Diana Becton

Diana Becton, also known as Diana Becton Smith[1] (born August 16, 1951) is a former trial judge and is currently the first female African American to be elected district attorney in the history of Contra Costa County in California.

Diana Becton
Born (1951-08-16) August 16, 1951
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materSan Francisco State University and Golden Gate University School of Law
OccupationDistrict attorney, lawyer, judge
EmployerContra Costa County
PredecessorMark Peterson
WebsiteOfficial website

Career

Becton was sworn in September 18, 2017.[2] She was criticized for plagiarizing portions of her district attorney employment application.[3]

She was admitted to the State Bar of California on December 11, 1986, and her attorney status is active. She became a judge on November 28, 1995.[4] Becton served for 22 years as a Contra Costa County Superior Court judge.[5]

She was a temporary mid-term appointment to replace Mark Peterson, who voluntarily stepped down because of allegations that he had improperly spent campaign contributions and after he pled no contest to perjury.[6][7] In July 2017 he was suspended by the state bar.[8] In 2018, she was elected to the DA position.[9]

On July 7, 2020, Diana Becton charged two residents of Contra Costa with a hate crime for allegedly defacing a Black Lives Matter mural. [10]

Personal life

Becton grew up in East Oakland.[11] She resides in El Sobrante, California.[2]

See also

References
  1. ABC30 staff (December 30, 2009). "Boy charged in Portola Middle School rape pleads not guilty". ABC30 Fresno. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  2. "Recently retired judge selected as Contra Costa Co. D.A." KTVU. Bay City News. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on October 4, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  3. Taylor Jr., Otis R. (September 18, 2017). "New Contra Costa district attorney has chance to make a difference". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  4. The State Bar of California (2017). "Attorney Search: The State Bar of California". members.calbar.ca.gov. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  5. Veklerov, Kimberly (September 13, 2017). "Judge picked as interim Contra Costa County district attorney". SFGate. Archived from the original on September 3, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  6. Alvero, Erika (September 19, 2017). "Diana Becton sworn in as Contra Costa district attorney". Embarcadero Media. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  7. Winton, Richard (June 14, 2017). "Contra Costa County district attorney resigns, pleads no contest to felony perjury – LA Times". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  8. Gartrell, Nate (July 28, 2017). "State bar suspends Contra Costa DA Mark Peterson as likely disbarment looms; special counsel appointed". eastbaytimes.com. East Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  9. "These 3 Women Could Change the California Justice System for Good". San Diego Free Press. March 12, 2018. Archived from the original on September 3, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  10. NBCBayArea (June 7, 2020). "2 Martinez Residents Charged With Hate Crime After Defacing BLM Mural". NBCBayArea. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  11. "Opinion: Diana Becton Becomes First Woman and Person of Color to be Elected  – Oakland Post". Oakland Post. June 23, 2018. Archived from the original on September 3, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
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