An organization of Orange County prosecutors Thursday criticized Supervisor Todd Spitzer, a candidate for District Attorney, for embellishing his record as an Orange County crime fighter.
Spitzer has been sending mailers to voters boasting he was voted prosecutor of the year by Orange County deputy district attorneys.
That was in 1992.
“It’s a little bit confusing, especially since it’s not clear who voted for him,” said Cyril Yu, chairman of the Association of Orange County Deputy District Attorneys’ Civic Action Committee.
“Another flyer just says he was voted Orange County’s top prosecutor. It’s kind of deceptive and it comes across like, hey, this guy is a top-notch prosecutor when the reality is that was 26 years ago… when I was getting out of high school.”
Yu said he understands politicians can sometimes “fudge things,” but he argued anyone running to be a top law enforcement official should be held to a higher standard.
“A key part of being a prosecutor or being district attorney in Orange County is having integrity,” Yu said. “It’s important people represent themselves honestly and accurately every step along the way. We should be holding them to a higher standard when they run for DA.”
Jason Baez, another prosecutor on the committee, said the association “felt compelled to respond to the misleading mailer because a voter could incorrectly believe that the Deputy District Attorneys endorsed Todd Spitzer. They did not. Voters should be aware that Todd Spitzer was not `voted OC’s top prosecutor by the deputy district attorneys’ in any way connected to the 2018 election for Orange County district attorney.”
Spitzer did not respond to multiple messages for comment, but directed his campaign strategist to comment for him.
“We’re scratching our heads on the point of this silly press release,” Spitzer’s campaign strategist, John Thomas, said in an emailed statement. “No one is disputing Todd won the award for outstanding prosecutor by the deputy district attorneys — a distinction that Tony Rackauckas has never received. In the race for DA, Todd’s prosecutorial record is unmatched.”
The association endorsed Rackauckas in March.
It’s not the first time Spitzer was accused of puffing up his resume.
Victims rights advocate Collene Campbell sued Spitzer in March, challenging his ballot statement claims that he had a 100 percent conviction rate as a prosecutor and that he co-authored Marsy’s Law, which allows crime victims more standing in criminal trials.
The case was resolved with Spitzer now boasting that he “chaired 122 trials with a 92 percent conviction rate.” His ballot statement still includes his claim of co-writing Marsy’s Law.8