who governs the county district attorney ?

What is a district attorney called in the US?

The Oregon State Bar makes ethics rules for all lawyers, including district attorneys. Most of the rules govern the relationship between attorneys and clients. Prosecutors don’t have clients like normal lawyers. Their client is the general public.

What is the role of the California district attorney?

What is the difference between the county counsel and district attorney?

What does a district attorney do in Midland County?

May 26, 2015 · The District Attorney (DA) is a constitutionally elected county official. The District Attorney is responsible for the prosecution of criminal violations of state law and county ordinances occurring within a county under California Government Code Section 26500. This includes investigation and apprehension, as well as prosecution in court.

What is the difference between a district attorney DA and a county attorney CA?

A lawyer who represents the state in local criminal cases is usually referred to as the "District Attorney," although, depending on your state, these attorneys can go by other titles such as "Prosecuting Attorney" or "County Attorney." The Attorney General of a state typically represents the state in civil cases, but ...

Who oversees district attorneys in California?

The California attorney general carries out the responsibilities of the office through the California Department of Justice. The department employs over 1,100 attorneys and 3,700 non-attorney employees.

How do I file a complaint against a district attorney in California?

For information on how to file a complaint, visit www.calbar.ca.gov or call the Attorney Complaint Hotline at (800) 843-9053.

What do DAs do?

HOW DO DAs SERVE THEIR COMMUNITY? California. DAs are supposed to serve the interests of the people who live in their county. DAs are public servants who not only work in courtrooms, but also affect your day-to-day life by supporting or opposing statewide policies and deciding how to spend taxpayer dollars.

Who is above the district attorney?

The state attorney general is the highest law enforcement officer in state government and often has the power to review complaints about unethical and illegal conduct on the part of district attorneys.

Is California attorney general an elected position?

Under the state Constitution, the Attorney General is elected to a four-year term in the same statewide election as the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Controller, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Insurance Commissioner.

What is unethical for a lawyer?

Attorney misconduct may include: conflict of interest, overbilling, refusing to represent a client for political or professional motives, false or misleading statements, knowingly accepting worthless lawsuits, hiding evidence, abandoning a client, failing to disclose all relevant facts, arguing a position while ...

What cases can be filed before the Ombudsman?

A complaint filed in or taken cognizance of by the Office of the Ombudsman charging any public officer or employee including those in the government-owned or controlled corporations, with an act or omission alleged to be illegal, unjust, improper or inefficient is an Ombudsman case.

Can you sue the ombudsman?

You can lodge a complaint with the ombudsman if the company fails to respond or you are unhappy with its response. Rather than approaching the ombudsman, you could go straight to the small claims court.Oct 15, 2017

What can a district attorney do?

A district attorney is a public official who is appointed or elected to represent the state in criminal judicial proceedings in a particular judicial district or county; an appointed or elected officer who prosecutes cases in a particular judicial district.

What does a state attorney do?

The functions of the State Attorney is as follows: The drafting and managing of contracts on behalf of the State. The handling of criminal and civil litigation cases instituted against State officials and committed by means of acts or omissions while executing their official duties.

Is a district attorney a lawyer?

The D.A. or District Attorney is a lawyer in the U.S. who works for the state and prosecutes people on behalf of it. There are also, of course, defense attorneys in America who act on behalf of their clients.

Why are district attorneys important?

District attorneys are powerful because they make big decisions about people’s lives. They control the fate of the Oregonians in the criminal justice system; and they influence what happens to those people’s families and their communities. And organization and agencies rarely look over their shoulder or check their work.

Why can't the courts check DA power?

But their roles are limited, and we cannot depend on them to send the loud and clear message that is needed: The courts cannot adequately check DA power because the Supreme Court of the United States has granted prosecutors almost absolute immunity against civil rights laws when exercising their discretion.

How many people in Oregon voted not to vote for the DA?

However, in roughly the last 10 years in Oregon nearly 80% of district attorney elections were uncontested and roughly 40% of people who voted in elections decided not to cast a vote for the DA. In a healthy democracy, no elected official should be guaranteed reelection.

What is the power of the state legislature?

