Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office

06/08/2026

🎓 Congratulations to our Spring 2026 Community Academy graduates! 🎓

On June 3rd, we celebrated the graduates of the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office Community Academy. This free, 10-week program gives residents and workers in Contra Costa County an inside look at how the criminal justice system works.

Over 10 weeks, participants heard directly from the District Attorney, the Public Defender, a Judge, prosecutors, and police chiefs. They learned how cases are filed, explored the offenses our office investigates and prosecutes, and went behind the scenes with tours of the Martinez Detention Facility and the Superior Court.

We put together a three-part video series so you can hear about it straight from the participants and one of our staff members:

🎥 Part 1: What is the Community Academy? George from our office walks you through it.
🎥 Part 2: What did our Spring 2026 participants learn?
🎥 Part 3: Their experience — in just one word.

Interested in joining a future session? The Community Academy is no-cost and open to adults who live or work in Contra Costa County. We're accepting applications now for the Fall 2026 session and will begin reviewing them later this summer.

👉 Start here: contracostada.org

06/02/2026

Today, our summer 2026 Law Clerks took the Oath of Office. Big day for the start of big jobs at the DA’s Office

05/31/2026

After four days of training sessions, our first and second year law school clerks capped the week with a BBQ lunch in the courtyard at the DA’s Office in Martinez on May 29th.
Next stop: a full summer of learning and doing as these students gain valuable insights into how the criminal justice system works.

05/28/2026

Today, three of our Deputy District Attorneys (Kathleen Hinkson, MacKenzie Savage, and Dan Becker) were featured in a recruiting video that’s in production. All three DDAs were law clerks at the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office before joining the office as attorneys. We’re spotlighting their stories to inspire law students to apply to our summer internship program — where interns get lots of hands on experience that they don’t really teach in law school. When the video is complete, it’ll be posted here — and other channels.

05/26/2026

⚖️ The 2026 Summer Law Clerk Internship is officially underway at the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office.

This year's cohort brings together first- and second-year law students for a 10-week paid clerkship — with an orientation week that sets the foundation for everyone.

This week's schedule:
Day 1 — Overview of the DA's Office + voir dire training
Days 2–4 — Law and motion training, courtroom exercises with law enforcement, filing procedures, and case management system onboarding

Then the real work begins — and what that looks like depends on your year.

For 1L clerks:
Ten weeks working alongside deputy district attorneys, learning how cases are built, filed, and prosecuted. A ground-level education in public service law.

For 2L clerks:
Our 2L Summer Clerkship is among the most hands-on programs in the state. Law clerks who are certified by the State Bar to make supervised court appearances may argue motions, conduct felony preliminary hearings, and prosecute their own misdemeanor jury trial.

We interview 2L candidates each August during the On-Campus Interview Process at most California law schools. Many prior 2L clerks return to our office for a post-bar clerkship and go on to be hired as entry-level Deputy District Attorneys after passing the bar.

How to connect with us:

→ 1Ls: Find us at PIPS fairs or your campus's Spring OCI program
→ 2Ls: Watch for our OCI interviews each August at your law school
→ Questions for either program: contact us at contracostada.org

A career in prosecution is built one case at a time. For many of our deputy DAs, it started right here.

05/22/2026

The Contra Costa District Attorney's Office hosted our 2026 Victims' Rights Recognition Ceremony in April, honoring National Crime Victims' Rights Week with the theme "Listen. Act. Advocate."

During the ceremony, District Attorney Diana Becton was joined by representatives from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and members of our prosecution team to recognize the ongoing work of victim advocates and the legislative efforts to strengthen DUI accountability in California.

The Gutierrez family was presented with an Exceptional Courage Award in memory of their son Shawn, 22, who was killed by a wrong-way DUI driver on Highway 24 in Walnut Creek on April 30, 2025.

This Memorial Day weekend, we're thinking of families like the Gutierrezes, who will spend the holiday without Shawn — not because of an accident, but because of a choice someone else made. Please don't drink and drive. The person you put at risk could be someone's child, parent, or best friend. Make a plan before you celebrate.

🎥 Watch the full ceremony:

2026 Victim Rights Recognition Ceremony | Contra Costa District Att...

05/21/2026

The future walked into the room on Tuesday — and it looked a lot like the 7th and 8th grade boys at Black Diamond Middle School

Staff from the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office came to Antioch to show these young men what's possible. Attorney Phillip Farmer (a Black Diamond alum!), attorney Dylan Wade, Inspector Frasier Ritchie, PIO Ted Asregadoo, and community advocate Kevin Bernal each shared their journeys into public service — real stories from real careers.

Then the students became the investigators. 🔍

They stepped up to a simulated crime scene on stage, analyzed the evidence, and presented their theories. The top three? They took home prizes. The kids were pretty vocal and excited about their jobs as investigators.

Vice Principal Doug Jones sealed the day with news of an upcoming ice cream social to close out the academic year — because good days deserve a sweet ending.

Moments like these are exactly what Black Diamond's mission is built on: character, community, academics, and preparing young Miners for everything that comes next.

Keep shining, Miners. Thanks for inviting us.

05/20/2026

⚖️ GUILTY VERDICT | A Contra Costa County jury today convicted a Hayward man of attempted murder after he drove to Oakley, staked out a victim's home for three hours, and fired 17 shots at close range.

He also fled deputies on an 11-mile chase — and is currently wanted in New Zealand for a separate 2024 murder.

Read the full press release → https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/5176

05/15/2026

Why do police officers sometimes have a black band over their badge?

It's a quiet but powerful symbol of grief — worn to honor peace officers who gave their lives in the line of duty.

Today is National Peace Officers Memorial Day, and it's a day worth understanding. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and designated the surrounding week as National Police Week — a tradition that continues to this day with our flag flying at half-mast.

Arnold Threets, Chief of Inspectors at the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office, puts it best: "National Police Week provides a solemn opportunity to honor and remember the law enforcement officers who gave their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of our communities."

Behind every black band is a name. Behind every name is a family, a community, and a story of service and sacrifice.

Take a moment today to remember California's fallen officers.

05/08/2026

The Contra Costa District Attorney's Office has charged Antioch man Jaquan Tarrell Jones, 38, with six felony counts following a May 5th attack that left one man dead and multiple victims harmed in an Antioch neighborhood. DA Diana Becton said, "No one should experience what these victims and their families have endured. My office will continue to work alongside law enforcement partners like the Antioch Police Department to hold armed offenders accountable and pursue justice on behalf of all those harmed." Jones is currently in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility on a $11,620,000 bond. Read the full press release here: https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/5169