Our criminal justice system is completely broken.

We are spending so much on our prisons that we have practically bankrupted the state – draining resources away from the things that would actually make us safer, like more cops on the street, more teachers in our schools, and more services in our communities.

At the same time, seven out of ten people who come out of prison return within three years. We need to dramatically overhaul the system to prevent crime and make our communities safer.

We have a unique opportunity right now – this Tuesday – to move away from the status quo and towards a system that works. I’m running for District Attorney because I believe we must keep violent offenders off the street and focus on preventing crime with better education, job training and drug treatment.

I’ve earned the support of San Francisco’s teachers and six of the seven School Board members because I am the only candidate with a clear plan – The Safest Generation – to keep our kids in school and out of the criminal justice system.

I have spent the last twenty years bringing law enforcement and the community together to build collaboration around pragmatic criminal justice reforms. My proven record of success is why I have been endorsed by an incredibly diverse coalition including Sheriff Michael Hennessey, the San Francisco Democratic Party, San Francisco’s teachers, the California Police Chiefs Association, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, the Sierra Club, the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, and thousands more.

Currently, we are wasting our resources on programs and policies that just don’t work. I will look at every aspect of our criminal justice system closely to determine what is working and what isn’t. I have three criteria to determine what works and what doesn’t:

– Does it make us safer?
– Is it cost effective?
– Is it fair and equitable?

If the answer to these questions are “no,” then it is not something we will continue.

I have rigorously applied these criteria to the death penalty – which is why I am the only candidate who has been consistently and unequivocally opposed to the death penalty for my entire career and this entire campaign.

We need new leadership. We need someone with the courage to do away with a status quo that isn’t making us safer and is costing us too much.

I hope you will visit my website, www.DavidOnek.com, to learn more about our grassroots campaign. And I hope I’ve earned your vote.