The following is a transcript of Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen’s speech delivered Jan. 23, 2019, at his swearing-in to a third term.
WE BEND THE ARC OF JUSTICE
In The Beginning
On my first day of work as a Deputy DA, I had what cops call “tunnel vision.” I woke up very early on Monday February 6, 1995, picked at my breakfast, kissed my wife Amber, and drove to 70 West Hedding Street. I wore my best suit—bright green and double breasted, with a red tie and cordovan penny loafers—think Miami Vice meets The Joker.
I arrived early, parked over there in the same C Lot and walked toward the West Wing of this building. It was so long ago that there were workers outside smoking, not marijuana, but cigarettes. They may have been chatting about the O.J. Simpson trial, which had just begun. I would not be trying any murder cases against Johnny Cochran. I was on the Misdemeanor Team.
And so, I raised my right hand, and took the oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution, the same oath I took a few moments ago. My goals back then were simple—do justice, win trials, don’t screw up. Not necessarily in that order.
As a young prosecutor, I thought I knew more than I did. I made mistakes and did stupid things. Once I struck counsel’s table with my thick hardcover penal code during my opening statement in a misdemeanor vandalism case to illustrate how the defendant pounded on the victim’s door. The problem was that the sound was so loud and jarring that the bailiff fell out of his chair, several jurors complained of ringing in their ears, and the judge took away my Penal Code. I lost the case.
Another time, I was walking to court and heard someone behind me say, “You called me a liar. I’m not a liar.” I turned around. It was a drunk driving defendant who I had convicted a few weeks earlier. He had testified and lied during the trial. We were going to the same courtroom for sentencing. Here’s what I did not do—ignore him and walk to court. Instead, I turned around, looked him in the eye, and said, “I called you a liar because you lied.” I was pretty fired up. However, in order to look him in the eye, I had to strain my neck up, because he was 6’5,” 280 pounds and a former professional football player. Before we could continue our “conversation,” one of my colleagues intervened and pulled me away, saving me from imminent harm.
In 1999, early in my career, I prosecuted my first Three Strikes case against a 24-year-old Defendant named Cuong Nguyen. The jury convicted him of check forgery, possession of stolen property, and running from the police. Previously, Mr. Nguyen had been convicted of check forgery, residential burglary, and attempted residential burglary. I strongly advocated for 27 years to life, which is the sentence the court imposed.
We’ll come back to the Three Strikes Law and Mr. Nguyen’s case in a few minutes. For now, I’ll say that for most of my career the only people I ever imagined myself speaking to about justice were in a courtroom—jurors and judges.
The Arc of Justice
In 1853, Theodore Parker, an abolitionist and Unitarian Church Minister, said, “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience [and] I am sure it bends toward justice.”
In 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., famously paraphrased Reverend Parker and said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
How does the arc of the moral universe bend toward justice? Is it simply the nature of the universe? Is it factors beyond our control? Who bends the arc? God alone? Does the arc bend itself? Let me be very clear. The arc does not bend itself. The universe does not bend it for us. Justice does not naturally happen. Justice comes from purposeful action, perseverance and a caring heart. The arc is malleable, like hot metal. It is in our hands, like blacksmiths, to pound it, to shape it. We bend the arc.
Today, I’d like to speak about the arc of criminal justice in our society, in this DA’s Office, and in some of our exemplary prosecutions.
We Bend The Arc With New Laws
As a society, we bend the arc toward justice by making new laws.
In 2012, 14 years into Coung Nguyen’s life prison sentence, the Three Strikes Reform Act, Proposition 36, appeared on the California ballot. Prop 36 narrowed the application of the Three Strikes law to serious and violent criminals. While most offenders serving life sentences under the Three Strikes Law had committed three or more violent offenses, thousands had not, including Mr. Nguyen. I was proud to be one of three elected DAs out of 58 to support reforming the Three Strikes Law. The voters agreed. In 2013, Mr. Nguyen was released from prison and has been crime free since, as have the overwhelming number of inmates released under Prop 36.
