Contra Costa District Attorney Robert Kochly hadn’t wanted to announce his retirement so long before the end of his term, but he did anyway last Thursday at a fundraising party for his chosen replacement, Dan O’Malley. He told the Contra Costa Times then that he’s focused on the office’s fiscal crisis.
"I still have 15 months, so hopefully we'll be in better position than we are now," Kochly told the paper. "If I had my druthers I wouldn't have announced yet, but I understand there’s others chomping at the bit."
O’Malley, now a lawyer with Concord criminal defense firm O’Connor, Runckel & O’Malley, is a former Contra Costa Superior Court judge and brother to Alameda’s new DA, Nancy O’Malley. Danville lawyer Elle Falahat and Deputy District Attorney Mark Peterson, who serves on the Concord City Council, have also announced they’re running for DA.
The Times’ political blog called Kochly’s plan to retire “one of the worst-kept secrets in Contra Costa politics.” The blog also reported an awkward laugh Contra Costa Sheriff Warren Rupf got at O’Malley’s campaign kick-off party when he tacked on a quick reference to the potential for electing a female DA. “We need district attorneys in the model of Bill O’Malley, Gary Yancey and Bob Kochly that are honorable men….and women,” he said, according to the blog.
— Kate Moser
One thing this shows you is how far nepotism goes in the court system. A brother and sister look to be the new DAs in two counties right next door to each other. What a conincidence. And it turns out their father was the big man in one of those counties, and both of them were chosen for their jobs by the outgoing DAs. And no doubt there will be countless people trying to curry favor who will tell you they are the best possible people for the job.
Posted by: John Walters | October 06, 2009 at 09:57 AM