Your Vote 2022: Riverside County District Attorney

Incumbent Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin is seeking a third term, and facing a pair of experienced challengers. All three of them spoke with News Channel 3's Peter Daut about why they're running, and the issues that matter most to them.

Hestrin and attorney Lara Gressley ran against each other back in 2018. This time around, they're joined by a strong contender: Superior Court Judge Burke Strunsky.

"I've been the DA for eight years, and I want to continue to do everything I can do-- and my office can do-- to keep Riverside County among the safest places to live in California," Hestrin said.

Hestrin has a big financial advantage over his two challengers, outraising both by more than a three-to-one margin. But attorney Gressley and Strunsky said it is time for change.

"We need to elect a different type of district attorney. We have been electing the same type of DA for years," Gressley said.

"We don't need or want an extremist district attorney here in Riverside County," Strunsky said. "There's a false narrative out there that says we have to somehow choose between being safe and being just. And this is just plain wrong."

Daut asked each of the candidates what issues matter most to them:

"Crime that's been escalating around the state, around the country. I want to make sure we tackle homelessness, that's one of the top issues, and expanding our collaborative courts is another top issue for me," Hestrin said.

"Crime prevention, because violent crime is up nearly 30 percent in Riverside County since 2014, so I'm going to work hard on cutting violent crime by preventing it," Gressley said.

"I really want to refocus resources on prosecutions proven to make us safe, rather than mindlessly racking up statistics and headlines. I want to end the pursuit of the death penalty. Use those otherwise wasted tax dollars on prosecutions actually proven to make us safe," Strunsky said.

The county district attorney has a tremendous responsibility. As elected chief prosecutor for roughly 2.4 million people, the DA oversees 250 attorneys who handle more than 50,000 cases a year. In addition, the DA is in charge of an office with a budget of more than $150 million and roughly 800 employees.