May 11, 2012

Hon. Kamala D. HarrisOffice of the Attorney General1300 "I" StreetSacramento, CA 95814-2919

Dear Ms. Harris:

I have dedicated much of my professional life to serving the People of the State of California as a Hard-Core Gang Prosecutor, EnvironmentalProsecutor and now the Top Prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles.

It is essential that public prosecutors—in particular our District Attorneys—have an independent, non-political approach to their job. The integrityof our entire justice system is built on the notion that decisions made byour counties’ chief law enforcement officers are based on the law andnot on political considerations or personal feelings.

I am writing you today to formally request an investigation intosuspicious political activity taking place in the Los AngelesCounty District Attorney’s office.

As you may be aware, I am a candidate for District Attorney. I am theonly candidate running from outside the office. My opponents includefour current LA County Deputy District Attorneys, as well as the Chief Deputy District Attorney. The District Attorney has endorsed his Chief Deputy even filming a commercial from his office on the 18th Floor of theCriminal Courts Building: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_bBHQ-M0C8w#!

Over the course of the last several weeks, the Los Angeles Times hasbeen investigating facts surrounding an assault on me by a number of gang members at Green Meadows Park. The shooting occurred in 1985while I was at gang-related murder crime scene, as a Deputy DistrictAttorney, in the Hardcore Gangs Unit. I was fortunate to have survivedthat day. Were it not for the heroic efforts of former District AttorneyInvestigator Jim Bell, I would not have.

While demanding written documentation of the incident 27 years ago,the Los Angeles Times reporter, Jack Leonard, alerted me to the fact thatmy personnel file from the District Attorney’s office was missing. Thispersonnel file may have included information about security detail

 

assigned to protect my family and me during this time, commendationsand other documentation that speaks to my veracity, and the quality of my work as a frontline prosecutor.

I was disturbed to receive confirmation that my personnel file wasmissing from a District Attorney Spokesperson, who was quoted in anLos Angeles Times article stating, “ Trutanich's personnel file is one of many missing from that era and that its disappearance was first notedwhen Trutanich was running for city attorney, when he had Cooley'ssupport.”

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-trutanich-20120511,0,3749431,full.story

 This statement is shocking. Until recently, I have never requestedproduction or review of my personnel file, nor have I received notice thatanyone else had -- as required by law. The fact that the DistrictAttorney’s office admitted to losing custody and control over my recordsis bad enough. The possibility that records have been removed,tampered with or stolen in the course of a political campaign merits youroffice’s immediate review.

 The Primary Election for District Attorney is just three weeks away. Timeis of the essence. My political opponents are not entitled to mypersonnel file to use or hide for political gain. I have written a letter tothe District Attorney’s Office formally requesting my personnel recordsas well as a list of anyone who has requested and/or received access tomy personnel file. I have not received a response.

 Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Carmen A. TrutanichLos Angeles City Attorney