Editorial: Rosen deserves fourth term as Santa Clara County DA
He best balances progressive approaches to law enforcement while also holding offenders accountable
MERCURY NEWS By MERCURY NEWS EDITORIAL BOARD April 2, 2022
Jeff Rosen is the rare California district attorney who balances progressive approaches to law enforcement while also holding offenders accountable for their crimes.
He became Santa Clara County’s District Attorney in 2011 promising to restore integrity and trust to an office that was largely failing at both. Rosen has steadfastly kept that promise. The level of respect he generates is evident by the fact that in 2021 Gov. Gavin Newsom strongly considered him for the state attorney general opening that was eventually given to Rob Bonta.
Criminal justice reform is the subject of hot debate in the Bay Area and throughout the nation. Santa Clara County has been fortunate to have Rosen’s leadership in helping tackle the complexities of the issue. Voters should re-elect him to a fourth four-year term.
Santa Clara County has the largest district attorney’s office in Northern California, with more than 600 prosecutors, investigators, criminalists and support staff. The county’s DA must be a strong manager, know how to successfully prosecute a wide range of cases, help crime victims to heal and recover, and demonstrate leadership in crafting new laws and policies that work to reduce crime. Rosen, who ran unopposed in the 2014 and 2018 elections, is the only candidate in a three-man race who possesses all of those skills.
During his tenure, Rosen has implemented policies that have seen significant reductions in crime and incarceration rates.
Rosen was a deputy district attorney for 15 years, gaining valuable experience by prosecuting a wide range of high-profile criminal cases. He became the first person in the county to unseat an incumbent DA in nearly a century when he defeated Dolores Carr.
During his tenure, Rosen has implemented policies that have seen significant reductions in crime and incarceration rates. He was one of only three of California’s 58 district attorneys to back Proposition 36, the ballot initiative passed by voters in 2012 reforming the Three Strikes Law to exclude nonviolent offenses.
In 2016 he again was one of only three DAs in California who supported Proposition 47, which lowered sentences for drug possession and other nonviolent crimes. When confronted by tough-on-crime opponents, he argued, “Since 1984, we have opened 22 prisons and just two state universities. Don’t we all wish it were the other way around?”
And in 2018 he was outspoken in his support for Senate Bill 10, the landmark bail reform effort law designed to end money bail in California. The bill was signed into law, but in 2020 voters rejected it in a 2020 referendum. The Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that it is unconstitutional to require defendants to remain behind bars simply because they cannot afford bail.
Rosen is the only candidate with a balanced approach that seeks to implement criminal justice reforms while also ensuring public safety.
osen is being challenged by Santa Clara County deputy public defender Sajid Khan and former deputy district attorney Daniel Chung.
Khan, who has worked in the public defender’s office since 2008, is respected for his aggressive efforts to institute wide-sweeping, progressive criminal justice reforms. He cites ending mass incarceration and fighting systemic racism while honoring survivors of harm as his highest priorities, if elected. We applaud Khan’s social justice efforts, but he lacks crucial experience in prosecuting cases and managing a complex office that the DA’s position requires.
Chung, who was dismissed from his position after writing an oped in this newspaper that was critical of the DA’s office, is running on a tough-on-crime platform that is not in synch with county residents. Nor has he demonstrated the financial or political backing to run a serious campaign.
Rosen is the only candidate with a balanced approach that seeks to implement criminal justice reforms while also ensuring public safety. Voters should re-elect him in the June 7.