One of the most important offices to be decided by voters in Los Angeles county this coming November will be for District Attorney. The two candidates vying for the position currently held by Steve Cooley are Deputy District Attorney Alan Jackson and Chief Deputy District Attorney Jackie Lacey. The candidates were chosen after a June primary in which Lacey beat out Jackson with 32% of the vote. Jackson came in second with 24% and current city attorney Carmen Trutanich came in third and was thereby eliminated from running for the office.

Alan Jackson, whose fame centers around his prosecution of music producer Phil Spector, is backed by the Republican party while Lacey is backed by Democrats. However, this election is non-partisan. If elected, Lacey would become the first African American and first female district attorney in Los Angeles County.

The two main police unions, as well as State Attorney General Kamala Harris and current District Attorney Steve Cooley have all pledged their support for Lacey. One of the main points of contention between Jackson and Lacey centers around Proposition 36 which would reform the three strikes law. Jackson stands against an overhaul of three strikes while Lacey is in favor of the measure that would only administer life sentences to the most serious offenders. Both candidates support the death penalty.

The LA County DA’s office is the “top prosecutor of the nation’s most populous county” (LA Times).

On September 13, 2012, Uprising host Sonali Kolhatkar interviewed Jackie Lacey about her background and her positions on various issues.

Watch a video of the interview here:

Bipasha Shom recorded this interview.