Summer Stephan

DISTRICT ATTORNEY SUMMER STEPHAN HONORED WITH U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL MERITORIOUS PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD

East County News Service

February 9, 2024 (Washington, D.C.) -- San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan was honored at a ceremony Wednesday with the United States Attorney General's Award for Meritorious Public Service - the top public service award granted by the U.S. Department of Justice. It is designed to recognize the most significant contributions of citizens and organizations in support of justice.


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SENATOR JONES, DISTRICT ATTORNEY STEPHAN AND POLICE CHIEF KENNEDY VIEW CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT DEMONSTRATION AND AND DISCUSS PREVENTION LEGISLATION

Source:  Senator Brian Jones

March 18, 2022 (San Diego) - Senator Brian W. Jones (R-Santee), San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan and Chula Vista Police Chief Roxana Kennedy held a press conference this morning in which they viewed a demonstration of how quickly and easily catalytic converters can be stolen and pending legislation to help prevent those thefts. 


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SUMMER STEPHAN ANNOUNCES WIN AGAINST AUTO-RENEWAL SUBSCRIPTION FEES

Match has already taken steps to ensure its web disclosures and processes comply with California’s Automatic Renewal and Dating Service Contract laws.

Source: DA News Center

July 12, 2021 (San Diego) -- County District Attorney Summer Stephan (photo, left) announced Wednesday that Match Group, Inc., the owner of numerous popular online dating sites including Match.com, PlentyofFish, OkCupid and Tinder, agreed to pay $2 million in civil penalties and costs, in addition to victim restitution, as part of the settlement of a consumer protection lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed in Santa Cruz county in November 2020 by the California Auto Renewal Task Force (CART), which includes the District Attorney’s Offices in San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties and the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office, and alleged that Match’s online dating service subscriptions violated provisions of California’s automatic-renewal and dating service contract laws.


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RACIAL JUSTICE COALITION FOLLOW-UP: WHAT’S NEXT IN THEIR PLAN TO OUST DA SUMMER STEPHAN?

By Briana Gomez

June 3, 2021 (San Diego) - May 15 was certainly a busy day for San Diego’s minority activist groups. 

The Racial Justice Coalition held a rally in front of the Hall of Justice in Downtown San Diego as part of its campaign to demand that District Attorney Summer Stephan resign immediately. The coalition faults Stephan for not prosecuting many cases of law enforcement officers shooting unarmed people. 


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COUNTY OFFICIALS HIGHLIGHT EARLY SUCCESS OF MOBILE CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM PROGRAM

By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office

March 13, 2021 (San Diego) - County officials Monday discussed the debut of a new County program designed to help people experiencing mental health or substance use crises by dispatching behavioral health experts to emergency calls instead of law enforcement when appropriate.

Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher, County District Attorney Summer Stephan, County behavioral health officials and representatives from Exodus Recovery, Inc. held a socially distanced event outside the County Administration Center to share information about the Mobile Crisis Response Team program (MCRT) that was launched in January.


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LA MESA POLICE DEPARTMENT FINDS DISCIPLINE NOT WARRANTED FOR DETECTIVE INVOLVED IN LESS-LETHAL FORCE DURING MAY 30, 2020 PROTEST

By Miriam Raftery

March 5, 2021 (La Mesa) - La Mesa Police Department’s (LMPD) review has concluded that Detective Eric Knudson should not be disciplined for firing a less-lethal weapon (a beanbag from a shotgun) during a protest outside the police station on May 30, 2020.  The beanbag struck protester Leslie Furcron in the forehead, causing serious injury.

According to LMPD, “The Department based its decision on the totality of the circumstances, an independent review by a qualified expert in the areas of use of force and less lethal munitions (R.K. Miller, National Training Concepts), and the absence of any significant violation of Department policies.”

The decision comes after the San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan, on January 5, issued a written analysis and conclusion determining that Detective Knudson’s actions did not warrant any state criminal liability.


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THE RACIAL JUSTICE COALITION DEMANDS JUSTICE OR RESIGNATION

By Briana Gomez

October 9, 2020 (San Diego) -- In a climate of uproar against national police brutality, the Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego County is demanding that police officers in our region are held accountable for ample shootings of unarmed individuals over the course of 25 years.

Background

According to a review from the District Attorney’s Office, between 1993 and 2017 there were 451 police shootings of civilians, 55 percent of which were fatal.

According to this report, the DA’s office took on average 183 days to send a letter of review to law enforcement after these shootings (a letter was sent in only 432 of the cases).


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PRICE GOUGING A CRIME AFTER VALLEY FIRE

 
By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office
 
September 18, 2020 (Eastern San Diego County) - San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan is warning businesses and scammers not to take advantage of consumers by price gouging during a state of an emergency – doing so can end in prosecution.
 
