Embattled San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, whose quest for the job of California’s top prosecutor has been plagued by her opposition to the death penalty for cop killers and a subpar trial conviction rate now has something else standing in her path to the Attorney General’s Office: A new poll, giving her Republican opponent Steve Cooley a clear lead in the race.
A separate, earlier poll gave Cooley, the Republican Los Angeles County District Attorney, a small marginal lead over Harris, the Democratic District Attorney for San Francisco County.
The Field Poll had Cooley ahead of Harris by three percent, with Cooley at 37 percent and Harris at 34 percent.
But second poll conducted by Hill Research Associates July 10-12 gives Cooley a seven percent lead. The results showed Cooley with 41 percent and Harris with 34 percent, and also projected Cooley as the leader in all media markets except San Francisco.
The death penalty remains a key point of contrast between the candidates, with Cooley for and Harris opposed. Over 70 percent of Calif. voters continue to support the death penalty, which Harris has said she is personally against, and which she has consistantly refused to seek when it was up to her as San Francisco District Attorney--even for cop killers.
In 2009, Harris came under fire when her office decided not to seek the death penalty for triple-murderer and illegal alien Edwin Ramos, who shot three men, a father and his two sons, to death. Harris was also criticized in 2004 for refusing to seek the death penalty in the killing of a 29-year-old San Francisco police officer by a gang member.
The feeling in the law enforcement community is that cop killers are among the most dangerous of offenders, and taking the death penalty off of the table for cop killers endangers officer’s lives.
Harris has also come under fire for having the worst trial conviction rate in the state, with an accused murder in San Francisco having a 50% chance of acquittal if he decides to make Harris’ office prove the case at trial.
However, Harris has strong support from the DNC, listing $636,603 cash on hand with Cooley reporting just $222,729 as of May 22, 2010. So don't count the anti-death penalty conviction rate challanged SF DA out of the race just yet.
10 comments:
A so called push-poll is not a poll at all–it is a direct mail ruse used by a candidate to impart negative information about the opposing candidate (e.g., “would you still vote for John McCain if you knew he fathered a black child out of wedlock”) under the artifice of taking a “poll”.
The Hill Research Consultants poll is no “push-poll”. Randomly selected registered voters were simply asked if the election was held today would they vote for Republican Cooley DA of LA or Democratic Harris DA of San Francisco. The results are the results.
Moreover, Harris’ campaign manager is already stating that Harris will “follow the law” in respect to the death penalty, but why should we believe Mr. Smith, since when she was SF’s top prosecutor she refused to seek the death penalty–even against a cop killer–on ideological grounds, telling the press at the time that the voters of SF knew where she stood on the issue before they elected her.
Well, we know where she stands on the issue before she is elected to CA’s AG, and I for one decline to elect her.
Her office is in disarray, and repeat offenders who pose a danger to society (caught after climbing over a 12” security fence, then scaling 6 stories to reach a woman’s balcony, in possession of a knife, duct tape and rope, meth, a syringe, high, and on two separate felony burglary probations, an entire shift of police officers as witnesses, CASE DISMISSED BY HARRIS).
If you want the streets of every city in California to resemble San Francisco.
If you want murderers who go to trial to have a 50-50 chance of walking free.
If you want to sleep with one-eye open—because you got lucky and the police got the would-be serial burglar rapist but Harris let him back on the streets—by all means vote for Kamala Harris for Attorney General of California.
I am a Democrat.
This is not about politics-it is about my safety. And it was my apartment and my loved ones who narrowly escaped death (or worse)—only to have Harris let the guy go after 180 days in jail on the probation violations (that standing alone should have sent the freak-dope-head would be home invader to prison for YEARS).
I agree with the prior commenter. It's not about ideology or party. it is about my wife and babies being safe when they sleep.
It is about having to step over or walk by sleeping men or men who have just shot-up passed out in the side walk near my home or where I want to shop.
These people would not last 3 minutes on the streets of Walnut Creek, CA, Sherman Oaks, Laguna, San Deigo, Mendocino, or any other city in CA. But Harris will ot prosecute them, so the cops will not arrest them.
If you want YOUR CITY to be like this, with cop killers knowing they will never face the ultimate penalty in CA, vote for the SF-DA, HARRIS.
The AG's office handles all criminal appeals--including death penalty appeals.
Considering voting for Harris for AG?
Spend half a day in SF.
Walk through the Haight.
Walk near Union Square.
Navigate through and around the homeless, the drug users, dealers, hookers and pimps who would not last 90 seconds on the streets of any city OTHER THAN San Francisco.
Want YOUR city to be like that?
Then Harris is your candidate.
She has big ambitions, that much is known.
She was one of the first incumbent politicians to endorse a then unknown Obama for President 3 years ago.
But he has done zero for her in her bid for AG. Nor has he appointed her to a federal prosecutorial or judicial position.
You might ask why.
My wife works in Union Square. A notorious transvestite street person-crack addict (who wears a towel on her head in a kind of a whacked out Mommy-Dearest-just-showered routine) threw a hot cup of coffee on my wife after she turned her back. My wife was burned and her very expensive white suit damaged.
Loss prevention for a nearby store saw the whole thing, and cuffed the slime that did this. As required by store police they filled out and presented the SFPD with a written incident report when they turned it over to the cops.
We found out later that the cops drove “Joan Crawford” two blocks away and set her lose. The reason: SF does not prosecute such cases.
Well the heck with that policy.
But that is what you are buying (and a lot more) if you vote for Kamala Harris for California Attorney General.
Sorry, not AG material.
Might I respctfully suggest the PUC?
not all dems blindly vote the ticket
any office but this one...sorry... California's top prosecutor job is not for you....
Harris was one of the first supporters of Obama for President.
So if HE could not find a job for her in his adminstration, shy should WE given her one in November?
Kamala Harris is incompetent and should not hold any political office. As a rape victim, I can tell you that Kamala Harris does NOTHING to stop rape or to prosecute rapists. The police likewise will do nothing to stop rapists from attacking their friends and neighbors. Try reporting a rape in San Francisco. You will be attacked by the police all over again, because they do not want to be bothered with investigating a crime they know Harris will never prosecute.
Harris cares only about one thing - her career. Vote for Steve Cooley.
Our experience has been that the SF Police are doing their job; it's just that Harris' office is not doing theirs.
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