Voters this year will find a change on the ballot for Los Angeles District Attorney, as Steve Cooley announced his retirement early this year after three terms in office. Now his right-hand woman and current Chief Deputy District Attorney Jackie Lacey will go head to head against veteran prosecutor Alan Jackson for a position that has been occupied by Cooley since 2000. 

Both Lacey and Jackson beat out favorite Carmen Trutanich in the primary and have been launching critical attacks against each other since. Jackson’s main attack point has been the fact that Lacey hasn’t been in a courtroom in over 13 years, citing that she is more of a politician than a prosecutor. Lacey has criticized the negative tone of her opponent’s campaign and sees her management experience as one that gives her an advantage over Jackson’s lack of experience.

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The Lacey campaign has received major endorsements from The Los Angeles Times, Neon Tommy's chief columnist, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, The Los Angeles County Police and more. But Jackson's been in TV ads much more than Lacey the past two weeks.

She has been assumed the favorite to win due to the likelihood of the voter’s familiarity with her boss Cooley, who also endorses Lacey. Her campaign has also raised significantly more in fundraising. In the months leading to the election, Lacey has raked in over $500,00 compared to Jackson’s $150,000. 

Jackson, who has been a prosecutor for over 17 years and has served in the hard core gang division in Compton for 5 years, boasts of his 96.2 percent felony conviction along with the fact that his office and his time is spent mainly in the courtroom. He has received major endorsements from police associations in Arcadia, Alhambra, Pasadena and Pomona, as well as from former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan. 

However, whatever differences the two candidates may have, their plans for the D.A. office is quite similar: support for prison realignment and alternative sentencing courts, prosecution of marijuana dispensaries, focusing on rehabilitation instead of prison time, putting more money into fighting gang, tech and environmental crimes and more. 

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On the other hand, they do disagree on some major issues such as Proposition 36, which would lessen the harshness of the three strikes law. Lacey agrees with the measure, while Jackson does not. Furthermore, Lacey supports giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants while Jackson opposes it, saying in a debate in September that “it would invite cartel activity.” 

If Lacey is elected, she will be the first woman and first African-American to ever hold the office of L.A. District Attorney. 

 

Reach Staff Reporter Judy Wang here or follow her on Twitter.