The state legislature has power to regulate the conduct of prosecutors, and it has. However, most of the rules are narrowly focused. For example, the legislature has a rule requiring the prosecutor to turn over certain evidence to the defense team.

Do prosecutor lawyers have clients?

Prosecutors don’t have clients like normal lawyers. Their client is the general public. The Oregon State Bar has some of the fewest rules in the country that are specific to the role of the prosecutor, so often their hands are tied too.

Can prosecutors be held accountable for misconduct?

Nonetheless, complaints to the state bar are one of the only ways to hold prosecutors accountable for misconduct, but the reporting process is flawed. The people most likely to know about ethics violations — defense attorneys and people in the criminal justice system — are reluctant to speak up.

What is the job of a district attorney in California?

The District Attorney is responsible for the prosecution of criminal violations of state law and county ordinances occurring within a county under California Government Code Section 26500. This includes investigation and apprehension, as well as prosecution in court.

Who is the county counsel?

The County Counsel is a statutory officer appointed by the Board of Supervisors and serves a four-year term in general law counties and without a term in some charter counties.

How many counties are there in California?

Due to the complexity of the arrangements in each of the 58 counties in California, the County Clerk may also assume a variety of other duties and its office may be consolidated with other separate, independently elected countywide offices such as the tax collector-treasurer, auditor, assessor, or public guardian.

What is the difference between a county and a city?

There is a fundamental distinction between a county and a city. Counties lack broad powers of self-government that California cities have (e.g., cities have broad revenue generating authority and counties do not). In addition, legislative control over counties is more complete than it is over cities. Unless restricted by a specific provision of the state Constitution, the Legislature may delegate to the counties any of the functions which belong to the state itself. Conversely, the state may take back to itself and resume the functions which it has delegated to counties (e.g., state funding of trial courts).

What is the role of an assessor?

Fiduciary responsibilities encompass managing, planning, organizing and directing all phases of operations in the Assessor’s Office for producing an annual assessment roll. The Assessor has the responsibility for annually discovering and assessing all property within the county.

How many counties in California have environmental health departments?

Fifty-one of the 58 California counties have Environmental Health Departments or divisions. Thirty-three of these departments are located within County Health Agencies, with the balance located in other agencies or as separate agencies. Four California cities (Berkeley, Long Beach, Pasadena, and Vernon) have comprehensive Environmental Health Departments. The State Department of Health Service’s Rural Health Division’s Environmental Health Unit provides environmental health services to 10 of the smaller counties.

How many counties are audit control?

In 54 of the 58 counties, the Auditor-Controller is an independent, nonpartisan elected office established to provide various accounting and property tax administration services to the county government, special districts, schools and cities.

Why is the Attorney General's Office unable to represent?

The Attorney General's Office is frequently unable to represent or assist individuals regarding non-criminal complaints against state agencies because this office is required by law to represent those agencies in disputes arising out of their actions. For assistance in resolving a problem with a state agency, we suggest ...

Who is authorized to act as a prosecuting officer?

The state Attorney General is authorized to undertake the role of a prosecuting officer only in specific cases when the county district attorney is disqualified from the case or when they clearly, without justification, fail to act.

What is discretionary authority in California?

California law gives discretionary authority to a locally elected prosecutor in filing criminal actions. In deciding whether to file charges, a district attorney must evaluate the likelihood that a jury, after weighing all the conflicting evidence, would find the defendant guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt.".

Where to address a complaint about the California Highway Patrol?

If you have a complaint involving the California Highway Patrol, you should address the matter to the local CHP office. The California Highway Patrol provides instructions for filing complaints about CHP officers and employees.

How are open meeting laws enforced?

Open meeting laws typically are enforced by private lawsuit, although a particularly flagrant violation may be subject to misdemeanor action brought by the District Attorney or injunctive, mandatory or declaratory relief action brought by the Attorney General.

What is the California Public Records Act?

California law outlines the public's right to government records, procedures for requesting access and the government agency's rights to withhold certain types of records. Disputes over public access to records may be taken to court under the California Public Records Act. The Attorney General issues a regular publication summarizing ...

When is the Attorney General's intervention appropriate?