In 2014, I supported Proposition 47 which reclassified drug possession and low-level theft crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. I was one of only two DAs in California to support this reform, which voters overwhelmingly passed. One reason I supported Prop 47 was a conversation I had with my late father, Morrie, of blessed memory. I asked him if the company where he worked would hire a “convicted felon.” He said, “no way.” I asked him what came to his mind when he heard “convicted felon.” He said, a rapist, murderer or gangster. I said, what about a drug addict or shoplifter. He thought those were misdemeanors, and his company would hire them.
Bending the arc means holding offenders accountable but allowing most of them a way back into our community. This simple reform has made it easier for tens of thousands of Californians to successfully reintegrate back into our society and find jobs, housing and educational opportunities.
Last year, I worked with Gov. Jerry Brown, state Sen. Bob Hertzberg, and community groups to pass Senate Bill 10 which gets rid of money bail. Basing a defendant’s pretrial release on whether he could make a certain bail amount was both bad for public safety and unfair. The old system punished poor, non-violent individuals by unnecessarily holding them in custody which costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year. At the same time, wealthier violent offenders paid high bail amounts, were released and then terrorized more victims, especially in cases of domestic violence.
We were asking the wrong question—how much money does a defendant have? Now, we will ask the right question: Is this person safe to release from jail before trial? If the answer is yes, he will be released and supervised, no matter how poor. If the answer is no, this person is dangerous, he will be held in jail no matter how rich. Getting rid of bail and asking the right question bends the arc toward a safer and more just California.
We Bend The Arc With Widely Emulated Office Policies
We bend the arc toward justice through innovative office policies that have been widely influential and emulated. Our Conviction Integrity Unit, led by David Angel, has ensured that our convictions are obtained with the highest ethical standards. We protect defendant’s rights, even as we justly prosecute them. We have led the way with Open File and expedited discovery to defense attorneys, as well as a double-blind eyewitness ID protocol which is a national model.
Moreover, our Collateral Consequences policy which includes immigration consequences in plea negotiations was the first of its kind in the nation, and subsequently ratified by the United States Supreme Court. We have worked with defense attorneys and Innocence Projects to exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals.
When we began our Conviction Integrity Unit several years ago, we were one of only two prosecutors’ offices in the country to have such units. Today, there are dozens of conviction integrity units, most modeled after ours.
Bending the arc means doing everything we can to help crime victims get back on their feet and on with their lives. Our Victim Services Unit, led by Kacey Halcon, supports crime victims during court proceedings and has helped thousands of victims get counseling, restitution, and shelter.
Our Cold Case Unit, has used cutting edge DNA technology supplied by our crime laboratory to solve several old murder cases, including two from the 1970s. We never forget murder victims and their families, and we will never stop bringing their killers to justice. No matter how long it takes, we will bend the arc toward justice.
Marissa McKeown leads our Crime Strategies Unit, which uses data collected from DA files and police records from all over our county, to help identify, arrest and prosecute violent robbery, burglary and carjacking crews. This collaboration between police departments and our office is bending the arc by more efficiently using our finite resources to catch and deter dangerous criminals.
A diverse office that reflects the community it serves bends the arc. When I joined the Misdemeanor Team in 1995, we were eight men, no women. I have always believed that great prosecutors come in all races, ethnicities, genders, and religions. Today, for the first time, half of our Supervisors and Managers are women, along with half of the prosecutors in our Office. Moreover, 40 percent of our prosecutors are African American, Asian American, Latino, or gay.
The arc is a rainbow.
Prosecuting Those Who Have Broken The Law, Bends The Arc
Every successful criminal prosecution is its own small force, a fulcrum of justice. These four prosecutions powerfully bent the arc.
Sierra LaMar was a 15-year-old Morgan Hill teenager who was kidnapped one morning while walking to her school bus stop and then murdered by Antolin Garcia-Torres. An extensive investigation by many law enforcement agencies, including the Sheriff’s Department, Morgan Hill Police Department and District Attorney Bureau of Investigations revealed that Garcia-Torres had previously tried to carjack and kidnap three other women. Deputy DAs David Boyd and Dana Veazey used every scrap of evidence to construct a strong case that led to the defendant’s conviction on all counts and life sentence.
The DA’s Office has a unique and critical role in safeguarding the public’s trust in our democratic institutions and holding public officials accountable for misconduct. Former county Supervisor George Shirakawa stole public money, lied on financial disclosure forms, and sent out false, defamatory and illegal campaign mailers against his political enemies. Karyn Sinunu-Towery and John Chase, head of our Public Integrity Unit, led the prosecution against Shirakawa which resulted in his conviction, removal from office, and long jail sentence.
