David Onek
Encyclopedia
David Onek is a Senior Fellow and founding Executive Director at the Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice. He is also the host of the Criminal Justice Conversations Podcast. Onek is currently running for District Attorney
of San Francisco.
and Stanford Law School
, he received a Skadden Fellowship to work as a Staff Attorney at Legal Services for Children in San Francisco. Onek also served as a Senior Program Associate at the W. Haywood Burns Institute for Juvenile Justice Fairness and Equity in San Francisco.
Onek served in San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
’s Office of Criminal Justice. In that capacity, he helped spearhead the effort to commission a study of gun violence in San Francisco that led directly to San Francisco’s "zone strategy."
Onek served on the San Francisco Police Commission, where he advocated for modern upgrades such as CompStat
.
Onek is the author of "Serious Gun Violence in San Francisco: Developing a Partnership-Based Violence Prevention Strategy" (with Anthony Braga and Tracey Meares) in Community Policing and Peacekeeping (2009); "Reducing Disproportionate Minority Confinement in Seattle: The W. Haywood Burns Institute Approach" (with James Bell and Michael Finley) in No Turning Back: Promising Approaches to Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities Affecting Youth of Color in the Justice System (2005); and "What Works with Juvenile Offenders? A Review of ‘Graduated Sanction’ Programs" (with Barry Krisberg and Elliott Currie) in Community Corrections: Probation, Parole and Intermediate Sanctions (1998).
of San Francisco in the November 2011 election
. His campaign has been endorsed by the San Francisco Democratic Party, the California Police Chiefs Association, United Educators of San Francisco, Service Employees International Union
(SEIU) Local 1021, Assemblymember
Tom Ammiano
, Supervisors
John Avalos
, Carmen Chu
and Eric Mar
, and former Mayor Art Agnos.
Onek has made his opposition to the death penalty a key component of his campaign for District Attorney. He has also been adamant about his desire to reform California's application of three strikes laws. Onek is also a strong proponent of juvenile justice reform and incorporating the process of restorative justice
.
.
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
of San Francisco.
Career
After Onek attended Brown UniversityBrown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
and Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...
, he received a Skadden Fellowship to work as a Staff Attorney at Legal Services for Children in San Francisco. Onek also served as a Senior Program Associate at the W. Haywood Burns Institute for Juvenile Justice Fairness and Equity in San Francisco.
Onek served in San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007...
’s Office of Criminal Justice. In that capacity, he helped spearhead the effort to commission a study of gun violence in San Francisco that led directly to San Francisco’s "zone strategy."
Onek served on the San Francisco Police Commission, where he advocated for modern upgrades such as CompStat
CompStat
CompStat—or COMPSTAT— is the name given to the New York City Police Department's accountability process and has since been replicated in many other departments...
.
Onek is the author of "Serious Gun Violence in San Francisco: Developing a Partnership-Based Violence Prevention Strategy" (with Anthony Braga and Tracey Meares) in Community Policing and Peacekeeping (2009); "Reducing Disproportionate Minority Confinement in Seattle: The W. Haywood Burns Institute Approach" (with James Bell and Michael Finley) in No Turning Back: Promising Approaches to Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities Affecting Youth of Color in the Justice System (2005); and "What Works with Juvenile Offenders? A Review of ‘Graduated Sanction’ Programs" (with Barry Krisberg and Elliott Currie) in Community Corrections: Probation, Parole and Intermediate Sanctions (1998).
Campaign for San Francisco District Attorney
Onek is running for District AttorneyDistrict attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
of San Francisco in the November 2011 election
San Francisco general elections, November 2011
The November 2011 San Francisco general elections will be held on November 8, 2011 in San Francisco, California. The elections include those for San Francisco mayor, district attorney, and sheriff, and eight ballot measures.-District attorney:...
. His campaign has been endorsed by the San Francisco Democratic Party, the California Police Chiefs Association, United Educators of San Francisco, Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union is a labor union representing about 1.8 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States , and Canada...
(SEIU) Local 1021, Assemblymember
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
Tom Ammiano
Tom Ammiano
Tom Ammiano is an American politician and LGBT rights activist from San Francisco, California. Ammiano is a Democrat who has served as a member of the California State Assembly since 2008, representing the 13th district...
, Supervisors
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco, California, United States.-Government and politics:...
John Avalos
John Avalos
John Avalos is a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors representing District 11. The district consists of Crocker-Amazon, Excelsior, Ingleside, Oceanview, and the Outer Mission districts. He was elected on November 4, 2008 in the 2008 San Francisco elections and took office on January...
, Carmen Chu
Carmen Chu
Carmen Chu is a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors representing District 4. In 2000, she earned a bachelor's degree in public policy from Occidental College, and in 2003, earned a master's degree in public policy from UC Berkeley...
and Eric Mar
Eric Mar
Eric Lee Mar is a California politician, previously serving on the San Francisco Board of Education and San Francisco County Democratic Central Committee. In 2008, he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors representing District 1.- Biography :...
, and former Mayor Art Agnos.
Onek has made his opposition to the death penalty a key component of his campaign for District Attorney. He has also been adamant about his desire to reform California's application of three strikes laws. Onek is also a strong proponent of juvenile justice reform and incorporating the process of restorative justice
Restorative justice
Restorative justice is an approach to justice that focuses on the needs of victims, offenders, as well as the involved community, instead of satisfying abstract legal principles or punishing the offender...
.
Personal
Onek was raised in Washington D.C.. His father worked in the Carter administration. Onek is married to Kara Dukakis, daughter of Michael DukakisMichael Dukakis
Michael Stanley Dukakis served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts from 1975–1979 and from 1983–1991, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts, also the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, and was the longest serving...
.
External links
- David Onek for San Francisco District Attorney
- Berkeley Law - Faculty Profiles
- Berkeley Law - The Criminal Justice Conversations Podcast with David Onek
- David Onek - Law Enforcement Facilitator
- Onek Wages Strong Challenge for D.A.
- D.A. Candidate David Onek Backed by Investigative Journalist Sy Hersh
- San Franciso Asks: What Makes a Good District Attorney?
- DA candidate Onek seeks to bridge law enforcement,communities
- The Safest Generation: Creating a Safer City by Reforming Our Juvenile Justice System