Kamala Harris - For California Attorney General 2010

Former CA Schools Chief Delaine Eastin Endorses Kamala Harris for Attorney General

Past State Superintendent of Public Instruction Praises Harris’ Record of Innovation, Protecting Children

Delaine Eastin, who served as California’s Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1995-2003, today announced her support for San Francisco District Attorney Kamala D. Harris’ candidacy for California Attorney General. In endorsing Harris, Eastin praised Harris’ innovative record as District Attorney and commitment to public education and the protection of children.

“Throughout her career as courtroom prosecutor, Kamala Harris has been a tireless advocate for children,” said Eastin, who served four terms in the State Assembly prior to becoming the first woman elected as State Superintendent of Public Instruction. “Her innovative approach to keeping kids in school has achieved remarkable results in San Francisco, and I believe that as a career prosecutor, Kamala Harris is best suited to take on the unique challenges of public safety when she is Attorney General.”

“There is an inextricable link between public safety and public education, and I believe that California’s Attorney General can use her office to keep our streets safe by injecting new ideas into our criminal justice system,” said Harris. “I am honored to have Delaine Eastin, such a distinguished public servant and champion of public schools, standing by my side in this campaign.”

In 2007, Harris launched a citywide anti-truancy campaign focused on elementary school kids. After learning that nearly half of all of the chronically truant school kids in San Francisco were in elementary school, Harris sent letters to every parent in the district calling attention to the situation, held truancy mediation sessions with parents and began filing charges against parents who still failed to get their kids in school. The result: elementary schools improved their attendance rate the following year by 23%, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, as “citywide efforts, including parental prosecution, appeared to be paying off.”

As San Francisco’s District Attorney, Harris has used her nearly 20 years of prosecutorial experience to focus intensively on fighting violent crime. She increased felony conviction rates, expanded services to victims of crime and their families, created new prosecution divisions focused on child assault, public integrity and environmental crimes, and launched innovative initiatives to prevent re-offending.

This work is paying off – the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office has more than doubled its trial conviction rate for gun felonies to 90 percent. Under her leadership, the office has sent 70 percent more serious and violent offenders to State Prison. According to the State of California Department of Justice, the office’s overall felony conviction rate is at its highest point in 14 years.

News

Most Recent

Press Releases

More