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The city attorney\u2019s office is charged with prosecuting a wide array of misdemeanors, including drunk driving, public intoxication, petty theft, trespassing and other lower level crimes.<\/p>\n
Roy, 34, has promised to place a heavy emphasis on the legal process known as diversion, which allows defendants to avoid incarceration and instead obtain court-supervised social services, such as anger management or addiction counseling. In cases involving nonviolent crimes, diversion is more likely than jail to keep people from becoming repeat offenders, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes not only the person whole, but the community safer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ashouri, 43, said she is the only candidate to work within the city attorney\u2019s criminal branch, handling cases involving guns, drunk driving and domestic violence. During a one-year stint as a reserve deputy city attorney, she concluded that too many minor cases were heading to trial.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to focus on cases that are harming people,\u201d she said. \u201cLos Angeles is the capital of hit-and-runs. The city doesn\u2019t take vehicular crimes seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n
McKinney, 58, pointed to his lengthy history prosecuting felony offenses, many of them homicides. In an interview, he argued that the city is not properly prosecuting quality-of-life crimes, which has in turn left the city feeling less safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looks dirty. It looks dingy. It looks chaotic. It feels chaotic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
McKinney criticized Feldstein Soto for dismantling specialized units in her office, including those focused on domestic violence and gangs and guns.<\/p>\n