Candidate in D.A. race files suit over Trutanich ballot descriptions
A candidate in the race to become Los Angeles County’s top prosecutor has filed a lawsuit to prevent L.A. City Atty. Carmen Trutanich from calling himself “chief prosecutor” or “chief criminal prosecutor” on the June ballot.
In the suit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday, Alan Jay Jackson accused Trutanich of using the “factually untrue, confusing and misleading” descriptions as part of an effort to fool voters into believing he has authority “beyond the bounds” of Los Angeles’ city limits. There is no incumbent in the countywide race for district attorney.
Jackson, a deputy district attorney in the major crimes division, acknowledges in the suit that the city charter provides that the city attorney shall prosecute all criminal cases arising from violations of city ordinances but notes that Trutanich doesn’t “personally” prosecute such cases. He goes on to say that Trutanich is “at most the ‘titular’ supervisor of those who actually carry out this work.”
Jackson also alleged that Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan erred in approving Trutanich’s use of the ballot designations. Logan’s deadline for finalizing ballots for printing is April 16.
Jackson and Trutanich are among six candidates vying for the most powerful office in the county’s criminal justice system, responsible for prosecuting roughly 60,000 felony cases a year, including murders, rapes and robberies.
Jackson was unavailable for comment. Trutanich’s campaign has defended the descriptions as accurate. It countered that Jackson was himself guilty of misleading voters with his ballot description “gang homicide prosecutor” and suggested “hard-core gang prosecutor” as an alternative.
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