Diana Becton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Diana Becton
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| District Attorney of Contra Costa County | |
| Assumed office September 18, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Mark Peterson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 16, 1951 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | San Francisco State University (BA) Golden Gate University (JD) Pacific School of Religion (MTS) |
Diana Becton (born August 16, 1951) is a former trial judge. She is the first woman and first African American to be elected district attorney in Contra Costa County, California. A district attorney is a lawyer who represents the government in legal cases against people accused of crimes.
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Learning and Early Work
Diana Becton went to public schools in Oakland. She earned a college degree in Economics from San Francisco State University. Later, she got her law degree (called a J.D.) from Golden Gate University School of Law.
From 1979 to 1987, Becton helped manage housing projects for the city of Richmond. After that, she worked as a private lawyer from 1987 to 1995.
In 1995, Governor Pete Wilson chose Becton to be a judge for the Contra Costa County Superior Court. In 2011, her fellow judges chose her to be the presiding judge. This meant she was in charge of how the court was run.
Becton also has a Master's degree in Theology from the Pacific School of Religion. She served as a judge for 22 years.
Becoming District Attorney
On June 14, 2017, the previous Contra Costa County District Attorney, Mark Peterson, stepped down. He had misused money from his election campaign.
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors looked at many people who wanted the job. They chose Diana Becton from a group of 12 applicants. She said she wanted to work on criminal justice reform. This means making the justice system fairer. For example, she wanted to change how bail works. Bail is money paid to get out of jail before a trial.
People who supported Becton liked her work in the community. They also liked how she helped people who had been in prison get back into society. During the selection process, there was a question about her application. Becton admitted she had copied some parts of her written application. She said she did not mean to present those ideas as her own. She officially became the District Attorney on September 18, 2017.
Becton then ran for election to serve a full term as District Attorney. In June 2018, she won the election. This made her the first African-American person and the first woman to be elected District Attorney in the county's history. Her campaign received support from groups working for social justice.
Key Actions as District Attorney
In 2019, Becton started a special unit to review wrongful convictions. This unit looks at old cases to make sure people were fairly convicted. They dismissed three convictions that relied on the word of a police officer who was later accused of bad behavior. This information became known because of a new state law, SB 1421, which made some police records public.
On July 7, 2020, Becton's office charged two people with a hate crime. They were accused of damaging a Black Lives Matter mural.
In April 2021, Becton's office charged a former police officer, Andrew Hall. He was charged for the 2018 killing of Laudemer Arboleda during a traffic stop. Becton stated that Hall used "unreasonable and unnecessary force." A jury found Hall guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. In March 2022, Hall was sentenced to six years in prison.
In the June 2022 election, Becton won re-election. She campaigned on both public safety and making the justice system fairer. She noted that her messages about public safety and holding public officials accountable were important to voters.
Challenges in the Office
In July 2019, a high-ranking prosecutor, Phyllis Redmond, resigned. She mentioned disagreements with Becton's management style. Redmond said Becton did not ask for input from other prosecutors on important decisions. This included changes to a state murder law. This led to a prisoner being freed after their murder conviction was overturned. About 12 staff lawyers resigned around this time. Reports suggested that some staff members did not agree with Becton's progressive changes. These changes aimed for more alternatives to traditional "tough on crime" methods.
In 2019, another prosecutor, Mary Knox, complained that Becton had treated her unfairly. Knox said Becton demoted her after learning Knox supported Becton's opponent in the 2018 election. An administrative judge said Becton had not acted unfairly. However, in 2021, a county board disagreed with this finding. Knox later ran against Becton for District Attorney in 2022.
In February 2020, four women prosecutors sued Becton. They claimed they were treated unfairly because of their gender and age. They said they were demoted and not chosen for promotions.
Personal Life
Diana Becton grew up in East Oakland. She lives in El Sobrante, California.
In 2020, Becton married Dr. Alvin Bernstine, who is a pastor. Becton held an outdoor wedding at her home in August 2020. This was when the county had rules about gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Becton said she checked with county health services. She stated that she did everything she could to get the best information.
See also
- List of African-American jurists
- List of district attorneys by county
