EARLY CAREER

In 1984, Rod Pacheco began his career as a Deputy District Attorney for Riverside County. He quickly advanced to the level of Senior Deputy District Attorney, specializing in homicide and death penalty cases. During his last 10 years at the District Attorney’s Office, Pacheco won every case he prosecuted, including five death penalty cases.

His effectiveness and dedication to public safety was acknowledged in 1984 when he was named “Prosecutor of the Year” in the Juvenile Crime Division. In 1987 Pacheco received the “Outstanding Achievement Award” and in 1994 he received the “Special Achievement Award” for his work in the District Attorney’s Criminal Division.

CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE

Seeking a more comprehensive impact on public safety, Pacheco ran for the California State Assembly in 1996. With his victory, he became the first Latino Republican elected to the State Assembly in more than a century. He was elected Leader of the Republican caucus, marking the first time in the state’s history that a Latino has served in that capacity.

Drawing upon his experience working with the law enforcement community, Assemblyman Pacheco sought greater protections for the men and women of law enforcement. During his first term in office, Assemblyman Pacheco authored the successful Proposition 222 – “The Peace Officer’s Safety Initiative” – which prohibited the possibility of parole for the murder of a peace officer. Proposition 222 garnered nearly 80% of California voters’ support on the June 1998 ballot.

In honor of Pacheco’s commitment to victims and the criminal justice system, numerous public safety associations recognized his efforts and named him “Legislator of the Year”. They included Crime Victims United of California, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, the California Department of Forestry Firefighters Association, the California District Attorney’s Association and the California Highway Patrol. On a local level, the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association and the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Riverside County also honored him.

Pacheco’s commitment to public service and to victims of crime attracted the attention of significant nonprofit organizations. KidSafe, dedicated to protecting children, and the Doris Tate Crime Victims Bureau, committed to protecting victims of crime, each named him to their board of directors as an honorary member. In his district, he served as a board member of the University of California at Riverside Friends of Education and the Fender Museum of Music and the Arts.

During his first term in the legislature he served as the Vice-Chairman of the Education Committee and the Select Committee on Education Technology. His efforts resulted in numerous advances for California’s schools, most notably was a major investment in textbooks and a concerted push for stronger school accountability, increased safety measures in schoolyards, and the implementation of statewide testing standards.

As an Assemblyman, the California School Boards Association and the University of California Alumni Association recognized his commitment to education at all levels when both groups named Rod Pacheco their “Legislator of the Year.”

In 2000, Assemblyman Pacheco formed a bipartisan legislative coalition aimed at reforming the Cal Grant system to ensure that all eligible students would be provided the resources they need to attend college. The legislation passed both houses of the State Legislature and was signed into law. John Mockler, then California Secretary of Child Development, hailed its passage as “…the most significant educational reform since the G.I. bill.” Assemblyman Pacheco was honored by the California State University Students Association as their “Legislator of the Year” for this achievement.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

In 2002, Assemblyman Pacheco concluded his legislative service and returned to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office as a Chief Deputy District Attorney. In 2003, Pacheco was promoted to Assistant District Attorney for the Western Division.

Having served more than 20 years as District Attorney, Grover Trask announced in his retirement at the end of his term in 2006. Shortly thereafter, Pacheco announced his intent to run for District Attorney in 2006. Pacheco was endorsed by the outgoing District Attorney, the Sheriff, four county supervisors, and all Public Safety Associations, including the Riverside County Deputy District Attorneys Association.

On June 6, 2006, Rod Pacheco was elected District Attorney of Riverside County. He faced no opposition in his election and officially began his term on January 1, 2007.

In his first term, DA Pacheco identified several priorities: (1) curbing gang violence; (2) monitoring and investigating sexual predators; (3) protecting our democratic institutions by investigating public corruption; (4) protecting our environment; and (5) protecting victims and enforcing their rights.

Proclaiming the office motto, “A Victim’s Voice Will Be Heard,” Pacheco has rededicated the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office to the cause of victims’ rights. Recognizing the need for greater enforcement of these rights, Pacheco created the Victims’ Rights Project. The project is a coordinated effort to enumerate and provide all rights guaranteed to victims and their families. (For more information on the Victims’ Rights Project: Click this link)

Additionally, Pacheco hosts a weeklong series of events in observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The events aim to remember victims, empower survivors, and honor criminal justice champions. One part of the week involves a March for Victims’ Rights. The goal of the march is to reaffirm the office’s commitment to justice and to ensure that victims and their families not only have a voice in the criminal justice system, but also that they are not alone. The powerful event has grown in size and scope every year since its inception in 2007. In 2008, nearly 4,000 people crowded the downtown Riverside location and let their voices be heard. (For more information on Victims’ Rights Week: Click this link)

Pacheco has also made curbing gang violence a top priority. In 2007, under his direction, the District Attorney’s Office filed the county’s first gang injunction, targeting one of the region’s most dangerous gangs, based in the City of Riverside. In 2008, a second injunction was filed against another deadly gang, this time in Cathedral City, in the county’s Coachella Valley. (For more information on Gang Injunctions: Click this link)

The District Attorney’s Office also has a major role in the Riverside County Gang Task Force, a multi-agency coalition aimed at curbing gang proliferation through suppression, intervention and prevention. In 2008 and 2009, Pacheco held a Gang Summit that brought peace officers from all over California. This extensive training program presented new, innovative practices with the latest information about gangs. Through these actions, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office has clearly defined itself as one of the state’s leading agencies in the crusade against gang violence.

During Pacheco’s first term, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office also collaborated on the countywide Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement, a multi-agency task force that uses the combined expertise and resources of various law enforcement agencies to create five regional units (the Eastern Region, Corona Region, Central Region, Southwest Region, and Riverside and Moreno Valley Region) throughout Riverside County. The five Riverside County SAFE Team Regional Units focus their efforts on proactive sex offender monitoring, inspections of registrants and their address of record, surveillance of serial and violent offenders, warrant sweeps, fugitive apprehension, and group home monitoring and inspections. All this in effort to curb the high recidivism rate among sex offenders. (For more information on the SAFE Task Force: Click this link)

Pacheco currently serves on the board of directors of the La Sierra University Foundation, Shelter from the Storm, the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Foundation and the Law Enforcement Appreciation Committee, a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring law enforcement officers. He is also the Chairman of the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA) Capital Litigation Committee, which focuses on capital punishment issues, policies, and strategies on the death penalty.

BACKGROUND

Pacheco has been a resident of the Inland Empire for more than 40 years. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980 at the University of California, Riverside and in 1983 earned his Law Degree at the University of San Diego Law School.

Pacheco resides in Riverside with his wife, Rebecca, and their four children.

AWARDS

Since his election, Pacheco has been honored with multiple awards, including:

• Top 100 Influential Lawyers In California by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals for 2007
• District Attorney of the Year Award from the Crime Victims’ Action Alliance (Formerly the Doris Tate Foundation) for 2007
• The Latinos of Distinction Community Service of the Year Award for 2007
• Governor Schwarzenegger’s Crime Victim Advocacy Award for 2008
• Justice for Homicide Victims’ “Ellen Griffin Dunne Victim Advocate Award” for 2009

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