Community Corner

Riverside County DA Defends His Leadership

When the voting was over, Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach was almost unanimously rejected by prosecutors who work under him -- but the DA is questioning how the ballots were tallied.

The President of the Riverside Deputy District Attorneys' Association (RCDDAA), John Aki, announced Monday the results of the association's vote after a series of closed debates between Zellerbach and Senior Deputy District Attorney Michael Hestrin, who is running for District Attorney in 2014.

The tally of votes cast by members of the RCDDAA revealed that, of the 212 ballots cast, 205 voted in favor of Hestrin, while seven voted for Zellerbach.

Aki told City News Service that a few members abstained. The union is composed of 216 prosecutors countywide.

"The vote underscores the need for new leadership in the District Attorney's Office," Aki said. "This is not just a vote of no confidence; it's a vote of no competence. Mike Hestrin is the kind of leader who inspires confidence in those around him, and he represents the new blood needed to refocus the D.A.'s leadership on public safety."

Zellerbach questioned how the ballots were tabulated, and he told Patch that some attorneys in his office confided they did not vote, while others could not have cast a ballot because they were either on vacation, sabbatical or a leave absence.

“I’m concerned about the numbers,” Zellerbach said, adding that any uncertainty raises questions about the overall validity of the vote.

According to Aki, Hestrin and Zellerbach squared off in three separate debates held for the benefit of RCDDAA members based in Indio, Murrieta and Riverside. The two men took questions anonymously submitted by those in attendance and were each given three minutes to answer a question, with a one-minute rebuttal to respond to whatever the opponent said.

"There were questions about what to do about the office's poor morale, how to improve public safety and how each candidate would run the office in the next four-year term," Aki told CNS. "I can tell you this was a fair forum. No one came into this trying to do personal damage."

Since announcing his run Hestrin has been on the attack, but Zellerbach said his opponent’s campaign has to hit hard.

“I think they have to when the incumbent is doing a good job and is well thought of in the community,” the DA said.

Zellerbach contends there have been basic fundamental disputes in the office between he and Hestrin. For example, the DA said he has required an 8 to 5 workday for attorneys in his office.

“We are public servants. We can’t just come and go as we please,” he said.

Zellerbach said other disagreements include how promotions are given.

Advancements, the DA said, must be earned on merit, not handed out "like candy."

With over 200 attorneys in his office, Zellerbach said he mandates cases be assigned on a rotation basis, which not everyone in his office is happy with.

“Some attorneys feel a sense of entitlement,” he said.

Zellerbach contends that when he was elected to his position in 2010, he brought back “dignity, fairness, professionalism and a balanced budget” to the DA’s office  – things he argues his predecessor Rod Pacheco let slip.

Hestrin, 42, is running on a platform of reversing what he says is decreasing morale in the office, ending "favoritism" to determine who gets what position and strengthening the agency's "core mission" of making certain offenders face the consequences of their crimes.

Zellerbach, a former judge, considers his nearly 2 1/2 years as D.A. a success. In addition to his comments to Patch Monday, he told CNS in March that the court system has been disburdened of a backlog of criminal and civil cases since he took office, conviction rates -- and plea agreements -- are up, and the agency is operating in the black. --City News Service contributed to this report.


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