Thousands of years ago, the Roman poet Juvenal asked, “Who will guard the guards?” Michael Tyree was a slight, mentally ill man who was in jail related to probation for his misdemeanor crimes. Late one night, three jail guards beat and stomped him so viciously that they ruptured his liver and spleen. They then turned out the lights and closed the door to Mr. Tyree’s jail cell. A few minutes later, he died alone, in pain, in the dark. It is extremely rare that jail guards are successfully prosecuted for anything, much less murder. Nonetheless, Deputy DA Matt Braker prosecuted and convicted the jail guards of murder. They are serving life sentences in prison.
Their conviction led to a Blue-Ribbon Commission, and significant reforms in how our jail is operated, including civilian oversight.
Who will guard the guards? We did. We are. We will.
In an extremely difficult and challenging case, Deputy DA Alaleh Kianerci, through hard work and prosecutorial excellence, persuaded a Palo Alto jury to convict Stanford student Brock Turner of raping an unconscious young woman behind a dumpster. At the sentencing hearing, the victim, Emily Doe, read a letter she composed to the judge explaining the devastating impact of the assault and Turner’s lack of remorse. DDA Kianerci urged the court to impose a long prison sentence. Instead, the judge gave Turner a short jail sentence.
We released Emily’s letter hoping that the local newspaper might attach it to their story and perhaps a few hundred people, maybe even a few sexual assault survivors, would read the letter and find their strength and their voice.
Within days, millions of people around the world had read the letter, and demanded that the arc bend. Months later, Alaleh and I persuaded the California legislature to change the law and guarantee that the next Brock Turner go to prison. Then, our office, led by Terry Harman, signed a groundbreaking MOU with all the colleges and universities in our County to prevent future campus sexual assaults by working with law enforcement, encouraging upstanders and raising the status of women. Moreover, led by county Supervisor Cindy Chavez and our entire Board of Supervisors, we are testing rape kits faster than ever before.
A teenage girl gets on a bus and goes to school. An elected official helps his community. Jail guards protect an inmate. A young man makes sure a woman gets safely back to her dorm room. We will never know the cumulative effect of these four successful prosecutions. What we do know is that they, along with thousands of successful prosecutions each year that make no headlines, powerfully bend the arc toward justice.
How Do We Know The Arc Is Bending
How do we know the arc is bending toward justice? Sometimes, we can’t tell because we are trapped in the present and “our eyes reach but little ways.” This is painfully true as I strain to read text messages from my daughters. If only justice had a bigger font size. However, the arc is bending and things are getting better, even if we can’t always see it.
Crime rates in California are less than half of what they were in the 1980s and 1990s which had soaring homicide rates and drug wars. In 1981, there were 72 murders in San Jose, which then had a population of about 630,000 people. Last year in San Jose, with a population of almost 1.1 million, there were 27 murders—still 27 too many—but a murder rate 79 percent lower than in 1981. Such a steep decline is a tribute to the longstanding excellence of the SJPD.
While crime is about as low as it has ever been, it is not low enough. Through our individual and collective efforts, we have bent the arc toward justice, but we have not “completed the figure.”
My Vision Of Justice
My eyesight will never reach as far as the end of the arc of justice, but I have a vision of what it might look like. My vision of justice is based upon respecting victims and defendants, making victims whole, and holding defendants accountable. My vision of justice is based upon jails and prisons providing meaningful opportunities for individuals to rehabilitate themselves and become productive, law- abiding members of society. My vision of justice is based upon a strong bridge of trust between law enforcement and the communities we serve.
While my vision of justice is multi-colored, the palette contains a lot of blue. I’m not talking politics. I’m talking police officers. Every police department in our county and almost every police department in our state has fewer officers now than before the Great Recession in 2008.
Police officers bend the arc every day and more excellent police officers, like those in our county, will bend the arc faster and more completely toward justice.
The city of San Jose has the lowest police staffing of any large city in the United States. Today, SJPD, the largest police department in our county has 350 fewer officers than in 2010. To give you an idea of how significant that is, a police department with 350 officers would be the second largest police department in our County. Three-hundred-and-fifty officers is more than the size of the police departments of Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Campbell, and Los Altos combined.
