District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis standing in front of the Hall of Justice
The last time Bonnie Dumanis ran for district attorney she was unopposed. This time she has two opponents – Deputy District Attorney Terri Wyatt, a 26-year veteran of the office and defense attorney Robert Brewer, a former Los Angeles County deputy district attorney and assistant U.S. Attorney.
Dumanis believes her run for mayor had something to do with it. See came in fourth in a field of five. “I was seen as vulnerable,” she said. And indeed, in an interview with eCoronado.com, Brewer points to her run for mayor as the “tipping point” for his decision to run.
Dumanis, however, sees the mayoral race as ancient history and a bit of a red herring. She would rather focus her campaign on her accomplishments in office. She claims a conviction rate of 94%. She established a Cold Case Homicide Division and a Sex Crimes and Stalking Division. She has also made stopping sex trafficking and elder abuse top priorities.
Dumanis began her law enforcement as a clerk typist in the district attorney’s office. She study law at night and went on to become a superior court judge and eight years ago was elected San Diego district attorney.
Because of this background, Dumains appreciates the contributions of everyone in her office. “I see every win as a victory for everyone in her office, not just the deputy district attorneys who prosecute the cases, but also the secretaries and the clerks,” she said.
She also wanted to make sure the DA’s office reflected the diversity of the community at all levels, not just the administrative staff but among the deputy DAs as well. Her efforts have not gone unrecognized. Police Associations representing minority communities, including the Black Police Officers Association, support her. Last year she received an award from Mexican-American Business Professional Association for Workplace Diversity and Inclusion.
Her fellow DAs and the state attorney general support her as well.
She also has the respect of many local residents. Coronado’s Jenny Portelli admires Dumanis’ even-handed approach to justice. “Her record is one of fairness and honesty,” said Portelli. And Coronado real estate agent Cathy Brown respects her tough stand on crime and drugs and her aggressive efforts to stop human trafficking. “She absolutely has her finger on the pulse of the community.”
One area where Dumanis’s campaign lacks endorsement is with law enforcement groups; the majority of the local police associations support Brewer. Dumains says its because she prosecuted some of their members, including Antony Arevalos who was convicted for eliciting sexual favors from women he stopped for traffic violations.
“Ninety-nine percent of the police officers do a great job, but if the one percent do something wrong I’ll go after them,” she said. The same is true for politicians who step out of line, including fellow Republicans. Her office filed a civil suit against former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for commuting the sentence of Esteban Nunez, the son of former state Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, who had been convicted of manslaughter.
While much has been made of the state attorney general having to take over prosecution former Mayor Bob Filner, Dumanis said it was her decision to recuse herself. “I didn’t want Filner’s defense team to claim the prosecution was a vendetta,” she said.
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Gloria Tierney
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
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