Judge Burke Strunsky discusses running for Riverside County District Attorney

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Burke Strunsky announced he plans to challenge incumbent County District Attorney Mike Hestrin in the upcoming election.

Strunsky says the county is facing a "public safety crisis," and accuses Hestrin of mismanaging a ballooning budget of taxpayer dollars.

Strunsky has served as a judge at the Justice Center in Indio since 2017 and before that worked as a prosecutor for both the Riverside and San Francisco district attorney's offices.

He spoke in-depth with News Channel 3's Peter Daut about why he's running.

"I think I'm running because I know we could do better here in Riverside County. I think I understand the values and what is needed here as far as our criminal justice system," Strunsky said.

Watch the full interview in the player about to learn more on the specific issues that matter most to him and how he plans to address those issues if he's elected top prosecutor

UPDATE: DA Hestrin responded to Strunky's criticisms in an in-depth interview with News Channel.