Contra Costa district attorney candidates debate in public forum

In advance of the upcoming June election, the Contra Costa County Library system hosted a forum for candidates for district attorney to educate voters on who they are and what they plan to do if elected as the county’s top law enforcement official.

The two main candidates, interim DA Diana Becton and senior deputy DA Paul Graves, attended the forum on Monday evening at the Hercules Library, where they discussed their views on the issues facing the county.

Lawrence Strauss, the third candidate and a small business owner and former deputy prosecutor in Hawaii, did not participate in the forum.

Becton, who served as a Contra Costa County Superior Court judge, is the first female and first African American DA in Contra Costa’s 167-year history.

She was appointed by the county’s Board of Supervisors to fill the position in September, replacing former DA Mark Peterson, who resigned amid a campaign spending scandal and felony conviction.

Graves has 23 years of experience as a prosecutor in the Contra Costa County DA’s Office. During that time, he has taken over 70 cases to trial, resulting in over 20 “life” sentences. Currently he serves as the senior deputy DA in charge of family violence and directly oversees the sexual assault unit including human trafficking, the domestic violence unit and the elder abuse unit.

The Board of Supervisors considered Graves for the interim assignment last year too, with two of the five board members initially picking him as their first choice, but unanimously elected Becton during a second vote.

If one of the three candidates earns more than 50% of the vote in June, they will be elected outright. Otherwise, the top two finishers will face each other in a runoff election in November.

Both candidates were asked questions about where they stand on current issues facing the county and how they can best serve it during Monday’s debate in Hercules.

Around 40 residents attended and asked candidates a variety of questions which ranged from reducing juvenile criminal activity, immigrants’ rights, the use of deadly force by police, diversions for drug offenses, and charging children as adults, to how they are qualified to deal with administrative responsibilities such as managing people and a budget.

A key aspect of serving as DA for Becton and Graves is to make sure the community is comfortable with approaching the office to report crimes. Both candidates were asked by audience members how they plan to make the immigrant community feel safe approaching law enforcement.

“One of the most important parts of being a DA is that you need to have the trust of the entire community you represent, including people who are undocumented. If we don’t have people who feel comfortable to come forward who are victims of crime, then we are not serving our community,” Graves said. “If you are a victim, we will take care of you. People should not be victimized by the system when they have the courage to come forward as a victim or witness to a crime.”

“We have to be able to be in a position as an institution to have community trust, and to feel safe to come forward to report a crime (or) to come forward and testify. We need to make sure we are all coming together to make a safe atmosphere for victims,” Becton added. “I am fully in support of the immigrant community, and I am (here) to be a voice for them.”

According to the evening’s moderator Cheryl Chambers, 63% of inmates incarcerated in California are simply awaiting their trial, often because they cannot afford bail. When asked how they would safely reduce pretrial incarceration rates, both candidates were in support of reform.

“We need to have in place a system that makes sure we are assessing the dangerousness of a person, not based on their ability to pay but on whether they are going to do harm,” Becton responded. “It’s unfair when we have people who are sitting in jail simply because they can not afford to post bail. I am talking about those low-level nonviolent offenses where we have people sitting there because they can’t afford bail.”

Becton also added that in Contra Costa County, over 70% of incarcerated people are awaiting trial.

“We have several tools already available … and I support all of those but we need to proceed carefully. I can tell you any reform will not be a one-size-fits-all, $100 to one person will be $1 million to another person,” Graves stated, saying he supports meaningful reform to an extent.

“Factoring in somebody’s ability to pay is absolutely something we should do, but in the end the primary consideration, as enacted by the voters of California, is the safety of the public and the safety of the victims and that would still be my priority,” he added.

When it all comes down to it both candidates agree the job of district attorney is about defending victims’ rights and ensuring they receive justice.

“Victims’ rights means making sure that there is an opportunity for the victim to be at the center of everything that we are doing,” Becton said. “We find every effort that we can to make sure the person has the support that they need to begin the healing process, and to bring closure to (whatever) has happened to them. They are the reason we are doing what we are doing and we are here to protect them.”

“Victims’ rights means everything to me, it is why I became a prosecutor,” Graves added for himself. “It means doing everything you can to make sure the victims’ experience with the criminal justice system is as painless as it can be without being re-victimized throughout the criminal justice system.”

For those who couldn’t make the forum in person, all debates hosted by the CCC Library have been recorded by CCTV and can be viewed on the County Library website, as well as the League of Women Voters of the Diablo Valley.

“The Library is a great place to host these forums,” county librarian Melinda Cervantes said. “We are proud to be a part of the process that allows voters to stay informed about candidates for these important offices.”

The final forum in the series is set for Thursday the three candidates for Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools will be meeting to try and win voters over.

Deputy superintendent Lynn Mackey, Concord City Councilman Ronald Leone and Cheryl J. Hansen of the Mt. Diablo Unified school board will all meet to discuss why they are the best replacement for outgoing Superintendent Karen Sakata.

Sakata announced she will not seek reelection last August, electing to retire when her term ends in January.

Superintendent candidates will meet Thursday at the Concord Library, 2900 Salvio St., from 6:30-8 p.m. The forum will be moderated by League of Women Voters former president Ann Flynn.