around the commission of the crime. the defense mission, although very honorable -- we asked them to represent the defendant, regardless of whether they know the truth or what the truth is. we ask them to represent this person. it is an honorable mission, but the two missions are opposing each other. but i relationship with the defense counsel and the court should always be professional. we should have an overall mission of justice. the other two points -- one, it is not the same mission. the mission of the defense bar is not to keep san francisco safer. they have a constitutional duty to vigorously represent their clients, which is why we see jeff addachi bringing out videotapes before showing them to the prosecutor. have a vigorous standard theory

the defense does not have a similar duty. that is very important. i think it is also important to recognize that the we have different goals, that we also must get together and work together well as partners. i am very proud to have the support of many defense attorneys. when you are ada without experience, you do not have the discretion and the compassion that you gain with the number of years. somebody joke that roles reversed -- defense attorneys get more prosecutors -- get more hard core and prosecutors grow at heart. that is why having a defense attorney in that job is not the right approach. >> you do not believe you have hard or you do not. you do not develop it later on. i agree that they do have different roles, and they must and should be professional to one another.

when i was a young d.a., some of my best friends were republican senators back then, and today, i have friends on the bar in the district asserted office here there's no way i can prove this, but i feel comfortable making this statement -- if there were a study done -- independent study done of people right now in the san francisco district attorney's office who are a deputy district attorneys, of all candidates up here, i believe i would receive the majority of votes. it is never going to happen, of course, because they are at will employees, and they are not stupid, nor would i ever put anybody in that position, but having been both a prosecutor and a defense attorney -- i am the only one available here who brings a balanced approach to the administration of criminal justice. >> we are now going to have closing statements by each of the candidates fear they will be limited to two minutes. >> thank you all very much for

coming tonight. as i said at the beginning, i am running because our system is broken, and we need a reformer to fix the system, and i have been working with the community for the last 20 years to do just that, and i think you have seen that reflected in my answers tonight. i am incredibly proud to have the endorsement of the sheriff here remember, 30 years ago, someone was running for sheriff who had never been in law enforcement who had never been a share, who had been a prisoner'' rights attorney. he was the right reformer at the right time, and now, he is widely regarded as the most effective share of in the country. he was the right reformer for that time. i am the right reformer for this time. we need serious overhaul of our criminal justice system, and i am incredibly proud to have his support as we move forward. i am also proud to have the support from all over the city pier the california police chiefs association, the former chief, heather fong, at the same

time i have support from leaders -- neighborhood groups from all over the city. democratic clubs are endorsing me. san francisco democratic party has endorsed me. the teachers' union has endorsed me and six of the seven school board members have endorsed me because of my focus on schools rather than investing in prisons. nobody else was able to put together this kind of incredibly broad support throughout the city. people have a hunger for reform, and people from all stripes, from all parts of the city are coalescing around this campaign because they know that i am the person who can lead the criminal justice reform that need. i would be honored to have your support. thank you very much. >> the san francisco district attorney is the chief law enforcement officer in the city and county of san francisco. 10 years, statistics show that

we have failed miserably, especially in serious and violent crime. we must reform the investigative unit. they need to start solving these crimes, and deterring crime. that is the two biggest goals in the criminal justice system. one, we deter criminal behavior. how do we do that? we must modernize the force. we must let serious and violent offenders know that they come to san francisco, they will get caught. we will apprehend them, and we have to do it and identify them accurately. then, when they are prosecuted in court, we need highly proficient lawyers. why are they at will? why are we just hiring anybody we want and then playing politics? they need to be highly proficient in the area of

criminal law. should be certified specialists by the state bar in the area of criminal law. once you do this and see the very effective force, we need to concentrate on effectiveness. and because we have a budget constraint, we have to be cost efficient. we start practicing modern law like in federal court. these reforms -- i cannot talk about in two minutes. i have been in the system for over 20 years. go do my website -- go to my website. i have an actual plan laid out there, and it works. if these are implemented, it will work, and i would ask for your support. thank you. >> when congresswoman jackie spear urged me to run for san francisco d.a., she said san francisco deserves ada that is a professional prosecutor, that this season and is in it for the duration.

