UC Hastings Hosts Final San Francisco District Attorney Candidates Debate

UC Hastings College of the Law was pleased on October 26, 2011, to host candidates Sharmin Bock, Bill Fazio, David Onek, and Vu Trinh (‘92) for the final San Francisco district attorney debate before the election. (An invitation was also extended to District Attorney George Gascon). The roundtable discussion, held before a fully packed audience of students and faculty, focused on policy issues affecting the City’s criminal justice system in an era of state and local budget austerity.

Questions were developed by UC Hastings students in collaboration with Professor Rory Little, UC Hastings’ nationally renowned expert in criminal law and criminal procedure, as well as other UC Hastings faculty. 

“We are honored to play a role in the democratic process,” said Frank H. Wu, UC Hastings Chancellor and Dean. “A law school at its best advances the law. We do that not only through our professors’ research and what our students learn, but also by convening public forums such as this."

“Specifics, not sound bites, that’s the motto for today’s debate,” said Professor Little in opening the debate. Little’s first question set the tone for a highly provocative discussion:

“Here’s the hypothetical: A month after you take office, a terrible tragedy strikes San Francisco. A massive bomb blows up a San Francisco police station, leaving twenty officers dead and others critically injured. Sadly, a preschool class was also visiting that day, and ten children are also killed in the explosion. The bomber has been captured and there is no doubt about his guilt: he was captured on videotape leaving the truck with the bomb in it, and he has unrepentantly proclaimed his responsibility as an angry, white, member of the Aryan Brotherhood. Psychiatrists have declared him not insane and competent to stand trial. My question is: Would you refuse to consider a death penalty prosecution under these circumstances, and why, or why not? Specifics, not soundbites.”

What followed was a broad-ranging discussion broaching many relevant topics, including: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), sex trafficking, medical marijuana, gang injunctions, protesters, and realignment.

“I’m sure Rory’s questions brought back fond – or maybe not so fond! –  memories of law school,” said UC Hastings’ David Jung, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for State and Local Government Law, “but the answers gave the audience a clear sense of what the candidates stand for and how they see the DA’s job.”

For Dana Cohn, a UC Hastings 1L from LA who made her way to the event on crutches, the DA Debate presented “a chance for a student like me who might not otherwise have the time or opportunity to stay politically involved.” To Cohn, this is key to a legal education. “Everyone has a chance to have their voice respectfully heard here,” she added, “and that’s a big part of the reason I came to school here.”

UC Hastings’ Associate Director for Career Development, Annabrooke Temple, was also in attendance. “Events such as the DA Debate highlight the issues that are relevant to practice and keep students informed on issues that will come up in interviews and when they begin their internships and jobs,” she said. “Moreover, in addition to giving the UC Hastings community the chance to hear the candidates’ views prior to election day, and demonstrating the school’s commitment to our community, the DA debate gave students an idea of what type of career paths lawyers can have prior to running for political office if they choose.”

The debate was livestreamed through the UC Hastings website for those who could not attend in person, and is archived online at http://www.livestream.com/uchastings.

Sponsored by UC Hastings Students, UC Hastings Criminal Law Society, UC Hastings Democrats, UC Hastings Center for State and Local Government Law, and UC Hastings College of the Law.

Related:

• CBS 5: Gascon Absent From Final San Francisco DA Debate
• Bay City News: DA Candidates (Except Gascon) Meet In Final Debate
• UC Hastings: San Francisco Mayoral Debate at UC Hastings

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