The Attorney General's intervention is appropriate only where there is a demonstrated conflict of interest that would disqualify the district attorney from a particular case; or there is an obvious abuse of prosecutorial discretion.

What powers does a county have?

A county also has the power to sue and be sued, purchase and hold land, manage or dispose of its properties, and levy and collect taxes authorized by law. Many additional powers have been granted to counties by the Legislature. The powers of a county can only be exercised by the Board of Supervisors or through officers acting under ...

What is a county supervisor?

A county supervisor may serve in other capacities on various boards, commissions, or special districts. State statute authorizes, and in some cases mandates, that various services or functions be carried out by entities other than the Board of Supervisors. These entities, in addition to including locally elected officials, seek public participation and technical expertise:

What is an ordinance in California?

An ordinance is a local law adopted with all the legal formality of a statute. The California Constitution allows a county or city to make and enforce within its limits all local, police, sanitary, and other ordinances and regulations that do not conflict with the state’s own general laws.

What is joint powers agreement?

A joint powers agreement (JPA) is created where two or more local governments enter into a cooperative agreement to provide any service which either of them could provide on their own. A joint powers agreement involves mutually agreeing to specific conditions and terms which may limit each agency’s ability to act independently, but it does not alter the basic structure of each agency’s decision-making processes. These JPA’s are fairly common; a sheriff’s department may provide police services to a city, or a county and a city may form a JPA to jointly run an emergency dispatching center. A joint powers agency takes the concept of agreement and cooperation to a new level. Under California Government Code Section 6500, counties, cities, special districts, and other public agencies are allowed to enter into agreements which create new and distinct authorities. The new authorities have a separate operating board of directors which has the powers inherent in all of the participating agencies. The powers of the authority can be general or specific, the term of the authority must be established, and other administrative decisions must be made (e.g., how the board meets and conducts its business). For example, two parties may agree to create a joint transit authority, where both parties contribute the necessary resources and the capital assets. Personnel may become employees of the new authority, and with a new operating board, policies may be independently set to create transportation services for both jurisdictions.

What is the role of the Board of Supervisors?

In its quasi-judicial role, the Board of Supervisors may settle claims made against the county and may examine and audit the accounts of all county officers as they relate to the management and disbursement of funds. The latter authority may be exercised with a subpoena to the county officer to bring all requested files to the Board. The Board may delegate the subpoena power to a committee of its own members, but pursuant to state law, the Board may not otherwise delegate that power.

How many members are on the Board of Supervisors?

Government Code Section 25000 requires each county to have a Board of Supervisors consisting of five members. The section applies to general law counties and to charter counties, except where the charter provides otherwise (e.g., San Francisco City and County has eleven members and one mayor).

What are the two types of counties in California?

The California Constitution recognizes two types of counties: general law counties and charter counties. General law counties adhere to state law as to the number and duties of county elected officials. Charter counties, on the other hand, have a limited degree of “home rule” authority that may provide for the election, compensation, terms, ...

How long was McConnell in jail?

Samuel Clinton McConnell was sentenced to 32 years in prison for the aggravated robbery of a Circle K and the shooting of an off-duty Denver Police Department officer who intervened in the robbery in progress.

Who was the murderer of Angela Saiz-Ortiz?

A Jefferson County jury found Christopher Michael Pride guilty of the murder of Roderick Vecchiarelli and not guilty of the attempted murder of Angela Saiz-Ortiz in Lakewood on June 17, 2019. Read on...

Can the public watch Jeffco court?

While in-person attendance at court hearings remains limited, the public can easily observe hearings through the court's website. All Jeffco courtrooms are set up to allow access to court proceedings, which is critical to an open, transparent court system.

Government Agencies / Officials

Courts

Law Enforcement

• Police
  It is the Department of Justice generalpolicy that local governments will be primarily responsible for citizen complaints against law enforcement agencies or employees of law enforcement agencies, and that appropriate local resources (e.g. sheriff or police department, district attorne…
• California Highway Patrol
  If you have a complaint involving the California Highway Patrol, you should address the matter to the local CHP office. The California Highway Patrolprovides instructions for filing complaints about CHP officers and employees.

See more on oag.ca.gov

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