Blog note: the new district attorney is a former grand juror in Monterey County. We see this as newsworthy on a grand jury news blog.
Jeannine Pacioni has officially taken over the Monterey County District Attorney's Office, becoming the first female top prosecutor in the county's history.
Pacioni was sworn in at the county board of supervisors' chambers Monday afternoon, replacing Dean Flippo, who served as the DA for 28 years.
Pacioni won her election unchallenged in 2018. Flippo said she joins Monterey County Public Defender Susan Chapman and Monterey County Superior Court Presiding Judge Lydia M. Villarreal in key court leadership posts.
"The criminal justice system in Monterey County is run by women," Pacioni said, adding that a majority of the county's judicial bench and prosecutors are women as well.
A graduate of North Arizona University and the University of San Diego School of Law, Pacioni began at the DA's office in 1992 as a deputy DA.
There she worked until 2001, when she left to spend time with her three children, before returning in 2009.
During that break, she served as the grand juror of the Monterey County Civil Grand Jury. She has also served on various boards, such as the Monterey Rape Crisis Center's board and the Child Abuse Prevention Council.
In 2014, she became an assistant DA, her position prior to her election as DA.
She's worked on cases involving sexual assault, human trafficking, gangs and elder abuse. She also championed the county-wide Sexual Assault Response Team to help victims of sexual assault.
"She is an action person," Flippo said. "You're going to be amazed at the projects she's going to accomplish."
Pacioni's swearing in as a new DA is the first for Monterey County since Flippo took the post in 1991.
"It's not something we do very often in Monterey County," said Berkley Brannon, chief assistant DA.
January 8, 2019
Salinas Californian
By Joe Szydlowski
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