In a small room above the library in San Diego's City Heights neighborhood, the candidates running for District Attorney pitched their platforms to a few dozen audience members. Appointed Interim District Attorney Summer Stephan touted her leadership during her nearly three decades as a deputy district attorney.
"Over the last 15 years I’ve held leadership positions at the local, state and national level," Stephan said.
Her opponent, San Diego County Deputy Public Defender Geneviéve Jones-Wright, spoke critically of the office.
"I’m running for District Attorney because the DA’s office has been staunch opponents of criminal justice reforms," Jones-Wright said.
Stephan and Jones-Wright are the sole candidates to step up after former longtime District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis stepped down to run for county supervisor. The two, whose careers put them on opposite sides in a courtroom, present a polarizing choice for San Diego voters. The race is one of few in the county to be decided at the June primary, when turnout can be low, instead of the general election in November.
Stephan said her path to the prosecutor’s office began when she was growing up. She recounts the influence of her grandmother, who survived the Armenian Genocide.
"She would say it’s really important to take advantage of the education, the ability for you to have a voice to help someone else," said Stephan, who grew up in what she described as a strict Greek-Armenian household.
Stephan said she excelled academically and reached high school nearly two years earlier than most, making her a target for bullies. The oldest of four sisters said her past experiences encouraged her to fight for victims later in life as a prosecutor. During her more than 28 years with the District Attorney’s office, she headed the North County branch, served as Chief Deputy District Attorney and led efforts to combat sex crimes, including the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force.
"A victim-centered human trafficking task force that holds offenders of organized crime accountable but also deals with victims with dignity and respect," said Stephan, who also chairs the National District Attorneys Association's human trafficking committee.
She also emphasizes her support of child victims. As the prosecutor on a case against the gunman in a 2010 elementary school shooting, Stephan said she incorporated new interviewing techniques to avoid re-traumatizing the children. She also successfully earned a guilty verdict.
"Which was tougher than it looked because he brought an insanity defense and two court-appointed doctors said he was insane, but having a little bit of OCD about little kids being shot, I read every single thing he ever wrote on his computer; I reviewed his whole history, and we were able to show that he was not insane,” Stephan said.
Last summer, just months after Dumanis endorsed Stephan's candidacy, the county supervisors appointed Stephen as interim DA, despite criticism that it would give her an advantage in the election.
While Stephan’s name recognition presents a challenge to her lesser-known opponent, Geneviéve Jones-Wright said her nearly 14 years in criminal defense would bring a new perspective to the DA’s office.
"I’m a person who has been working in the trenches every single day, seeing how these policies and decisions that come out of the DA’s office affect people, families, communities, whole neighborhoods and this entire county," said Jones-Wright, who also chairs the gang documentation committee on the city's gang commission.
Stephan is also part of the commission.
Jones-Wright said she grew up with two sisters and was raised by a single mom in San Diego’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, where she witnessed encounters between the community and police.
"You would see it all of the time, and it was never a positive interaction,” she said.
Jones-Wright said she started in criminal defense doing pro-bono work before joining the Riverside County public defender's office in 2006. Later that year, she joined San Diego's public defender office in the misdemeanor unit before she was promoted to felony cases in 2011.
As a public defender, Jones-Wright claims too few of her clients receive deputy DA recommendations for programs that would divert them from incarceration.
"When you have circumstances where you know that someone has come to you and they have juvenile delinquency records, that means they’ve been court-involved before," she said. "So what happened along the line that they didn’t get the help to prevent them from coming into adult court?”
A spokeswoman for the public defender’s office said the agency does not track how often requests for diversion programs are approved.
Her opponent Stephan has said she had a hand in establishing one of those programs for veterans, but Jones-Wright claims Stephan would continue what she calls a reform-averse administration. Jones-Wright pointed to Stephan’s former boss, who opposed reforms that would reduce some low-level offenses (Prop. 47) and approve recreational marijuana (Prop. 64), which San Diego voters later approved.
"These reform measures signaled the direction that San Diegans wanted to go in, where we were saying some punishments are too severe for the crime," she said.
Stephan has recently said she supports bail reform and believes Prop. 47 has benefits but needs improvements.
At the recent forum in City Heights, Stephan said the office has taken a proactive approach against past marijuana-related convictions since California approved its recreational use with Prop 64’s passing.
