Editorial

Justice, in the form of protecting the innocent public from
criminals, asserting victims’ rights and securing the balance of
law, penalties and equal rights, is the story told by the
recently-released Report to the People by the Sonoma County
District Attorney’s office.
The many successes told in the report are made more notable by
the fact that our justice system continues to function as well as
it does as budget trimming, staff cuts and an overwhelming backlog
of criminal cases pile up at the District Attorney’s door.
The Report to the People also tells a story of community
outreach, service for youth and elders and innovations such as a
truancy court, Family Justice Center and Early Case Resolution.
These programs were debated and sometimes put in poor light during
the recent bitter election contest between incumbent Stephan
Passalacqua and winning challenger Jill Ravitch.
How the transition of the D.A. office’s administration takes
place — and the early signs are not encouraging — we hope next
year’s Report to the People will be as positive as this year’s.
The dedication of the 2009 report to former District Attorney
Gene Tunney, who died last year, is especially worth noting and
timely.
“I always considered integrity to mean seeing that justice was
done as far as it was in my power to do so, no matter the
consequences,” Tunney is quoted as saying in the introduction of
the report.
“In other words,” Tunney said, “to do justice, one should not
blindly follow the letter of the law or give into pressure. The
wonderful thing about acting with integrity you will find that,
over a period of time, you have earned the respect of all.”
Stephan Passalacqua in the June 8 election lost his bid for a
third term and the majority of voters decided Ravitch is the better
person to lead the 130-staff, $19 million department over the next
four years. At the same time, Passalacqua deserves, and has won,
much credit for his initiatives to modernize the D.A. office with
innovative programs, community outreach and added diversity among
the D.A. staff.
For the sake of those advancements, we call on him and his staff
to work closely — and with the integrity called for by Tunney — to
assure these new programs and advancements will continue under new
leadership.
Chief among these would be the development and full operation of
the Family Justice Center where 11 on-site non-profit and community
agencies serve as partners offering a “one-stop” approach to family
violence survivor services. The groups work collaboratively to
provide comprehensive health, safety, legal and support services to
survivors of family violence and their children.
The Sonoma County Victim Assistance Center served almost 2,000
victims of violent and major crimes, awarding $1.1 million in
compensation and helping victims secure long range payments or
support under the State Restitution Fund.
In reporting to the people, Passalacqua noted the large caseload
of major crimes, notably 14 lengthy and complicated homicide cases
where the prosecutors won six jury trial verdicts and eight guilty
pleas.
During the Passalacqua-Ravitch debates and campaign, the public
sometimes heard more about the alleged shortcomings and missteps of
the incumbent and his staff. An objective reading of the 2009
Report to the People (www.sonoma-county.org/da) helps balance the
record.
Our new District Attorney set a clear agenda for improvements
she will seek in the D.A. office. Among these, dealing with the
burdening caseload of major and other felony cases on a more timely
and uniform basis, deserves her priority. She has set a course to
deal with both the bigger demands on her office and the limited
resources provided by state and local government funds.
The public’s respect for the overall record of fair, equal and
assertive justice, ultimately does not belong to Passalacqua,
Ravitch — or even Tunney who served for 20 years. That respect must
reside in the office, not the person.
— Rollie Atkinson