Michael A. Hestrin was elected as Riverside County District Attorney in June 2014 and sworn in to serve in this capacity on January 5, 2015. He was re-elected to a third term in 2022 and continues to hold the position of Riverside County District Attorney.

Born in the Coachella Valley, Hestrin graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson in 1993, earning a bachelor’s degree in history. Following his undergraduate studies, he spent a year living in Mexico with relatives while working as a reporter for a small newspaper based in Guadalajara. Hestrin then returned to the United States to pursue his legal education at Stanford University, where he graduated in 1997 with both a Juris Doctorate in Law and a master’s degree in Latin American studies.

Prior to his election as District Attorney, Hestrin dedicated nearly 20 years to serving as a line prosecutor in the Riverside County DA’s Office. Throughout his tenure, he handled numerous complex criminal cases, successfully prosecuting over 100 jury trials. He served as Trial Team Leader for the District Attorney’s Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit, demonstrating his commitment to seeking justice for victims of child abuse. Additionally, for the majority of his last decade before assuming office, he worked in the Homicide Unit, where he conducted more than 40 murder trials, including seven death penalty cases.

Throughout his tenure as District Attorney, Hestrin has remained steadfast in his commitment to ensuring public safety in our community. He has prioritized tough prosecution of serious and violent felonies, leading to the establishment of initiatives such as the DA’s Bureau of Investigation-led Gang Impact Team and Riverside County Child Exploitation Team. These multiagency teams are dedicated to aggressively investigating and prosecuting violent felons, child predators, and human traffickers. In 2021, Hestrin took a firm stance against drug dealers distributing fentanyl, a lethal substance causing detrimental harm to the community. Under his leadership, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has pursued aggressive prosecution of fentanyl dealers, including charging them with murder when supported by evidence.

DA Hestrin currently lives in Murrieta with his wife and children.