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SANTA ANA, Calif. \u2014 The race for the next district attorney of Orange County in California will include four candidates. The list includes the incumbent Todd Spitzer, along with Pete Hardin, Bryan Chehock\u00a0and Michael Jacobs.<\/p>\n
The district attorney is the top law enforcement official for Orange County, and according to law enforcement officials, Santa Ana has some of the highest crime rates in Orange County.<\/p>\n
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Robert Escalante has been the owner of a business in downtown Santa Ana since the 1980s. He took over Custom Auto Service<\/a> 46 years ago at the corner of Third and French streets. He adores Santa Ana.<\/p>\n \u201cOh my gosh, what is not to love about Santa Ana?\u201d Escalante said. \u201cThe jacarandas trees, the streets, the community, the people.\u201d<\/p>\n He said downtown Santa Ana is the heart of Orange County and that it\u2019s a destination \u2014 not without flaws.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve never been able to hide the fact that downtown Santa Ana is a high crime environment,\u201d Escalante said.<\/p>\n For the first time in decades, Escalante said his business has had some property crime in the last year or two \u2014 including broken windows and stolen iron gates.<\/p>\n CrimeGrade rates downtown Santa Ana a D-<\/a>, stating crime happens every 27 minutes on average in the area. Huntington Beach, at about 28.33 square miles, is a similar-sized city in Orange County. (Santa Ana is 27.52 square miles). Huntington Beach earned a B- in the property crime category and crime is estimated to happen every 7 hours 32 minutes, at the time this report was filed.<\/p>\n Escalante said that despite the crime issues, he loves Santa Ana and has no plans to leave.<\/p>\n \u201cI would rather die here than to try to go someplace else,\u201d Escalante said.<\/p>\n He\u2019s hoping whoever becomes the next district attorney of the county can help reduce crime.<\/p>\n \u201cCrime is moving like a train. It\u2019s moving fast. You got to know how to handle it,\u201d Escalante added.<\/p>\n Bryan Chehock is a federal attorney and writes on his website:<\/p>\n \u201cAs your District Attorney, I will work tirelessly to protect the public, reduce crime, prosecute those responsible for overdose deaths, restore public confidence in the legal system, and promote fair, impartial, and just resolutions of criminal cases. Furthermore, I will engage with the entire community, not just special interests, in order to make meaningful change.\u201d<\/p>\n Former OC Deputy District Attorney Michael Jacobs states:<\/p>\n \u201cMy experience as a prosecutor includes 141 jury trials, 75 were felonies of which 26 were homicides.\u201d<\/p>\n I am not a politician. My work in the office was as a trial attorney. I spent 25 out of my 30 years in trial units. I enjoyed my work as a supervisor and still always carried a caseload. I felt this was essential if my role was to lead and advise experienced attorneys. I enjoyed working with other deputies and there were never any personal issues. The office needs to be rebuilt and restored to being the outstanding law firm it was prior to the reign of Rackauckas and Spitzer.\u201d<\/p>\n