies. From 2001-2011 I handled all asset forfeiture cases for the County.
• In 2005 District Attorney Paul Gallegos appointed me as Director of the Child Abuse Services Team (CAST). I worked with social services, law enforcement and other community agencies (e.g. Rape Crisis & the Sexual Assault Response Team) in investigating and prosecuting child abuse cases. My duties as Director included working on budget issues and grant applications, and preparing agreements to partner with Tribal organizations providing services to victimized children.
• In 2007 I was assigned to the Drug Task Force (DTF) where I worked for 4 years. I reviewed all drug cases in the County and recommended charges and sentencing options for each case. At the direction of the District Attorney I was responsible for prosecuting all major drug cases (e.g. People vs. Jose Hernandez Lopez). I worked closely with the DTF regarding legal issues and reviewed search warrants, as needed, available 24 hours a day/7 days a week.

I have prosecuted over 120 jury trials. These trials were prosecuted for the most serious and heinous of crimes including those of murder, sexual assault and other violent felonies (e.g. the Maher Suarez gang murder trial and the Johnny Lindel Lewis case). These cases required a broad mastery of criminal law and knowledge of technical subjects such as medical research on brain trauma, DNA, firearms and bullet trajectories, psychological testing, etc. I have also presented four cases to criminal Grand Juries. My extensive experience in four District Attorney's offices has allowed me to develop clear ideas about efficient organizational structures and allocations of resources.

County Counsel Experience

In November, 2011 I joined the Humboldt County Counsel office, providing legal advice to County departments and elected officials, focusing on personnel matters, review of grant applications and contracts, and issues involving environmental health, probation, and the Public Guardian. While serving in this office, I became knowledgeable on county government employment issues and environmental crimes.

Civic Involvement

Throughout my 20 years in Humboldt County I have volunteered with foundations, civic groups, my church and schools. I served on the Board of the League of Women Voters of Humboldt County and volunteered with Humboldt Area Foundation reviewing scholarship applications. I am currently serving on the Board for KEET-TV as well as the Athletic Board for my daughter's high school.