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LA County DA Race: Jackie Lacey, The Incumbent
District Attorney Jackie Lacey. (Rick Bowmer/AP)
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Today on KPCC we’re profiling Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, who's running for a third term in the March 3 primary. The story is the last in a three-part series; on Wednesday we profiled former public defender Rachel Rossi, and yesterday we profiled former San Francisco DA George Gascon.
The DA race is drawing national attention; it’s the latest chapter in a national push to elect reformist DA’s across the U.S.
Lacey, 62, grew up in the Crenshaw District and joined the DA’s office as a line prosecutor in 1986. She rose through the ranks, heading the major crimes and major narcotics units as well as the operations bureau before becoming the agency’s number two official in 2011. She was first elected DA in 2012.
Lacey describes herself as a “reasonable reformer,” touting her establishment of a special unit dedicated to diverting people with mental health issues away from jail and into treatment. She says her priority is protecting the victims of crime, while “recognizing that there are people in the justice system who deserve a break.”
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GO DEEPER:
- Your Guide To The LA County District Attorney's Race
- Race for LA District Attorney: Key Takeaways From A Contentious — And Disrupted — Debate
- Los Angeles Magazine Profile of Jackie Lacey
- George Gascon Has Said 'We Need To Turn Our Court System Upside Down.' Now He's Running To Be LA's Next DA
- Rachel Rossi Wants To Be LA's Next DA. She's Promising To End 'Archaic' Approach To Justice
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