Justice does not work without patrol cars and officers. Reverend Parker was talking about slavery when he evoked the bending of the arc. Martin Luther King Jr. was talking about civil rights. Both of them were talking about freedom. Freedom from violence, from fear, and from chaos. These are freedoms that brave and dedicated police officers safeguard for us every day.
Conclusion
When it comes to achieving full and complete justice for everyone, perhaps we are in the position of Moses who God showed the Promised Land, but would not let enter. We can see where we need to go to achieve justice, but we may not make it a reality for years.
However, as the sages taught, while we are not required to complete the task, to fully and completely bend the arc, we are obligated to do everything we can to succeed. For the day is short, the work is difficult, but the reward is great, and we are called to achieve.
Through the efforts of those who came before us, we are closer to bending the arc and entering the Promised Land of Justice. George Kennedy, the wise and plain spoken DA who hired the guy with the bright green double-breasted suit, built a strong foundation that aimed this Office toward justice.
Today, with more than 650 prosecutors, investigators, support staffers and criminalists, this District Attorney’s Office, through service, hard work, transparency and integrity, has brought us to the apex of the arc.
A few days ago, I swore in 12 new prosecutors. Ask them to stand. I imagined they slept poorly the night before, and picked at their breakfasts. They arrived early for work and were dressed impeccably. I asked them to raise their right hands, swear the oath of office, swear to protect and defend the Constitution, swear to do everything in their power, to the best of their abilities, to bend the arc toward justice for everyone. As I looked in their eyes, I saw the arc bending.
From strength to strength, from generation to generation, we bend the arc.
> I asked them to raise their right hands, swear the oath of office, swear to protect and defend the Constitution,
JEFF ROSEN DID WHAT?!!!!
Question for Jeff:
Under the Constitution, WHO is in charge of immigration? Hmmmmmm?
> I asked them to raise their right hands, swear the oath of office, swear to protect and defend the Constitution,
It occurs to me that I needed to be more specific.
Was Rosen referring to the United States Constitution, which gives authority over immigration matters to the federal government?
Or, was Rosen referring to the California State Constitution, which gives authority over immigration matters to sanctuary cities?
Oh jeez… Can you imagine having to sit an listen to this?
I hope the Metro got DA Rosen to pay for this.
Even worse, this wasn’t his entire speech.
“…a police department with 350 officers would be the second largest police department in our County. Three-hundred-and-fifty officers is more than the size of the police departments of Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Campbell, and Los Altos combined”…..
Exactly right, sir. That is because after former mayor Chuck Reed, arguably the worst mayor in City history, destroyed the Police and Fire Retirement system, not to mention morale and it’s organizational culture of excellence, those agencies are where all those San Jose PD officers went. Pension reform? Now that the City’s mismanagement of the retirement Fund and investments has been involuntarily repaired and corrected by an improved economy, the Pension Plan is in far greater health but those officers, with their skills and experience, are still gone.
Along with Chuck Reed, you supported Measure B, Mr. Rosen by endorsing every candidate that was openly pushing it. To call you a hypocrite would be to disparage all other hypocrites. Cops have long memories, Mr. Rosen. The cops don’t trust you. Bend that Arc. Don’t drink and drive.
It isn’t just cops who don’t trust Rosen! #vicitms #journalists #moms #immigrants #minorities #nurses #teachers #dads wonder what it feels like to know you got votes by default after threatening others in your office to not run. #AuditRosen #IndictRosen #RecallRosen, he has just got to go as a matter of public protection.
Dear Mr. Rosen,
I’ve lived over here on the north east side of SJ since 1978. San Jose at some time during the period was named the safest large city in America. Were there crimes in my area? Yes a few, mostly break-ins a few assaults. Murders was a downtown thing and eastside gangs fighting law and order. Your arc of justice ? I don’t seem to remember that but the really bad ones seemed to disappear after they got caught. Remember that Trail Side Killer terns out he lived right here in good old San Jose, Five minuets away. Scary.
Today we have break-ins, home invasions, car thefts, hi-jacking stabbing, shooting, mail theft, package pirates, sexual assaults, Trash dumping, dead homeless people, live homeless people, crazy homeless people, drunk and drugged homeless people, Cops don’t show up unless there is blood on the ground, Sorry sir you’ll have to file an online report, and never hear from us again, Thank you for paying your taxes, click.
