Stay strong, Kamala

SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT attorney Kamala Harris said during the fall campaign that she would never seek the death penalty, continuing the progressive policy of her predecessor, Terence Hallinan. So when it came time to prosecute David Hill – the man accused of shooting Officer Isaac Espinoza to death in the Bayview – Harris sought life in prison without the possibility of parole. This principled stand, consistent with the beliefs of most San Franciscans, should have surprised no one.

Yet the San Francisco Police Officers Association immediately went into attack mode, urging members and supporters to "persuade Ms. Harris to abandon her anti-death penalty conviction." The D.A.'s Office switchboard was flooded with angry calls. Things got even worse during the April 16 memorial for Espinoza: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, addressing a crowd of thousands, used the solemn occasion to demand that Harris seek the death penalty, drawing a rousing standing ovation and injecting ugly political pandering into the memorial.

Ironically, the POA and others have accused Harris of "politicizing" this incident, when Feinstein and the cops are doing the politicizing. Harris knows that San Francisco juries never vote for death anyway, that fear of execution doesn't deter crime, and that the death penalty is unfairly applied. And she knows that Hill will spend his life behind bars if he's convicted.

Although we didn't endorse Harris, she's done the right thing by refusing to bend on this case, and she deserves strong progressive support.