Hollister
– Tuesday’s swearing in of Candice Hooper as San Benito County’s
new district attorney helps continue a family tradition of law
enforcement.
Hollister – Tuesday’s swearing in of Candice Hooper as San Benito County’s new district attorney helps continue a family tradition of law enforcement.
Hooper, 49, said she wanted to be a schoolteacher growing up, but found herself at the tail end of the baby boom generation. She said career opportunities were limited in education, so she chose to go into law.
Midway through her studies at the Santa Clara University School of Law, Hooper decided she wanted to follow a family tradition and enter into practice on the prosecution side of law.
“Life is choices,” Hooper said. “And there’s consequences for your choices. Good choices, good consequences. Bad choices, bad consequences. And I believe that I’m here to assist in that process.”
Her brother is a sergeant with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. Her uncle was a career police officer and was involved in the arrest of Patty Hearst.
After graduating from law school in 1985 and spending one year with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, Hooper took a job with the San Benito County District Attorney’s Office.
Hooper defeated incumbent District Attorney John Sarsfield and challenger Art Cantu in a June 2006 election for the position.
Tuesday’s swearing-in makes Hooper one of eight female district attorneys in California, which, along with serving the county she has lived in for almost two decades, she considers an honor.
“My goal is to make San Benito County a safe place to raise families,” Hooper said. “We have a lot of great people here. We’re a good community.”
However, San Benito County has been plagued with gang problems in the past two years, including several stabbings and one gang-related death.
Hooper said gang suppression and prevention is one of her top priorities. She believes gang activity has many byproducts, including drug crimes, thefts and even child neglect.
“The gang situation definitely needs to be addressed through harsh punishment,” Hooper said.
Harry Damkar, a former San Benito County district attorney, said Hooper’s main challenge will be her high caseload and reassignment of cases in her new office.
Hooper said her biggest challenge will be restoring what she perceives as damaged public confidence in the office. Although she has yet to make hiring decisions, she hopes to expand her staff. Hooper said restoring the public confidence will come with just doing her job well.
“By running the office the way I ran my campaign,” Hooper said. “With honesty and integrity.”
Sarsfield, who had served as district attorney since 2002, had a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against him in 2004 by two women who worked in his office. Two attempts were made to recall him from office and the San Benito County Board of Supervisors and the San Benito County Bar Association both voted “no confidence” in the prosecutor’s ability to carry out the duties of his office. Sarsfield filed a $5 million claim against the county in September 2006 for what he considers to be the mishandling of the 2004 sexual harassment suit against him.
When asked about Sarsfield, Hooper declined to comment.
“It is what it is,” Hooper said. “I took office knowing that I would be looking to the future, not at the past.”
Hooper believes her 20 years in the San Benito County District Attorney’s Office qualifies her for the position.
Damkar said being a good district attorney is a balancing act.
“I think you have to be fair, you have to be a good listener and you have to be the kind of person that is both tough and compassionate,” Damkar said.
Despite the heavy caseload and two murder trials scheduled to begin in her first year of office, Hooper is optimistic.
“I have a great staff,” Hooper said. “I have great law enforcement agencies to work with.”
Hooper lives in San Benito County with her husband, George Mancino, 16-year-old son, Joey Mancino, and 12-year-old daughter, Kellie Mancino.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or mv*********@fr***********.com.
CLARIFICATION: In the article “Hooper Takes Over DA’s Office” in the Jan. 10 edition of the Hollister Free Lance several statements should be clarified. While two women in the District Attorney’s office did file a sexual harassment suit against John Sarsfield and San Benito County in 2004, the allegations were never proven. Instead, an independent investigator hired by the Board of Supervisors sustained allegations that Sarsfield openly engaged in a romantic affair with his office manager. The investigator also concluded that Sarsfield politically retaliated against several of his employees. Allegations of sexual harassment were not sustained by the investigator. The county later settled the case out of court for $35,000.