As a result of the devastating Valley fire in the eastern part of San Diego County, Governor Gavin Newsom and the San Diego County Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency in San Diego County on September 6. During a declared state of emergency, it is illegal for a business to increase its prices for essential goods or services by more than 10 percent, unless they can show their own costs have been increased.
 
“Wildfires leave a devastating effect on many of our neighbors and we want to send a clear message that we will not tolerate any unlawful activity by a greedy businesses, contractors or scammers who would seek to financially exploit victims of wildfires,” Stephan said. “Price gouging and unlicensed contracting during a state of emergency is not only a crime, it also can further victimize someone who may have lost everything in a wildfire.”

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COUNTY OFFICIALS WARN OF RISE IN FENTANYL FATALITIES, USE OF COUNTERFEIT DRUGS AMID PANDEMIC

By Miriam Raftery

August 12, 2020 (San Diego) – District Attorney Summer Stephan is warning of an “alarming uptick” in overdose deaths caused by fentanyl.  Stephan says dealers are lacing various illegal drugs with fentanyl in what she calls “a recipe for death.”

At least 119 deaths so far this year are confirmed to be related to fentanyl in San Diego County, with another 84 deaths in which the drug is suspected to be a factor.  Isolation during the pandemic is believed to be a key factor contributing to the increase in addiction and fatalities.

According to a joint statement issued by state and federal prosecutors, law enforcement and county health officials, the number of deaths in 2020 is expected to exceed last year’s total of 152. 


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SAN DIEGO COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY WARNS BUSINESSES, CONSUMERS OF PRICE GOUGING LAW IN WAKE OF CORONAVIRUS

 

Spiking Prices During a State of an Emergency is a Crime

East County News Service

Photo: Cc by ND via Bing

March 10, 2020 (San Diego) – After California and San Diego County each declared a state of emergency over the COVID-19 virus, The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office has issued a warning to businesses and scammers not to take advantage of consumers by price gouging.

During a declared state of emergency, it is illegal for a business to increase its prices for essential goods or services by more than 10 percent, unless they can show their own costs have been increased. "The statute would theoretically apply to online retailers as well as brick and mortar—as well as individuals who might be selling on an app like Offer Up,"  says Steve Walker, communications specialist at the District Attorney's office.

Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in California on March 4 and the San Diego County Board of Supervisors extended its countywide state of emergency for an additional 30 days on February 19.

“We want county residents to know that we stand ready to protect their consumer rights under the law,” District Attorney Summer Stephan said. “We will strictly enforce violations related to price gouging.”


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DA SPONSORS BILL TO KEEP SEX OFFENDER COURT HEARINGS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

East County News Service
 
February 26, 2020 (San Diego)-- San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan is sponsoring SB 1023, legislation authored by Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) to require that proceedings for the civil commitment of a sexually violent predator and later hearings on a predator’s potential release be in open court and on the record, unless compelling and extraordinary circumstances justify closing the courtroom to the public. 
 
This bill would require a notice to all parties of any proposed closure at least 10 calendar days before a closed court hearing. 
 
“This important legislation supports the principles of democracy and transparency in our justice system by making sure court hearings for sexually-violent predators are open to the public,” DA Stephan said. “As District Attorney, I hear the pain from victims who’ve been terrorized by a sexual predator but are left in the dark and not able to learn pertinent information guaranteed to them by our open courts system.”

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REPUBLICANS SWEEP FOUR SAN DIEGO COUNTYWIDE ELECTIONS

 

Story and photos by Jonathan Goetz

June 6, 2018 (San Diego) – It was a strong night for Republicans running countywide in San Diego yesterday. The GOP swept all four countywide seats on the ballot June 5, 2018.

East County Magazine met up with all four winners at Golden Hall, and received some of their reactions as early results arrived at Golden Hall, Election Central.


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SAN DIEGO DISTRICT ATTORNEY DENOUNCES RACISTS IN CHARLOTTESVILLE, VOWS TO MAKE FIGHTING HATE CRIMES A PRIORITY

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of the District Attorney’s office

August 20, 2017 (San Diego) – “What we saw in Charlottesville is a bunch of thugs, bullies and criminals masquerading behind the freedom of speech,” said newly appointed San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan in a statement issued today, referring to white supremacists who rallied in Virginia, a gathering that included Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members armed with guns, chemicals, and other weapons.


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HUMAN TRAFFICKING TASK FORCE FORMED IN SAN DIEGO

 

By Hayden Parsley

January 31, 2016 (San Diego) - In San Diego, the second most trafficked illegal commodity is human lives (after narcotics). Our county has become a hub for this deplorable practice, but now a new taskforce has been formed to combat this crisis.


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