'Things are going to get better:' Incoming Kings County DA promises change. Can she deliver?
Nearly a week after her victory over the two-term incumbent Kings County District Attorney, Sarah Hacker stood outside of the superior courthouse.
She was congratulated on her win by people coming and going from the courthouse on a breezy Monday afternoon. Hacker's response to nearly all who shook her hand: "I'm excited for the people of Kings County."
The wellbeing of Kings County residents was at the heart of her campaign, with the slogan, "Justice for all."
"This was a campaign that was intended not just to reach the movers and shakers of Kings County, but all the people, no matter what background they came from," she said. "I'm very proud our campaign and workers were able to reach out and connect with people all over Kings County."
Although incumbent Keith Fagundes won his second election by a landslide, Hacker said she was confident going into Election Day.
"My team did a great job getting the word out," Hacker said. "We did a good job of laying out some of the problems that were presented with the last administration."
Hacker received nearly 59% of the vote — 9,958 to Fagundes' 6,840 votes. Because she has more than 50% of the vote, Hacker won the race outright and ended Fagundes' time as district attorney at the end of the year.
Taking a stand
Hacker admits that she didn't always have aspirations to run for political office.
"I was interested in politics when I was in college and high school," she said. "...After that I wasn't terribly interested in politics. I went to law school."
Hacker is an attorney with Dias Law Firm in Hanford. She served as a Kings County deputy district attorney from 2006 to 2015, alongside her opponent.
Fagundes was sworn in January 2015. Hacker left the office six weeks later.
She said that her then boss made it clear from the start that his employees were "going to be allegiant to him." In 2021, Hacker decided she'd seen enough when a lawsuit was filed by former Kings County District Attorney Chief Investigator Robert Waggle against Fagundes.
She filed papers to run for office in January.
"I saw what was going on at the DA's office and I couldn't stand by and watch it happen again," she said. "I couldn't watch the DA get elected again without an opponent after he'd been alleged to have treated his employees so poorly... I knew I had to stand up."
According to the Waggle lawsuit, Fagundes started making unwanted advances toward Waggle, described as a "heterosexual male," in 2018. When the employee rebuffed Fagundes, the district attorney started to retaliate, the claim stated.
Fagundes disputes all allegations made in the claim and said it is "riddled with falsities."
"It's shocking and surprising he's taking this position," Fagundes said during a 2021 interview with the Times-Delta. "It is what it is at the end of the day."
During her campaign, Hacker spoke out against Fagundes' decision to prosecute two Kings County mothers — Adora Perez and Chelsea Becker.
The women struggled with addiction and delivered stillborn babies who tested positive for methamphetamine. Fagundes filed charges against the women. Both cases were eventually thrown out, but not before the women spent years behind bars.
"He was prosecuting women for a crime that didn't exist," she said. "It's not like he was prosecuting them for a speeding ticket. This was a serious enough crime that warranted someone spending the rest of their life in prison."
Fagundes expressed his feelings regarding Hacker's winning campaign strategy.
"We ran a positive campaign resting on our accomplishments, and we did not resort to false campaign rhetoric," he wrote in an email to the Times-Delta. "Although many others expressed concern with my opponent’s ethical standards and inability to do the job, I chose not to repeat such things because I refuse to be hateful and negative toward others."
Hacker will be sworn into office in January.
Until then, she said she will be busy taking stock of the current situation at the DA's office. She has made several public records requests on different aspects of the office, including how many prosecutors have left the county in the last seven years.
Hacker believes that 70 prosecutors have left the office since 2015, roughly 10 employees per year.
"We are going to have to rebuild bridges," she said. "My opponent did not have an endorsement from a Kings County police chief other than from Corcoran PD. Everyone else either stayed neutral or endorsed me... for a police chief to stand by and not give an endorsement to a sitting DA, after working with them for seven years, definitely shows there were some problems with the relationship."
However, Fagundes said Hacker will "reap the benefit" of the work done during his administration.
"We have a well-established track record for being tough but fair on crime. My successor will reap the benefits of the great staff we have assembled and the great work we have done," Fagundes said. "If she is shows good judgment, she will continue the great policies we implemented with training and outreach."
'Things are going to get better'
Many local law enforcement officers are now wondering how the Kings County criminal justice system will change and if those changes will help.
Fagundes also has high hopes for the Hacker administration.
"I hope the staff and the community are treated with respect and dignity, and not the manner in which my opponent treated them and me with her unethical and illegal campaign tactics," he stated.
Hacker had a message to Kings County law enforcement: "Things are going to get better. I will be ready January 2023, with a plan in place."
Her top priorities are assembling a management team and assigning a DA investigator to the rural crimes unit.
"As the economy keeps taking a turn for the worst, we are going to see more and more thefts occur," she said. "I want to be proactive about ensuring our farmers and dairymen have law enforcement officers in place that will protect our economy."
Kings County homicide cases will also be reviewed to ensure cases don't linger in the system for decades.
Typically, homicide cases can take several years to resolve. According to Hacker, these cases are taking a considerable amount of time to go to trial in Kings County, which can result in severe consequences.
She pointed toward one Kings County case in particular — Steven Lomeli.
The 17-year-old boy was arrested in connection with a 2015 homicide. Lomeli sat in jail for seven years before his case went to trial last month. He was found not guilty within hours.
"This kid spent seven years of his life — from 17 to 24 — in custody on a case that the people couldn't prove," Hacker said. "That's a miscarriage of justice."
Hacker faces many unknowns but said the next six months will be an opportunity for her to become familiar with the office again and implement change in a legal and fair way.
"I'm relying on a lot of wise people who are going to give me good advice," she said. "I'm going to be very careful about how I put things together."
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Incoming Kings County DA promises change. Can she deliver?
