RivCo DA Election: Mike Hestrin Faces Superior Court Judge, Attorney

PALM DESERT, CA — Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin will attempt to fend off a challenge from a local judge and an appellate attorney in Tuesday's election, during which a win would land him a third term as the county's top prosecutor.

Superior Court Judge Burke Strunsky and attorney Lara Gressley are vying to unseat Hestrin.

The incumbent was first elected in June 2014, after defeating then- D.A. and former Judge Paul Zellberbach.

Hestrin's terms have been replete with challenges stemming from changes in state law, most notably Propositions 47 and 64, as well as Senate Bill 1437, which permits convicted murderers to file petitions for sentencing reductions based on various factors.

For several years, the county D.A.'s office was carrying the highest caseload in the state, stemming from a backlog of unresolved matters that Hestrin was finding difficult to manage, with a dwindling number of seasoned prosecutors, due in part to hiring limitations he imposed as a budget austerity measure.

All of the D.A.'s first term was marked by budget overruns that carried over from previous years, requiring the Board of Supervisors to backfill the deficits with General Fund revenue. His second term, too, has been plagued by red ink, though the D.A.'s office ended the 2020-21 fiscal year just a couple million dollars shy of a balanced budget.

"Despite a rising nationwide crime wave, Riverside County is still safer than many neighboring counties," Hestrin said in a campaign statement. "My proven track record of common sense leadership and partnering with law enforcement to take on ruthless criminals has resulted in bringing murderers to justice, a 28% murder rate reduction from 2020-21, taking hundreds of child predators off of the streets and removing thousands of illegal guns from the hands of criminals."

Hestrin and Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer were among the first prosecutors in the state to initiate murder prosecutions against fentanyl dealers accused of supplying the synthetic opioid to people who later suffered fatal overdoses, or what area law enforcement agencies refer to as "fentanyl poisoning."

Strunsky left the D.A.'s office not long after Hestrin started his first term, winning election to a judgeship, resulting in an initial assignment to the Blythe Courthouse before eventually moving to the western county region.

The Bay Area native said in a campaign statement that, if elected, he would "lead us out of our current public safety crisis."

According to Strunsky, under Hestrin, the D.A.'s office has failed to "prioritize the rape kit backlog to get justice for sexual assault victims" and has lacked "fiscal responsibility."
He said he would "hold police officers accountable for proven misconduct," and among his first acts on entering office would be establishment of a "conviction integrity unit to remedy past injustices."

Gressley, a former deputy county counsel now in private practice, said that, if elected, she would use D.A.'s resources to "interdict repeat (criminal) offenders"

According to the appellate attorney, existing law can be applied to prevent "petty criminals from escalating into violent felons."

"I will energize our Veterans Court to help restore veterans' lives, find lasting solutions to senseless cycles of homeless crime and dramatically improve our victim services so victims are well-served," Gressley said in a campaign statement.

She said the D.A.'s office has gravitated to "overcharging," resulting in plea deals that are unjust and a waste of prosecutorial resources.

"I will eliminate this mindless win-at-all-costs approach and give our deputy district attorneys the training and discretion they need in order to resolve cases with proper charges," Gressley said.

Hestrin has been endorsed by the Riverside County Deputy District Attorneys' Association.

City News Service, Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.

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