Riverside County DA opposes efforts to declare death penalty unconstitutional in California

The Riverside County District Attorney's office is opposing efforts to declare the death penalty unconstitutional in California. 

A case is before the state Supreme Court that challenges the legality of the California death penalty claiming it's racially discriminatory and violates the state constitution.  

Local District Attorney Mike Hestrin released a statement:

“The claims put forth by the Public Defender’s Office and the ACLU regarding racial disparities in California's death penalty sentences are based on unreliable statistics and demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of our criminal justice system,” said District Attorney Mike Hestrin. “Despite their unfounded accusations, our decisions are guided solely by the facts and evidence of each case, not by race. The petitioners are disregarding both the California Constitution and the rights of victims in their pursuit of a narrow agenda. We trust that the Supreme Court will swiftly reject this politically motivated abuse of the judicial process.”

The DA's office has filed a preliminary opposition to the petition in front of the state Supreme Court.