Duties and Responsibilities

The Santa Barbara County District Attorney has six offices in three locations in the County-Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Lompoc. The Office has 148 employees, including 52 attorneys.

The District Attorney is elected by the People for a four-year term of office.

The staff of the District Attorney's Office is selected and promoted under Civil Service Rules. The District Attorney may appoint two Assistant District Attorneys, one in North County and one in South County.

The Office consists of both Criminal and Civil Divisions. The Civil Division has a Consumer/Business Law section and an Environmental and Zoning Unit. Within the Criminal Division, the primary responsibility is the prosecution of felony and misdemeanor offenses that are referred to the department by the law enforcement community. Several specialized vertical prosecution units have been established to handle domestic violence, major narcotic vendors, elder abuse, gang violence, workers' compensation fraud, and sexual assault cases. In 1997, a countywide Truancy Prevention and Intervention Program was implemented.

The District Attorney's budget for the fiscal year 2006-2007 is $16,347,300. Projected revenue offsets for the District Attorney Office's criminal operations total $7,462,500.

Investigative activities of the Office are the responsibility of the Bureau of Investigation which is comprised of 16 sworn peace officers, 7 welfare fraud investigators and 6 support personnel. The department also has an NSF Bad Check and Consumer Mediation Program.

The Office includes an active Victim/Witness Advocacy Program. This unit assists victims of violent crimes in obtaining restitution, coordinates witness appearances and handles counseling and referral information for the victims of domestic violence. The Program is also responsible for verifying claims for losses victims experienced as a result of crime, and now determines and expedites financial recovery.

As the year 2000 ended, so did the District Attorney's responsibilities for Child Support enforcement. Pursuant to a new state law, responsibility was shifted to a new state agency and local operations transitioned to a new Department of Child Support Services. The District Attorney remains responsible and contracts with the new department to provide arrest, criminal investigation and prosecution services.