Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/orange-county-district-attorneys-office/)
In the days leading up to Danny Pham’s death, jail staff placed him with a man who police say confessed about two months earlier to murdering a homeless man.
A joint task force between the Orange County District Attorney’s office and federal law enforcement agencies aimed at cracking down on local political corruption fell apart last year, after years of festering distrust between local and federal officials, according to an investigation by the Los Angeles Times.
“This was a campaign mailer, plain and simple,” said Supervisor Todd Spitzer. He and supervisors Shawn Nelson and Lisa Bartlett criticized Supervisor Michelle Steel’s handling of the invitations, which featured herself and District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and were sent to 16,000 voters at county taxpayer expense, even though the event only could handle 50 people.
Only 50 people could attend the event, prompting one ethics expert to say the mailers appear to be “more about blanketing people with an electoral mailer than actually meeting people.”
Los Angeles Police Department Officer Kevin Ferguson, who fired his gun during a 2016 altercation with a group of Anaheim teenagers, will not face any criminal charges for his actions, said Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas at a news conference Wednesday morning.
In 2017, with federal and state investigations underway, the spotlight turned to the Sheriff’s Department and why it took years for the department to turn over key evidence related to informants.
Former Santa Ana Police Chief and City Manager Paul M. Walters is the new chief of the Investigations Bureau for the Orange County District Attorney, six months after his predecessor departed with claims he was fired for whistle-blowing.
A judge for the State Bar of California is recommending Deputy District Attorney Sandra Lee Nassar be suspended from practicing law for one year, for failing to turn over evidence to defense attorneys in a 2011 child abuse case.
Former Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas has filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming he was forced to resign after whistleblowing and as part of a concerted effort by the mayor and police union president to push him out.
A retired judge chosen by the DA says Schroeder’s title causes confusion and allegations of favoritism because her actual job duties are focused on public relations and stopping human trafficking.