What to know about Kamala Harris’ California prosecutor career

In her fast-tracked campaign for the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic party have zealously embraced her past as attorney general, framing voters’ choice as one between a criminal prosecutor and a convicted felon.

The theme was impossible to miss at the Democratic National Convention in August, as supporters repeatedly referenced her career in criminal justice. But those who are pro-Harris aren’t the only ones talking about her prosecutor legacy in California.

Presidential debate live updates: What time will Kamala Harris, Donald Trump face off

Some critics have said Harris was too cautious about wading into hot-button issues during her time in law enforcement, and progressives say she didn't follow through with her reformist ideas.

Others have said she was too tough and supported policies in line with mass incarceration.

But Harris’ career as a criminal prosecutor in the Bay Area and later as the state’s attorney general is not without consequential accomplishments.

From public prosecutor to California's 'top cop'

After earning her law degree at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, in 1989, Harris joined the Alameda County district attorney’s office. During her eight years there, she specialized in prosecuting child sexual assault cases. In 2003, she won her first election to become San Francisco’s district attorney. Harris served as San Francisco’s top prosecutor until 2010 before again moving up in the ranks through another successful election run.

Harris became California's attorney general after narrowly beating Republican Steve Cooley by 0.5% of a percentage point. She stayed in the role as the state's chief law enforcement officer until 2017, when she took office as one of California's U.S. senators.

'Back on Track' program and shutting down Backpage.com

Over the course of her career in law enforcement, Harris earned a reputation as tough on sexual abuse, human trafficking and organized crime, and did not shy away from pursuing incarceration — as was the predominant attitude toward criminal justice at the time. However, she also supported programs as attorney general that were considered reformist, and pushed back against a ban on same-sex marriage and capital punishment.

Harris is credited with implementing one of the most successful programs to reduce recidivism rates of first-time criminal offenders in the nation. Her version of “Back on Track” has become a model for many other states in the nearly two decades since. It gives first-time, non-violent offenders the chance to enroll in education and job training courses and therapy, providing them with skills and resources to build a stable, non-criminal life after serving their sentence.

In the final months of her time as California's lead prosecutor, she pursued pimping charges against then-CEO of Backpage.com, an online classifieds site similar to Craigslist that was well-known for its “adult services” section shown to be used by sex traffickers.

The case met obstacles, however, on the basis of its legal argument and First Amendment protections afforded to the online platform. A superior court judge threw out the case, but Harris’ successor, former Attorney General Xavier Becerra, revived the case on adjusted charges. The platform was successfully shut down, and CEO Carl Ferrer pled guilty to money laundering and conspiracy to facilitate prostitution.

Criticisms of her time as attorney general

Harris has been accused of being too eager to imprison people for marijuana-related offenses while attorney general, earning her the nickname of "Kamala the Cop." A report by Reuters found her office pursued 1,956 misdemeanor and felony convictions for "marijuana possession, cultivation, or sale," though most did not serve jail time. Harris has since said she supports decriminalizing marijuana.

In 2010, when Harris was district attorney for San Francisco, a case against a reality TV star ended in embarrassment and a $13 million bill to the city. Jamal Trulove was arrested in 2008 (before Harris took office) in connection with a fatal shooting after an alleged witness saw him on a reality TV show and told authorities he was the shooter. One of Harris' deputies took the case to court in 2010, which resulted in a false conviction later overturned, and a lawsuit against the city.

One of Harris’ most controversial policies while district attorney was her direction to pursue anti-truancy laws, resulting in charges against a few parents whose children were repeatedly absent from school.

Kathryn Palmer is an elections fellow for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @KathrynPlmr.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: What did Kamala Harris do as attorney general of California