Santa Clara County District Attorney

Why does this race matter?

The Santa Clara County district attorney runs the largest prosecutor’s office in Northern California. Jeff Rosen has been at the helm since 2011 and is opposed by one of his deputy DAs, Daniel Chung. After disputes began over an op-ed Chung wrote in a local newspaper, Rosen put Chung on paid leave and barred him from coming to work. 

Candidates

Daniel Chung
Daniel ChungDeputy district attorney, Santa Clara County
Jeff Rosen
Jeff RosenDistrict attorney, Santa Clara County
 

Positions on Key Issues

Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, questionnaires, statements made at debates and public events, and past news coverage.

What is the biggest challenge facing the next Santa Clara County district attorney, and how would you approach it?

Chung says the biggest challenge is keeping people safe when there are budget cuts to the office and the increasing number of “repeat and violent offenders.” He will target “smash-and-grab robberies, gun crimes, domestic violence, sexual assaults and child abuse” for prosecution and “stop overzealous political prosecutions.” Chung says for youth, nonviolent and first-time offenders, he’ll seek alternatives to jail to save resources “and give people meaningful second chances to turn their lives around.”
Rosen says the biggest challenge is keeping crime low, even as budget cuts have reduced resources. He says he plans to focus on the core responsibilities of protecting the public from crime and helping victims heal. “I will carefully use technological advances to help our hardworking and excellent DA staff become even more productive,” he says. He will seek revenue from the state and federal governments.

What will your top three priorities be if you’re elected district attorney?

Chung says his top priorities would be targeting repeat and violent offenders, protecting victims’ rights by pushing for speedy hearings and trials and “promoting mental health and substance abuse residential treatment for those who are committed to rehabilitation.”
Rosen says his top priorities will be vigorous and fair prosecution of crime, such as murder, rape, domestic violence and smash-and-grab robberies; preventing crime through programs for youth and drug and mental health treatment; and upholding and strengthening the rule of law by applying it equally and fairly to all.

How would you balance the rights of victims to receive justice against the rights of defendants to receive due process in the current criminal justice landscape?

Chung says the system needs to hold repeat and violent offenders accountable and not operate as a “revolving door.” He says charging practices also need to be reformed. “Too often, prosecutors are overcharging cases just to scare defendants or squeeze out plea deals,” he says. Prosecutors should be trained to “pursue justice with integrity, competence and compassion,” he says. “We need to make sure that minority and immigrant communities feel safe and feel like they are being treated fairly.”
Rosen says the DA’s office serves everyone in the community and that the “rights of crime victims and defendants can both be served without compromising either group.” Victims are “entitled to fair, respectful and empathetic treatment” to help them recover, and defendants are entitled to fair and respectful treatment that protects their rights “and allows them an opportunity to rehabilitate themselves and rejoin our community as positive and productive members.”

What reforms do you think the current criminal justice system needs?

Chung says the system needs to hold repeat and violent offenders accountable and not operate as a “revolving door.” He says charging practices also need to be reformed. “Too often, prosecutors are overcharging cases just to scare defendants or squeeze out plea deals,” he says. Prosecutors should be trained to “pursue justice with integrity, competence and compassion,” he says. “We need to make sure that minority and immigrant communities feel safe and feel like they are being treated fairly.”
Rosen says the criminal justice system contains systemic racial disproportionalities entrenched over decades. “We must recognize these disproportionalities and work to reduce them through expanded opportunity for everyone in our diverse community,” he says. He says police departments and prosecutors’ offices are “very thinly staffed” and need more resources to promote justice for everyone.

Why should voters trust you with such a critical role in the region?

Chung says he has prosecuted violent crimes in Silicon Valley and New York City since 2014. He grew up in Milpitas in a single-parent home and attended Harvard College and Columbia Law School. “I know what it's like to lose your parent from a young age, to lose your home and even to lose your job,” he says. “I am going to fight hard for everybody in our community because I care.”
Rosen says under his leadership, “Santa Clara County is the safest large county in California and one of the very safest counties in America.” He says his office created “mental health, drug treatment and veterans’ courts, which reduced incarceration,” while also cracking down on other crimes such as smash-and-grab robberies, gang and gun crime, retail theft, drug dealing and sex trafficking. His office also solved more than 30 cold case murders and rapes.

Key Supporters

This list represents notable organizations and individuals who have taken a position on the ballot measure or candidate, or who are funding campaigns in support or opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.

For Chung 

  • Sean Allen, president, NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley
  • Suds Jain, City Council member, Santa Clara
  • Carol Marques, City Council member, Gilroy 
  • Kevin Park, City Council member, Santa Clara
  • Minh Pham, trustee, Alum Rock School Board

For Rosen 

  • Ro Khanna, U.S. representative, California
  • Sam Liccardo, U.S. representative, California 
  • Zoe Lofgren, U.S. representative, California 
  • Matt Mahan, mayor, San José
  • Adam Schiff, U.S. senator, California
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