Candidate for
District Attorney; City of San Francisco

Our criminal justice system is grindingly slow, terribly costly and routinely unfair to both victims and the accused. Insiders can't change the system -- we need a reformer and outsider like David Onek who will finally bring our criminal justice system into the 21st century.

A career as a criminal justice reformer A graduate of Stanford Law School, David is the founding Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice, where he worked to develop criminal justice reforms and best practices from around the country. David launched his career working at San Francisco community-based organizations like Walden House Adolescent Facility and Legal Services for Children -- helping to keep young people in school and out of the criminal justice system.

David has also worked at leading criminal justice reform organizations like the National Council on Crime and Delinquency and the W. Haywood Burns Institute for Juvenile Justice Fairness and Equity in San Francisco, where he focused on reducing racial disparities in the juvenile justice system.

A record of proven reforms Working in the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, David spearheaded a study to address gun violence -- an effort that led directly to San Francisco's "zone strategy" that dramatically reduced homicides. As a San Francisco Police Commissioner, David fought for modern upgrades such as CompStat, the management tool that gives police better data to prevent crime.

A partnership with the community Throughout his career, David has built strong partnerships between law enforcement and the community -- because he knows that these partnerships are the key to making San Francisco the safest and fairest city in the country. David and his wife Kara are the proud parents of two daughters and live in Bernal Heights.