Stepping Up

Anne Marie Schubert

A PROSECUTOR’S BID TO SUPPORT CRIME VICTIMS

BY ANNE MARIE SCHUBERT

GUEST OPINION

As I prepare to step aside after nearly eight years as Sacramento County district attorney, I am proud to say our offi ce is on solid ground.

Our teams of prosecutors, investigators, forensic analysis experts and essential support staff are unifi ed and focused. We are unwavering in our commitment to protect the public and ensure justice for crime victims.

Beyond the courtroom, we have built partnerships with community organizations and everyday citizens. With each relationship, our work becomes more effective.

Tasked with handling thousands of criminal cases annually, the district attorney’s offi ce endured unprecedented challenges over the past two years. Crime didn’t stop during the pandemic. On many days, our resilience was tested. But with extraordinary cooperation, fl exibility and ingenuity, the wheels of justice continued to turn.

Despite our success, as county voters prepare to elect a new district attorney, my replacement faces signifi cant challenges. Public safety has become a partisan issue. The Legislature and local governments have adopted laws and policies that weaken accountability for people who do harm to others.

We have seen early releases of violent inmates, rampant theft and fraud, a fl ood of illegal guns and a sharp increase in violent crime.

Bad laws and policies created a tsunami that endangers public safety. These rules limit the consequences for criminals and leave inadequate time for rehabilitation, support and oversight for offenders.

The next district attorney will inherit this environment of partisanship and misguided laws. They must be prepared to raise the alarm, inform the public and oppose policies that prioritize criminals over crime victims.

It’s critical that county voters support a real prosecutor as the next district attorney. That’s why I support Thien Vu Ho, a career prosecutor who has brought justice to some of our most violent criminals, including East Area Rapist-Golden State Killer Joseph James DeAngelo.

With integrity and passion for justice, Thien will serve the county with honor and distinction as he leads a district attorney’s offi ce that holds offenders accountable, protects the public and stands up for victims.

My decision to step away from the district attorney’s offi ce was not easy. For 31 years, I prosecuted some of California’s worst people—murders, rapists and child molesters. I grew up in the trenches of our justice system.

From my earliest days, I knew the job meant more than putting criminals into prison. Equally important was advocacy—in the courtroom and community—for crime victims and public safety.

I built a career trying to protect kids from sexual predators and human traffi ckers. I worked to take illegal guns off the streets and out of the hands of felons and prohibited persons. I witnessed the toll and devastation that crime has on people and our neighborhoods.

At the same time, I saw the problems caused by politicians who seek votes by avoiding discussions about crime victims and public safety. I saw the devastation caused by elected offi cials who promote laws and policies that ultimately promote more crime and violence.

Residents of every community in California live with the results of these policies. In Sacramento, they see the epidemic of drug addiction, mental health crises and homelessness. They worry about becoming victims to skyrocketing violent crime.

I’m a prosecutor, not a politician. From my perspective, the politicization of public safety serves no one except people who break the law.

That’s why I decided to step away from my work as district attorney and run for California attorney general. I know there’s a better way than what we have seen from reckless district attorneys in California who support criminals over crime victims and public safety.

Their policies will further destroy the safety of residents across our state. This is chaos. We must do better.

As California attorney general, I can and will step in when a local district attorney doesn’t do his or her job. I will stand up for victims of crime, bring order to the justice system, and work relentlessly to end the chaos.

Anne Marie Schubert is Sacramento County district attorney and running for California attorney general. She can be reached through her campaign website at annemarieforag.com. n