Today we brought change to this county. By a margin of 2,854 votes and 1.14%, we won!
I am incredibly humbled to announce that, on January 3, 2011, I will be inaugurated as the Santa Clara County District Attorney. This change will happen because you spoke out. In this election, we spoke with the people of this county, and together, loudly and clearly, we said one word: justice.
And as long as I serve as this county’s District Attorney, that word will be our guide, our inspiration, and our hallmark. Because only through a just process, and a justice-oriented approach, can we achieve just results.
I have bold plans for the District Attorney’s office, and I encourage you to read my victory speech, which is copied below. I truly believe that we won this election because we were fair, truthful, and passionate about changing business as usual in this county.
Thank you for all your help, for contributing, volunteering, offering advice, and providing moral support throughout this campaign. Thank you for doing what you knew to be right. We did this together. I look forward to serving you with honesty, integrity, humility, hard work, and a wholehearted commitment to justice.
Sincerely,
Jeff Rosen
Santa Clara County District Attorney-Elect
Victory Speech:
Thank you, thank you. Today, my friends, we have turned a new page in the history of our District Attorney’s Office. Together, we have started a new chapter. Today, we have spoken with the people of this county, and together, loudly and clearly, we have said one word: justice.
And as long as I serve as this county’s District Attorney, that word will be our guide, our inspiration, and our hallmark. Because only through a just process, and a justice-oriented approach, can we achieve just results.
You know, people frequently asked me why I was running for District Attorney, and not just my wife Amber. And when I thought about this question just a few minutes ago, for a split second, I was tempted to say: this evening answers that question, that what happened here today answers that question. But it doesn’t. It doesn’t.
We’re all excited about the election, excited about what just happened. But what just happened is relatively small compared to what we have to look forward to. It’s a new paradigm, a new ideology that is going to drive our top law enforcement office in this county.
And it’s not about me, it’s about all of us coming together, a community coming together and saying: this is what we believe, this is what we hold dear. Fairness, integrity, justice—they need to be the foundation on which the laws are enforced. This mentality, this humility and this idealism need to be the basis of how we keep the streets of our community safe, how we keep innocent people out of jail, and how we work together—prosecutors, police officers, defense attorneys, and judges—how we work together to be honest servants of the 1.8 million residents of this county.
When we look at history, we see that bad things happen when good people stay silent. Bad situations continue when good people fail to stand up. But no one here stayed silent. Everyone here stood up.
And by making this statement, by making this change, we and the community didn’t just say: “this is what we want from a DA’s office.”
We said “This is who we are. These are our values.”
In this book of life, we don’t know what the future has in store. But we have the power to write this next chapter. And we have this power, we have this ability because of the courage we saw in the last chapter. The courage of all of you, many of whom-I know-risked your careers to make this moment possible.
Over 200 years ago, Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, said that the whole world is like a very narrow bridge, and all that matters is that you are not afraid.
To those of you here who risked your careers, who had reason to fear that—if we lost this election—you would give up any future hope of a supervisor position, or be demoted, or face some other negative consequence, you are so brave. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
To those of you elected officials and police officer associations who took the leap of backing a challenger, who bucked conventional wisdom, who said “We’ve never in county history had a challenger defeat a sitting DA, but I’m still for Jeff.” You are so courageous. Thank you.
To those of you who supported my campaign, who walked the walk, who fueled this entire effort, who made phone calls and walked precincts, who paid for our mail and TV ads. And whose contributions ranged from five dollars to five hundred, from an hour of your time to months of your time, you are so generous, and so kindhearted. Thank you so so much.
To my campaign staff, the best campaign staff, who volunteered hundreds of hours of time, who were in the office from morning until night six days a week, who worked so much and accomplished so much. You four, Sarah, Helen, Aaron and Amy, were such a godsend. Thank you. You made me a better candidate. Thank you. Thank you.
To my parents, Morrie and Harlene, who flew to be here tonight. You have taught me right from wrong, the importance of honesty, how to treat people with kindness and respect, and to stand up for what it is right - even when it is hard, especially when it is hard. You have been with me at all times and I love you.
To my brother Jason, thank you for urging me to keep fighting, even when I was tired.
To my wonderful daughters, Rachel and Nomi, thank you for listening to so much “campaign talk.” Would it be okay if Mom and I now spent more time talking about you and how terrific you are and how much we love you?
To my in laws, Joe and Ellie Sax, thank you for all of your support.
And to the most important person in the world to me, the love of my life, my best friend, my soul mate, my love bug, my wife - Amber. Amber, I could not have done this without you. You have made me a better man. I love you more than words can say.
The fact is, we did so much together.
If the only thing we had done was to bring to light the issues of equality and fairness - that would have been enough.
If we had only spurred the creation of a task force to examine Latino overrepresentation in juvenile hall,
If we had only created the public clamor to bring back the conviction integrity unit and the cold case unit,
If we had only said—loud and clear—this community demands the highest standards of ethics and personal integrity in its leaders, that would have been enough.
Each of these things would have been enough for us to say—we made a difference. We had an impact. But we did more. Together, we changed business as usual in this county.
Still, as we move on, I would like to publicly thank Ms. Carr for her public service to this community as a deputy DA, judge, and DA. While I certainly have had my disagreements with her, I respect the fact that she was willing to serve. I am reaching out to her supporters and making it clear that tomorrow is a fresh start, a new page, and I look forward to working with them for the betterment of our community.
When I take office in January, I am going to work quickly to restore the Conviction Integrity Unit, which will examine our old convictions to make sure that no innocent person is punished. I am going to bring back the Cold Case unit, which will use DNA evidence to examine unsolved murders, put dangerous criminals behind bars, and bring justice to victims. I am going to ensure compliance with open discovery, so private defense attorneys and public defenders have the same full and open access to discovery for their clients.
I am going to treat my colleagues at the DA’s Office with the highest level of respect, from the most senior lawyers to the most recently hired support staff. As dedicated public servants, they deserve no less. And I will demand from everyone in the DA’s Office, and, most importantly, from myself, the highest professional standards, transparency, openness, honesty, integrity, humility, hard work, and a wholehearted commitment to justice.
Together, we will live up to that ancient command, that millennia-old directive that still rings in our ears as though spoken yesterday: “Justice, Justice Shall We Seek.”
Thank You.
