Get the facts on the California candidates running for election to the District Attorney — Marin County
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Lori Frugoli is a lifelong Marin resident and Democrat.
Lori is a pioneering police woman who began her career at the San Rafael Police Department as an Explorer Scout, Cadet, Parking Enforcement Officer and a Reserve Police Officer.
In 1979, she broke the glass ceiling when she was hired as a Police Officer with the Santa Rosa Police Department. Her skills and commitment led to her selection by local Police Chiefs as “Peace Officer of the Year for Meritorious Service Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.”
Lori was promoted to the Investigations Unit where she was trained in the investigation of Arson, Fraud, Financial Elder Abuse, Hostage Negotiations and Undercover Narcotics investigations.
In 1985, Lori entered Golden Gate University's School of Law and transferred to the Marin County Sheriff's Office. She continued to work while pursuing her education and successfully passed the State Bar in 1989. Lori was hired as a Deputy District Attorney for the County of Marin in 1990.
Throughout her 28-year career as a Deputy District Attorney, Lori has represented Marin in thousands of cases and over 100 jury trials. Her diverse and challenging caseload has included among others, seeking justice for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, home invasions and elder abuse.
She was assigned as the Gang Prosecution Coordinator in 1994 and prosecuted Gang Cases, including multiple gang related shooting cases.
In 1997, she received the Marin County District Attorney's Pride Award for "Outstanding Professionalism and Dedication to the Office."
Lori was one of the first prosecutors in California to present expert evidence and testimony using Mitochondrial DNA evidence. She also has extensive experience prosecuting Animal Abusers.
Lori has served as a coordinator in a supervisory position in various Felony Criminal Departments.
Lori spent several years prosecuting the most serious of criminal cases including murder and attempted murder. She handled the child molestation and abuse caseload for years, spending hours with child abuse/neglect victims at the Jeannette Prandi Children's Center.
Lori has earned a well-deserved reputation in the community for treating people with respect and professionalism.
Lori has served as a Coordinator of Alternative Justice Courts for the Adult Drug Court and the Star Court. She is currently a member of the Marin County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Commission.
Marin Independent Journal "Marin Voice" by Lori Frugoli, Published on Wednesday, September 6, 2017
California’s bail system should be reformed in a deliberative and collaborative manner. The authors of the recent Marin Voice op-eds, “Bail reform for equal treatment for all” and “Look before you leap on bail reform bill,” discussed how a proposed bail reform bill (SB 10) would affect California at large, but ignored the strides Marin County has made toward a progressive and safe approach to bail.
California’s bail system should be reformed in a deliberative and collaborative manner. The authors of the recent Marin Voice op-eds, “Bail reform for equal treatment for all” and “Look before you leap on bail reform bill,” discussed how a proposed bail reform bill (SB 10) would affect California at large, but ignored the strides Marin County has made toward a progressive and safe approach to bail.
Fortunately, last week, California’s Legislature, governor and key stakeholders focused on facts over rhetoric and agreed to continue discussions on the bail reform bill.
Joining this effort is California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, who has formed a Pretrial Detention Reform Working Group which will gather evidence and issue findings on how to fairly and safely fix the bail system this December. These findings should be incorporated into the structure of the bill moving forward.
As a candidate for Marin County district attorney and a 27-year veteran prosecutor in Marin County criminal courts, I want to share how our bail system works locally and why Sacramento made the right choice.
The purpose of bail is twofold: to ensure a defendant appears in court and to protect public safety.
In Marin, most misdemeanor arrestees are issued citations to appear in court on a future date. Many are booked and released at the jail with a promise to appear in court. Failures to appear as promised results in the issuance of bench warrants, which do require bail.
Last year, hundreds of warrants were issued for those who failed to appear, resulting in unnecessary court and law enforcement expenditures.
Our probation department uses empirical risk assessment factors to make recommendations to the court regarding the release of defendants with or without bail. These factors include the likelihood a defendant will return to court, prior failures to appear, seriousness of the offense, defendant’s community ties and work history and whether they present a threat to themselves, their family or the community.
Marin judges review the probation report, consider arguments from deputy district attorneys and defense attorneys, and refer to the county bail schedule, which sets recommended bail for misdemeanor and felony offenses.
Judges carefully weigh the above factors and set appropriate bail, or release a defendant with alternative pretrial conditions.
Public safety is the “primary consideration,” according to the state penal code.
Our current system utilizes alternatives to bail/custody, such as release with no conditions, counseling, treatment programs, and/or attendance at self-help meetings. Often defendants are released with an alcohol monitoring bracelet or an order to stay away from a person and/or location. These alternatives reduce our pretrial (those who are simply awaiting trial and haven’t been convicted of a crime) jail population.
Consequently, Marin County’s jail population is the fourth lowest of all 58 California counties.
SB 10 emulates much of what Marin is already doing, namely using pre-trial services to ensure the bail system is fair and safe. However, the Judicial Council of California noted that the proposal potentially violates key provisions of California’s Victims’ Bill of Rights.
Any revision of SB 10 should address this issue. Additionally, SB 10 could endanger (or duplicate) the progress many counties, like Marin, have made. Statewide reform should not come at the expense of our community or victims’ rights.
The decision to put SB 10 on hold is the right move. The existing bail system is not perfect, but public safety cannot be compromised and bail reform should not be used as a political pawn in an election.
Justice in Marin is advanced through collaboration. Similarly, lasting and impactful bail reform should be a collective effort.
I’m an experienced prosecutor and law professor, the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants, and a mother to three kids in Marin public schools. I’m proud to raise my children in Mill Valley, where I’ve worked to protect women and families throughout Marin as Chair of the Marin Women’s Commission.
I’m running for District Attorney because I know we can do better for victims, we can do more for families, and we can bring our DA’s office into the 21st century.
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