D.A. EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE RE-ELECTION PLANS TODAY.Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County District Attorney Steve Cooley Stephen Lawrence ("Steve") Cooley (born May 1, 1947 in Los Angeles, California) is a veteran prosecutor who was elected as Los Angeles County's 36th District Attorney on November 7, 2000. He was sworn in for his second term on December 6, 2004. plans to announce today that he is running for re-election in the March 2 primary. Challengers have until Dec. 5 to file papers to run for the nonpartisan office. The county Democratic Party asked Los Angeles Councilman Jack Weiss Jack Weiss, is a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 5th district. Weiss was elected in 2001 and reelected in 2005. The 5th district includes parts of the Westside and the San Fernando Valley. to run against the Republican incumbent, but Weiss recently said he was happy with his job and did not intend to oppose Cooley. At this point, his only challenger is Tom Higgins Thomas Higgins (born July 13, 1954 in Colonia, New Jersey) is an American-born Canadian and American football player and coach. He played linebacker at North Carolina State University and for one season (1979) with the National Football League's Buffalo Bills. of La Verne La Verne (lə vûrn), city (1990 pop. 30,897), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a suburb of Los Angeles; inc. 1906. La Verne, which began as a citrus-processing center, now has varied manufacturing, including electronic components, apparel, hand , a veteran prosecutor who as head deputy of the D.A.'s Worker's Compensation Fraud Division has overseen a recent doubling in the number of convictions and restitution collected. In a plebiscite plebiscite (plĕb`ĭsīt) [Lat.,=popular decree], vote of the people on a question submitted to them, as in a referendum. The term, however, has acquired the more specific meaning of a popular vote concerning changes of sovereignty, as vote released Tuesday of more than 300 members of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS. The Act of Congress of March 3, 1815, 2 Story L. U. S. 1530, authorizes and directs the district attorneys of the United States to appoint by warrant, an attorney as their substitute or deputy in all cases when necessary to sue or prosecute for the United , 58 percent voted in favor of keeping Cooley in office and 42 percent voted for Higgins. ``The fact that 42 percent of the prosecutors are dissatisfied with what Steve is doing certainly is a significant event when you consider the low profile he's had in the media and the citizens of this county on what kind of job he's been doing,'' Higgins said. ``Steve Cooley is soft on crime, career criminals are receiving lenient sentences, and he does not believe in protecting the environment or the traumatized victims of hate crimes, child abuse and similar such crimes.'' Higgins has raised about $12,000 for his campaign but says he expects that to increase soon. Cooley has raised more than $675,000 in case a strong challenger enters the race. ``In the past 50 years, there has always been a serious challenger in the district attorney's election,'' said George Leary, Cooley's campaign adviser. Cooley of Toluca Lake was elected Los Angeles County's 36th district attorney on Nov. 7, 2000, in a fierce campaign with a record-breaking 15 candidates, unseating former District Attorney Gil Garcetti Gilbert "Gil" Garcetti (b. August 5, 1941) served as Los Angeles County's 39th District Attorney for two terms, from 1992 until November 7, 2000. Background Gil Garcetti received a bachelor's degree in Management from the University of Southern California and a Juris . Cooley captured nearly two-thirds of the vote. Cooley planned to make his re-election announcement today at California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (also known as Cal State L.A., CSULA, or "'CSLA"') is a public university, part of the California State University system. , his alma mater. He was not available for comment Tuesday. A former reserve Los Angeles police officer, Cooley said in a statement on his Web site that he has reshaped and revitalized the District Attorney's Office with the most sweeping reorganization to occur in the last 40 years. Central to this reorganization was the creation of new units to prosecute crimes committed by government employees and law enforcement officials. ``For the first time in the 151-year history of the county, as a result of the district attorney's efforts, protocols were signed with the sheriff and police chiefs throughout the county establishing procedures for referring allegations of law enforcement criminality directly to the district attorney's new Justice System Integrity Division,'' Cooley said. With the establishment of the Public Integrity Division, a new emphasis has been placed on enforcement of election and campaign laws, conflict of interest prohibitions, and the open government meetings law, the Brown Act. Among the major criminal convictions during Cooley's term have been those of former Symbionese Liberation Army Symbionese Liberation Army small terrorist group that kid-napped Patty Hearst (1974–1975). [Am. Hist.: Facts (1974), 105] See : Terrorism ``soldier'' Kathleen Soliah, also known as Sara Jane Olson, and the so-called ``Angel of Death,'' Efrem Saldivar. Troy Anderson, (213) 974-8985 troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: COOLEY |
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