Federal prosecutor Jeff Chemerinsky announced his candidacy to be the next LA County District Attorney in the March 5, 2024 election. Chemerinsky’s campaign said he brings a successful track record, a wealth of experience, and an unwavering commitment to the pursuit of a fair and equitable legal system. His career has been defined by his dedication to serving the community and upholding the principles of justice, accountability, and public safety.
Chemerinsky served as Chief of the Violent and Organized Crime section of the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, until he stepped down Friday to become a candidate for LA County District Attorney.
He has never lost a case, and personally prosecuted cases involving murder, sex trafficking, firearms trafficking, corruption, and sex assault offenses. He won convictions of more than 30 members of the MS-13 gang, including the leader of MS-13 in Los Angeles, and the leader of the East Coast Crips. He also led federal robbery prosecutions for the office, partnering with local law enforcement agencies to win convictions in many major organized retail theft cases.
As part of his commitment to upholding justice, Chemerinsky strongly believes in criminal justice reform because mass incarceration does not work.
In addition to his trial experience, Chemerinsky brings significant management experience overseeing a large team of attorneys and staff for the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, which is the largest federal judicial district in the nation, serving 19 million people living in Los Angeles and six other Southern California counties.
Chemerinsky is a Democrat who worked for then-Senator Joe Biden and the Senate Judiciary Committee when he was in law school. While the job of District Attorney is not partisan, Chemerinsky shares the values of his community, proudly, and always has.
“It’s clear that many in Los Angeles County have lost confidence in the District Attorney as both a prosecutor and reformer of our criminal justice system, and we can do better,” said Jeff Chemerinsky. “As a federal prosecutor, I’ve won convictions of violent criminals and gang leaders, child predators, and armed robbers across Southern California. Now I’m running for DA to keep our communities safe, to ensure fairness in our criminal justice system, and to bring new leadership to the District Attorney’s office. I look forward to meeting voters across LA County to hear their concerns and discuss how we can increase public safety and ensure that everybody has a fair shot at justice.”
Chemerinsky launched his campaign at a press conference attended by family and supporters at the Santa Monica Place shopping mall, where, in 2016, a group of thieves stole nearly $200,000 worth of inventory from the Ben Bridge Jewelers as part of a string of robberies that netted $6 million in stolen goods from stores across Los Angeles. Chemerinsky led the successful prosecution of that case, with all defendants convicted At today’s press conferences he highlighted his work as an example of the kinds of law enforcement and prosecutions needed to address the current spike in smash-and-grab robberies and other retail theft across LA County and the nation.
More information about Chemerinsky and his campaign can be found on his website www.jeffforda.com.
Submitted by Jeff Millman