San Diego
DA Candidates
AB 2942 and AB 1540 give District Attorneys broad power to seek resentencing for individuals. Will you commit to working with reentry experts and advocates to develop public criteria and policies for reviewing and reevaluating sentences, including for elderly incarcerated people, people serving life sentences, people sentenced under the Three Strikes Law, and people disproportionately impacted on account of their race? Please explain.
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Did not respondSummer Stephan (Incumbent)
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Gang enhancements are not an effective method of deterring crime or violence, and have been applied inconsistently and disproportionately against people of color: 92% of people who receive gang enhancements in California are people of color. Will you pledge to never seek gang enhancement? In light of AB 333, a recently passed law intended to limit the use of the racist gang enhancement scheme, how will you approach so-called gang-related cases, including gang enhancements and charges?
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Summer Stephan (Incumbent)
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Will you adopt a policy eliminating or limiting the application of Three Strikes sentencing in your office, and require line prosecutors to obtain written approval from a supervising prosecutor before seeking enhanced sentences under the Three Strikes Law?
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Summer Stephan (Incumbent)
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Will you establish an office-wide presumption that the least severe applicable charges apply, and that the lowest sentencing outcome is the correct recommendation? What will your policy be on selecting what charges to file and what will your policy be on sentencing recommendations?
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Summer Stephan (Incumbent)
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Will you require prosecutors to justify upward departures to their supervisors, and require that a senior prosecutor approve all maximum sentences sought?
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Summer Stephan (Incumbent)
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In 2020, the California Board of Parole Hearings (BPH) granted release to only 16 percent of people who were eligible for parole. Those serving life sentences who were granted parole have a dramatically lower recidivism rate than those who are not reviewed by the parole board prior to release. Over the last twenty years, less than 1 percent of paroled lifers have been arrested or convicted of new felonies. Will you commit to keeping the District Attorney’s office out of the parole hearing process except to support the release of an individual? Please explain.
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Summer Stephan (Incumbent)
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One in five Californians – roughly 8 million people – are living with a past criminal record. California laws and policies place over 4,800 prohibitions on people with past convictions, even long after they have completed their sentence, including prohibitions that restrict access to jobs, housing, family stability, education, and more. California voters recently showed strong support for removing barriers to civic engagement by passing Proposition 17, which restored voting rights to people currently on parole. As District Attorney, will you publicly support efforts to expand record clearing, including for people convicted of violent offenses who have completed their sentence and gone some length of time without violating the law?
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Summer Stephan (Incumbent)
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