that is what i bring you. we're definitely in challenging times. we have over 1000 unsolved murder cases and over 900 unsolved rape cases. we have allegations we are reading about that the problems are not being fixed at all. we have hundreds of cases dismissed due to allegations of police misconduct, and our appointed d.a. has supervised and trained the very police he is now being asked to investigate. our courtrooms are being closed because of a backlog of cases, which means that justice is being delayed, and the clock is running out on some of these cases with the statute of limitations. this is the one crown i can say that term to that knows what i am talking about. we have a state realigned happening where hundreds are being released back to our community, and yet, we are operating in silos. in order to meet these challenges, we need a d.a. that has a track record not just of accountability, not just of being in a courtroom, but has a

record of implementing innovation throughout our state and throughout the country. an independent veteran prosecutor with a track record that also brings the experience and expertise we need right now, not just about having the right ideas. it is about having the right kind of experience for this job. fortuitously, i have a dna background. fortuitously, child sex trafficking is an epidemic, and i am committed as a national leader in child sex trafficking to deal with these issues. i am very proud to have the endorsement of the queen's bench, to be supported by other lawyers in this community, not just law enforcement, but also our community as lawyers. it is a different culture we have. it is not a paramilitary organization we need to run. in order to lead eight army of trial lawyers, you need to walk a day in their shoes. >> i am going to stand up here

this is only my second meeting with the other candidates, but it is my opportunity to make a closing argument. i hope you can all hear me in the back. when i first got in the race, i have the prosecution experience and the law enforcement background and the same attitude as to the death penalty, based on my personal experience having been a prosecutor, i would never seek it, so we share the same progressive ideas. as i listen to them, i realize they are admitted to the bar but had never practiced law. mr. gascon has been a police officer. mr. onick is a professor appeared as far as i know, they have never taken the opportunity to go down to the courtroom to interact with the public defenders, the defense

attorneys. yes, one wants to hold on to the job he was appointed to, and one wants us to reward him with this job, although he has never been a trial attorney and has never practiced law. unfortunately, i have not gotten to know you that much, but i did appreciate your comment as it related to the position of the prosecutor's office and public defender's office. ms. bach, i think you are an excellent prosecutor, but you are in a different county. you have more conservative ideas than san franciscans do here i have represented people both as a prosecutor and defense attorney. my record speaks for itself. i have not been running since july 2010 or july of this year. i have only been running for a month. my poll numbers are great. my attitude is good. i am out there, fresh, energized, and i would like the bar association to vote because you never get enough people to

vote, so please vote and let the public know who is best qualified and best represents what the district attorney is all about. >> i want to thank the league and the bar for providing this opportunity. this has been a very professional environment, and i really appreciate it. i have over 30 years of experience in working directly with communities on the street and in their homes to make communities and cities safer appeared as police chief, homicide dropped nearly in half when i was here. when i became district attorney in january, i continue that trajectory by moving immediately to reduce the backlog in homicide. thanks to some of those efforts, today, we enjoy nearly 90% conviction rate in homicide, but i know from firsthand experience that making the city save is not just about making arrests and prosecutions. it is about gaining trust in the community and making their lives better. that is why i created neighborhood courts that differ

low-level offenders away from prison while entering the take responsibility for their crimes and their victims are made whole. we have neighborhood courts now it bayview and mission and other states will continue until we have their programs citywide. that is also why i have taken victim services directly into our community so victims such as the elderly and those who have suffered from domestic violence receive the services they need without having to travel to the hall of justice. that is also why i have bargained with the bayview ymca to help kids stay in school and earned their diplomas and why i am working with ninth graders to head off truancy and provide other possibilities for young kids. i am also proud to say that i have very significant endorsements, beginning with pamela harris, the former d.a., are of the entire pool of people and people she knew very well, came to support me and wholeheartedly support me in this endeavor. i have the support of dianne

feinstein, our senator appeared our former mayor and now a lieutenant governor gavin newsom. i have the support of the shares association, the police officers association, and

i feel like all of us are starng to see what the problems in this country are. i think plenty of people are opinionated. i don't think there's many forums where you can really express yourself or try to make a difference or anything. i mean...wha'...whatdo... what do i do, ya' know?

the only people that i'm able to affect are the people who care about what i have to say. there is something you can do, but i'm sure it wouldn't be, uh...easy. different man: i get angry about it, but it's like... ya' know, in my own apartment. [laughs]

>> we are going to start this wonderful ground-breaking ceremony with some dancing from our neighborhood youngsters. here to do that are the whitney young dance group. let's give them a big round of applause and get started, folks. [applause]

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[applause] >> great to see you everyone. this will be the bayview neighborhood library. think about low wonderful cultural merit we will have for future generations to come. i also wait to make a shot up to one of the assistant superintendents who is here. thank you for being here and inspiring our young people to do great work. i am the city library and. it is my honor to be your emcee today. it is a program that we begin the ceremonies today by having an invocation. so i would like to call to the podium dr. walker, from the true hope church of god and christ.

dr. walker. [applause] >> to the state leadership, san francisco leadership, and community leadership, let me say to all of you who are here today as a make preparations to indulge in prayer, i would like to get your attention. this is of great and wonderful day for the city, st. francis, by way of the golden gate. you cannot have a world-class city without will class leadership for the community and world class people. bayview hunters point is a world-class community. i thought i would read a couple of versus from first timothy chapters one vs one and two, which will be corporate for this inca