Sorry if I don’t see the rainbow of justice or maybe I should have accepted the ghetto bird circling around as your arc. But from here its just a revolving door of repeat criminals going through the training program.
Do I feel safe here? Not any more buddy. Is that a carry permit in your pocket?
Mr. M.T.G,
That wasn’t a “ghetto bird” circling overhead. It was a vulture. Apparently the body of another dead crime victim is somewhere nearby.
Wow, Wow, and Wow! This is damage control at its best. It is not a secreat this DA office is a disgrace and corruption web. The arch bends in favor of the males with influence and those with connections to judges and other public officials in the county. I reported an IRS fraud by ex husband, a law enforcement. The evidence was presented to this DA’s office, and they decided not to prosecute. IRS is still involved. This was also reported to Kamala Harris and others she suggested due to being a federal crime. I am sure the God of Israel, my God, vomits this DA’s office ways. Your eyes Jeff Rosen will see the justice of God. You are one of those Who gave the back to the lord to be on the side of those that oppress and corrupt laws, communities, and societies. I am on the side of my lord and will fight anyone or anything that goes against his justice. If the lord is with me, who should I fear? God bless the people of Santa Clara County. Together we will make this community a place where everyone will be safe and protected by the law despite of the corruption of those in “power.” The power belongs to the people! Shalom…
Does Jeffrey Francis Rosen kiss his wife Amber and his daughters with the same mouth that spews lies and dazzles the media to print his press releases? Let me count the things Rosen didn’t say:
He left out the indictment of Judge William Danser in 2004 for obstructing justice and rigging traffic court cases with cops in Los Gatos and individuals in Los Gatos Little League. Danser’s widow, Catherine Gallagher, continues to cash in on private judging corruption in Santa Clara County’s high asset divorce cases.
In 2010 Rosen cheated to win the election by reporting Carr to the FPPC and hiring James Towery of Hoge Fenton to change his campaign statement because he was shamelessly using his contacts at the San Jose Mercury to get newsprint endorsements.
$1 million dollars of money donated to Rosen was never disclosed on Rosen’s Form 460.
In 2011 a SJPD officer killed his wife in Gilroy, Rosen hired the reporter from the Mercury covering the story, to kill it ( Sean Webby)
By 2011 Rosen’s office was under attack as the Attorney General was investigating Rosen for misusing public funds to give kickbacks to the deputy Das who has supported him over Carr.
In 2011 Rosen ignored complaints of sexual assault by a Rabbi at Shir Hadash in Los Gatos, after the congregation supported his campaign.
In 2012 Rosen prosecuted a San Jose nightclub owner, to free up some real estate for McHenry.
In 2012 he maliciously prosecuted Clyde Berg, and ignored a criminal conspiracy involving Berg’s former wife, and divorce attorneys Bradford Baugh and Sharon Roper.
In 2012 he maliciously prosecuted the students from Saratoga High for their role in the death of Audrie Pott, while he remained silent on the domestic violence Audrie had endured in the Los Gatos home of Larry and Lisa Pott, and the Los Altos home of Sheila Pott.
In 2014 Rosen gave 49er Ray McDonald a free pass, while refusing to investigate domestic violence McDonald had engaged with his finance.
In 2014 Rosen ignored criminal complaints against attorney Valerie Hougthon, reluctantly indicting her two years later.
In 2014 Rosen ignored forgery, perjury ad other felony charges recommended by the Santa Clara County Sheriffs arising from a dviorce case of attorney Bradford Baugh.
In 2015 Rosen discounted two women involved in McDonald’s sexual assault, rape and domestic violence cases, by getting the Grand Jury to indict them as a package deal, and ignoring the fact the DV victims was in family court before Judge Towery, with no protective order.
In 2015 Rosen took over the Victim Witness Program, and victims have been failed ever since.
In 2016 he sold out Emily Doe, and picked Persky.
In 2016 he learned of public corruption in the county’s family courts, involving James Towery, and Bradford Baugh, and he did nothing.
In 2016 – 2017 The Santa Clara County Grand Jury issued a report showing how poorly run the DA’s office has been under.
