Striking Sacramento County deputy DAs, public defenders rally for higher wages

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — Flanked Wednesday by striking government attorneys, Anita Razo said she wouldn’t have pulled through without the support of her prosecutor.

Razo’s son was robbed and killed in front of his house two years ago. The prosecutor assigned to the case worked with Razo, going as far as answering her calls at 3:30 a.m.

Standing on the Sacramento County Courthouse steps, Razo said the county is shortchanging deputy district attorneys and public defenders and urged officials to pay them more.

“You see the worst of what humans can do to each other and you have to live it every day,” Razo said. “You deserve every penny, every raise.”

About 250 Sacramento County attorneys went on strike Monday. They pointed to not having a contract for two years and government attorneys in other jurisdictions making more than them. Experienced attorneys are leaving Sacramento County for more money, they say.

Rallying Wednesday, members of the Sacramento County Attorneys Association and victims told personal stories as they asked the county for more wages.

Matt Chisholm, the association’s president, told Courthouse News that county officials have reached out.

“They say that they will have a formal offer,” Chisholm said. “We haven’t had an offer in three years.”

Kimberly Nava, public information director with Sacramento County, told Courthouse News in an email that a meeting was set for Wednesday afternoon.

“The county will maintain its commitment to negotiating in good faith and looks forward to engaging in meaningful discussions with the union,” she said.

A vote of the association remains set for Thursday on whether to extend the strike beyond a week.

A handful of people spoke in favor of prosecutors being paid more.

Alexa Hansen said her sister was killed in 2018. Prosecutors sat with her, and other families, looking at autopsy photographs. Hansen has since founded a victim advocacy group.

“They don’t get hazard pay. They should get hazard pay," she said, adding: “How much would you pay to bring justice to your loved one?”

Hansen said managers of big-box stores and cosmetologists earn more than government attorneys. Also, prosecutors have a target on their backs, worrying whether a defendant or defendant’s family member is following them.

Ryan Strange also praised prosecutors. He said his young child died and prosecutors sought charges against a day care worker. His prosecutor advocated for him.

“They want equal, pay,” Strange said. “Why can’t they get equal pay?”

Rhonda Campbell, an advocate for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, echoed Razo’s sentiments, saying she’s received phone calls before and after working hours from prosecutors. Those prosecutors play large roles in victims’ lives, and their return to the courtroom is needed.

Sonia Martinez Satchell, an association member, told rally-goers that in their adversarial justice system public defenders work as hard as prosecutors.

Maegan Gannon, a deputy public defender for over 20 years, said people in her position see clients for months or even years. They also face trauma from their jobs, working through nights and weekends.

“The county wants to talk about how we’re overpaid,” Gannon said. “Well, I call bullshit. I call bullshit.”

Training new hires, Gannon said she tells them that their reputation in the courthouse matters.

“And what the county’s done is lie,” she added. “They say we make above average? Fuck you.”

The county on Monday said top-step salaries for the attorneys are above market average, reaching $247,000 for principal attorneys and $225,000 for the following tier.

The association has said that’s accurate, but only for those with 10 years of county service.

TeriAnn Grimes, a homicide prosecutor, said county attorneys don’t use a time clock. Their commitment extends to their families. She noted that her children helped make cookies after the shooting death of Deputy Mark Stasyuk.

The penalty phase for the man convicted in the deputy’s shooting, 44-year-old Anton Lemon Paris, is ongoing this week. The attorneys involved in that mini-trial remain on the job.

“We do not do this job to get rich,” Grimes said. “We are the backbone of the criminal justice system.”