“We had the ability to actually search our systems to find out if there is anyone that is incarcerated based on old laws that would not be under the current law or that would have a misdemeanor under current law that has a felony so it prevents them from getting a job or housing," she said.
However, Jones-Wright countered that it was a collaborative effort.
“Public defenders are the ones doing the applications because the district attorney’s not just summarily taking things and reducing them down to misdemeanors or dismissing them,” she said.
It’s unclear how well each candidate will draw voters to the polls in a non-presidential primary election.
The City Heights forum was mostly filled with Stephan’s friends, a family member, employees and other supporters who drove from outside the community. One unaffiliated Mid-City resident who also attended said he wasn’t aware the race would be decided in June. A second, who arrived after the forum because she learned of it too late, said she feels she overall lacks information about the race. A third said she left the forum more conflicted over who would get her vote than when she walked in.
>>> There is another countywide race that will be decided next month. District attorney. The DA sets priorities when it comes to pursuing charges against the accused criminals in San Diego County. Former DA Bonnie demanded step down last year. Now a veteran prosecutor serving as interim DA is running against a criminal defense attorney seeking change. KPBS reporter Karen Minto says the race is one of the few can elections this year that will be decided in June instead of November. >> This is an opportunity for the candidates introduce themselves. >> Reporter: In a small room about the library the candidates running for district attorney's shared the stage. Summer Stefan and deputy public defender Genevieve Jones right. >> I am writing because a DAs office has been stumped upon as a criminal justice for firm. >> Reporter: The two whose careers put them at opposite sides of the courtroom. Stefan says her path to the prosecutor's office was influenced by her grandmother who survived the Armenian genocide . >> she would say it is really important to take advantage of the education, the ability for you to have a voice to help somebody else. >> Reporter: She says she excelled academically and reached high school two years earlier than most making her a target for bullies. Stefan says her past pusher to fight for victims as a prosecutor for more than 28 years. She led efforts to support those traumatized by traffickers . >> the victim centered human trafficking task force that holds offenders and organize crime accountable but also deals with victims with dignity and respect. >> Reporter: She emphasized to work for child victims. She says she used new practices to support young witnesses in the 2010 school shooting. She successfully prosecuted the gunmen. >> It was tougher than it looked because he brought an insanity defense and to court-appointed doctors said he was insane. But having a little bit OCD about little kids being shot, I read every single thing he ever wrote on his computer. I reviewed his whole history. We were able to show that he was not insane. >> Reporter: Last summer the county supervises appointed her as interim DA despite criticism that it will give here an advantage in the election. All Stefan's name and the election presents a challenge that her lesser-known opponent Genevieve Jones right says that her ideas will bring a fresh perspective and the DAs office . >> I have been working in the trenches every single day seeing how the policies and decisions that come out of the DAs office affect people, families, communities, whole neighborhoods, and this entire County. >> Reporter: Jones right grip in the Lincoln Park neighborhood where she says she witnessed encounters between the community and the police . >> all the time never positive. >> Reporter: She says people deserve a second chance, but too few of her clients get programs that would divert them from incarceration . >> when your circumstances where you know that someone came to you and they have juvenile delinquency records, that means they have been court involved before. What happened along the line that they did not get the help to prevent them from coming into adult court. >> Reporter: Her opponent Stefan had a hand in establishing one program for veterans. Jones right says that Stefan will continue a reform reverse -- Stefan's former boss in state laws that were reduced some crimes. San Diego voters approved them . >> these reform measures met signaled the direction the San Diego inns -- San Diegan wanted to go in. Where we were saying some punishments were too severe for the crimes. >> Reporter: In city Heights Stefan said the office took a proactive approach since California passed recreational marijuana . >> to find out if there is anyone that is incarcerated based on old laws that would not be under the current law. >> Reporter: Jones right countered that it was a collaborative effort . >> public defenders are the ones doing the applications because it DA is not just summarily taking things and reducing them down. >> Reporter: It is unclear how well each candidate will draw voters to the polls. The city Heights forum was filled with Stefan's friends, family, other supporters from outside the community. Unaffiliated midcity residents that she was not aware that the race would be decided in June. Another felt she lacked information overall. Third said she left the forum more conflicted than who would get her vote than when she walked in.