In 2016 Rosen ignored public corruption complaints arising from the local courthouse.
In 2017 his Victims Claims Manager had a raging sexual affair with a subordinate, it ended in two divorces and a huge lawsuit problem for the county.
In 2017 Jeff Rosen colluded with Judge James Towery, Judge Patricia Lucas and other private divorce lawyers to silence protestors and interfere with the Recall Campaign of Judge Aaron Persky, this issue is now before the Attorney General and the California Supreme Court.
In December 2017 Rosen prosecuted a journalist for filming public corruption and police misconduct.
In 2018 Rosen ignored criminal complaints brought against divorce attorney Bradford Baugh.
Jeff Rosen has never prosecuted a lawyer who stole money from a client.
The only thing Rosen bends is the law, for himself, and his closest friends.
#RECALLROSEN 2019
The case of the mother of two killed in Gilroy by the SJPD officer in 2011 is not over yet. That woman and I lived a very similar story. We lived in the same area, our children went to the same schools, and we were abused by SJPD officers. My son and his son were attending the same classes at the time she was killed. Her complaints and my complaints were ignored by the Gilroy Police Department that in both cases failed to write Domestic Violence report and did not follow DV protocols knowing this will destroy the careers of these two individuals. Thus, his job security was more important than the life of this kind and adorable Woman. Her children suffered the unimaginable; my kids did too. All this, because of the corruption of local law enforcement departments, officials, county supervisors, judges and others. I am working on writing a book on y story that is parallel to her. Two women cheated by the same local systemic corruption. One woman is death; the other one is still fifghting.
Ms. Recall Jeff R,
The incident to which you refer was a murder-suicide. The officer killed himself as well. Tragic to be sure but domestic violence cuts across all social strata and all occupations and is not a sign of corruption. There is nothing further to investigate and no one left to prosecute. I don’t like Mr. Rosen any more than anyone else but we can’t blame this case on his prosecutorial incompetence, political agenda, or self-promotion. Good luck with your book. If you really want to do something to honor the memory of your friend, go volunteer at a battered women’s shelter (There aren’t any shelters for battered men)
I am doing much more than volunteering; I provide professional treatment to victims of this and other crimes. I volunteered to recall one of many corrupted judges in this county, Persky. I write to state officials in a regular basis about the corruption in my county. This woman called many times the Gilroy police for help. In one occasion the officer physically assalted her older son, Nothing was done. Police reports do not really reflectec what she reported. I also reported domestic vilolence. The police failed to write reports. Even ex bragged to others about Gilroy Police, his brothers, giving him a break. Ex engaged in child porn watching, animal cruelty, and IRS spousal abuse after marriage. I have spent $100K+ fighting this corruption and other collateral damages. This DA decided not to investigate his last crime, IRS fraud. Be clear, this is not a perception or opinion; it is a reality. There are police reports, court records, witnesses, and more. My case is well-known by former Gov. Brown, Kamala Harris, and AG. It is even well known by some county supervisors. The worst part of this is that our cases are not unique; they are the norm particularly in this county. THE LAW HAS TO CHANGE! Dave Córtese and other public officials gave deaf ears to my reporting as well. violence crime against women and children are minimized and aggressors, the privilege mostly, given passes. THIS HAS TO CHANGE TOO!
You are right about one thing; there aren’t any shelters for battered men. THIS HAS TO CHANGE TOO!
And it is the Arc of Moral Truth Bends Toward Justice and notice that word was missing from all Rosen said. Not a moral bone in his body. Or his professional office. #Stingray
People of Santa Clara County, let’s have our virtual Recall of the DA’d office here. Please post your DA’s office corruption story here. I hope Metro does not censorship our shared lived experiences! They have been better than the Murcury Newx! Virtual: RECALL JEFF ROSEN’S DA Office…your story here…
People, we need others to run for DA. This guy’s name was the only name on the Ballot. This was the case for other democrats running. This is why they are so corrupted. They know they can do whatever they want and nothing will happen to their job. Even if we do not vote for him, he just need his own vote to win. RECALL Rosen!
Anyone could bend an arc just as well as Rosen. That’s what arcs do.
Arcs bend. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be arcs. But that’s OK.
Rosen spouts nonsense. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be Rosen. That’s OK, too.
