League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Los Angeles County, CA March 2, 2004 Election
	Anthony G. "Tony" Patchett Answers Questions Candidate for District Attorney; County of Los Angeles

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. What are your priorities for the operation of the District Attorney's Office?

WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS?

GANG VIOLENCE

Since 1990 there have been 15,000 gang related murders. 5,000 are still unsolved. The Los Angeles Times, Daily News, Los Angeles Sentinel and other newspapers have described the carnage that has occurred. The war on terror should also be fought in our own backyard.

As the chief law enforcement officer of Los Angeles County I would head a countywide Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH) Task Force. I want to decrease drive by shootings and decrease the continual murder of innocent members of our society by street hoodlums.

I want to work on gang violence through religious entities of any faith. It is only when the District Attorney's Office works from within the framework of churches can gang violence be overcome .Churches know the families of the victims and the suspects of crime.

Unless you live in a gang infested neighborhood or have prosecuted the shooting of an innocent victim of our county by a gang member do you know the fear experienced by those who live in that society?

I intend to re-establish the District Attorney's Youth Advisory Council

I DRUG ABUSE

I support the use of drug courts, the state drug courts averted 425,014 jail days for a savings of 26.4 million dollars and 227,894 prison days for a saving of $ 16 million dollars. The drug courts also contributed $ 1 million in fines and fees to the state coffers according to a 2002 study by the State Judicial Council and Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. Arrest rates for Drug Court graduates dropped 85% in the 2 years following their admission to a Drug Court Program. Compare that with the 65% return rate of prisoners released from institutions who return with another felony conviction. I support 2 year programs such as New Directions at the Veterans Center in Westwood that change the lives of homeless veterans with drug addictions. The California Department of Corrections has a budget of $ 5.6 billion dollars and has 161,714 prisoners in its facilities at a cost of almost $30,000.00 per inmate. 29% are white: 30% African-American: 36% are Hispanic Many of its population were sentenced on drug related offenses. The average sentence is 41.4 months The average time served is 26.5 months. Wouldn't it save the taxpayer's money if more cases were referred to Drug Courts?

HATE CRIMES

How should the District Attorney respond to hate-motivated crime?

A good example is the beating that occurred in West Hollywood to Trev Broudy and Edward Ulett on September 1, 2002. This was a perfect example of a Hate Crime or attempt first degree murder in addition to the charges filed against the defendants. It was the symbol of justice that was at stake in the criminal filing of charges. Section 664 of the Penal code, attempt first degree murder, could have provided for a 15 year to life sentence. Section 422.75(c) of the Penal Code provides for a 4 year enhancement for acting in concert in a Hate Crime. As sentenced, the defendants will be back on the streets in about 10 years. What is Trev Broudy's condition going to be in 10 years? Los Angeles County lags behind Riverside and San Bernardino County in the number of Hate Crime cases filed. According to the West Hollywood Sheriff's website, West Hollywood has become a target for hate crimes in Southern California. The District Attorney should have the same philosophy as Sheriff Baca and treat Hate Crimes with top priority.

PUBLIC CORRUPTION SPECIAL INTERESTS

Why didn't the District Attorney use his Bureau of Investigation, the 4th largest police force in Los Angeles County with 270 peace officer investigators, to investigate Enron, Quackenbush, Firestone Tire, Global Crossings and Newhall Land & Farming?

The District Attorney should also prosecute corporate criminals, not just little people. Charles Keating was the last high profile corporate officer prosecuted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. That occurred over 13 years ago.His conviction was reversed.

I will use the resources of the District Attorney's Office to prosecute corruption cases against the special interests that control this county

I will ask Donald Mullinex, Inspector General of the Los Angeles Unified School District to actively assist in the prosecution of LAUSD corruption cases.

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES/WORKER SAFETY

I respect the valid public concerns regarding entrenched special interests whose undue influence closed the Environmental Crimes/OSHA Division I intend to re-establish the Environmental Crimes/OSHA Division as a separate division in the District Attorney's Office Environmental Crimes and Worker Safety cases will no longer be ignored. Why did the district attorney's office fail to recognize criminal conduct in the development of the $ 175 million dollar Belmont Learning Complex? Why isn't the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office a member of the Southern California Environmental Crimes Task Force? I want to foster conservation issues and make our community safe, healthy and sustainable. If we don't prosecute environmental polluters and protect our environment, there will be no safe environment for future generations.

WELFARE FRAUD

How many of us have gone to a supermarket and watched someone dressed in expensive attire paying for groceries with food stamps with a luxury car in the parking lot? The District Attorney should establish a Hot Line for citizens to report such welfare abuse. The District Attorney should have its 4th largest County police force staking out Department of Public Social Services office parking lots for welfare recipients driving away in luxury cars

CONSUMER FRAUD

I want to model the District Attorney's Consumer Fraud division after Eliot Spitzer, New York Attorney General. Mr. Spitzer has shown the nation how to prosecute corporate criminals Why isn't the insurance industry investigated for canceling a policyholder's homeowner's insurance who receives payment on a valid claim? Most claimants are forced to obtain insurance under the California Fair Plan at a higher premium. This is an unfair business practice. Why isn't the District Attorney's Office doing anything about the unfair competition by Ralph's Markets sharing their profits with the other chains while union workers are in the 18th week of a strike?

MEDIA PIRACY

With the advent of sophisticated duplicating equipment and camcorders, media piracy has accounted for billions of dollars of theft from legitimate businesses in the entertainment industry. The dollar loss of these crimes is expected to increase in the future. Vigorous prosecution with better lines of communication must exist between the entertainment industry and the District Attorney's Office in order to combat this tremendous loss

2. What changes should be made to improve the effectiveness of the District Attorney's Office?

In times of a shrinking budget, the office must be rebalanced. The conviction rates in Branch and Area and Central Operations over the years have dropped due to the fact that the District Attorney has stripped the branches and Central of many of their most experienced and talented trial lawyers. These attorneys have been transferred to Special Operations, most of them to units where they have no prospects of ever handling felony jury trials. The District Attorney has been relying too heavily on grant funding. The District Attorney's Office has been tapping into that grant money without regard to what might happen in the future when the money doesn't flow so freely. The District Attorney needs to go to each unit, division or branch and find out exactly what they are doing and what their special needs and expectations are. Directors and Head Deputies should have the skill and training to make good decisions. The Environmental Crimes/OSHA section must be reestablished as a separate division and be permitted to actively prosecute criminal cases. Health & Safety Code Section 25192 provides for 25% of any fine imposed for environmental prosecution to be paid to the District Attorney's Office. In the `80's and mid `90's the fines amounted to a substantial amount of money. The last well known corporate criminal prosecution occurred 13 years ago. Corporate criminals need to be treated equally in the criminal justice system. Domestic Violence Courts should be established to stop the cycle of domestic violence. Cases should not be handed off from one prosecutor to another. Most cases are disposed of without a trial, yet little training has been done in this area. Developing our lawyers to be effective negotiators should be a priority. Our deputies should be encouraged to work effectively with judges, lawyers, and the public (which really pays the bill for our services). The District Attorney's Office is really a part of the community, not part of an occupation army.