Rosen is corrupt. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be Rosen. That’s not OK!
…Is it, San Jose?
> Please post your DA’s office corruption story here.
Since you asked . .. .
I actually have one.
A couple of years ago, I was summoned for jury duty. It turned out to be a murder trial.
The jury selection process was very lengthy. In the initial questioning of prospective jurors, I passed the screening and was told to sit in the jury box.
After the initial population of prospective jurors and alternates was seated, the judge began the “excusal” process.
“Does anyone think that they can’t faithfully discharge the duties of a juror in a fair manner without being biased”, asked to judged.
I raised my hand. “No, your honor. I think I hold some reasonable views that the court might regard as biased.”
When asked, I suggested to the judge I did not want to inappropriately influence other jurors, and offered to make my concerns in private to the judge. The judge asked my to see him during the next recess.
When the court was cleared, I explained to the judge and the counsels that I thought the local “sanctuary city” laws were a travesty. And in particular, the local practice of barring law enforcement officers from cooperating with federal immigration authorities as unlawful and obstruction of justice.
I suggested that the District Attorney should have prosecuted any local official who engaged in such illegal obstruction of justice, and if the DA declined to prosecute he was guilty of malfeasance.
At which time, the prosecuting attorney piped up and said, “the District Attorney is my boss. Are suggesting that you would be biased against me?”
To which I replied: “I assume that you try to please your boss.”
The judge stated: “This is not about immigration. Do you think you can make a fair decision based on the facts and testimony presented?”
I answered: “Yes”, and the judged declined to excuse me from the panel.
However, at the very end of the jury selection process, the prosecuting attorney used his last peremptory challenge to remove me from the panel.
My opinion hasn’t changed. I think the Jeff Rosen and the DIstrict Attorney’s operation are guilty of malfeasance, and I think that he legitimately deserves to be removed from office.
However, pessimist that I am and recognizing that this is the One Party Autocracy of California I hold out little hope that any replacement would be much different.
And with Kamala Harris, Michele Dauber and the #MeToo movement running the Democrat Party and waiting in the wings, maybe Jeff Rosen is the LEAST BAD option in a universe of BAD OPTIONS.
I am planning to vote for Kamala. The DA’s office is corrupted.
> I am planning to vote for Kamala.
But, what about the 147 other Democrats, FEXXY?
And what about the 11 Green candidates?
I think you’re being impetuous.
https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_registered_2020_presidential_candidates
I vote for Individuals and causes. I vote for some democrats. I can vote for moderate Reps. Greens, and even purples.
KAMALA FOR THE PEOPLE; KAMALA FOR PRESIDENT! People, KAMALA needs your monetary support NOW! Go to her website and donate; even $5 dollars are highly appreciated. You can also buy a cool t-shirt. God bless you for your donation.
> KAMALA FOR THE PEOPLE; KAMALA FOR PRESIDENT! People, KAMALA needs your monetary support NOW!
FEXXY:
I am told that Kamala is a big fan of “The Green New Deal”.
Is Kamala really for banning air travel?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3542360/Bernie-Sanders-takes-private-flight-Rome-speak-Vatican-conference-burning-gallons-fuel-just-hours-attacking-Hillary-Clinton-climate-change.html
Bernie Sanders takes a private flight to Rome to speak at the Vatican conference – burning gallons of fuel just hours after attacking Hillary Clinton on climate change
Isn’t the GND kind of dumb?
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-02-08/how-ocasio-cortezs-green-new-deal-almost-imploded-its-first-day
“Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “Green New Deal” initiative was immediately met with a torrent of ridicule after its unveiling on Thursday, not just by climate change deniers but also by establishment Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, who dismissed it as a “green dream” and insisted that there were other, more practical, ways to fight climate change than banning cow farts and airplanes.
But in what’s looking like a staggeringly haphazard rollout, the controversy over the plan continued on Friday when co-sponsor Ed Markey, the Massachusetts Senator who was the plan’s lead backer in the Senate, slammed Ocasio-Cortez and the plan’s “fact sheet” for calling for a ban on nuclear power, which supplies roughly 50% of America’s carbon-free energy.”
What about Rep politicians BABBLE? DO THE FLY ON COMMERCIAL OR PRIVATE? I think all of them should fly as the rest of us unless they pay with their own money not the people’s!