Santa Barbara County District Attorney Christie Stanley formally announced Tuesday that she will not seek re-election in next year’s race for the seat.
“I had originally planned to run for re-election for a second term as district attorney, but many considerations led me to the opposite decision,” Stanley said in a news release Tuesday morning. “A key factor in my decision is a desire to singularly focus my attention and effort on the fight for public safety in our communities. The battle to keep unreasonable and unfair budget reductions from undermining our public safety mission was also a critical consideration. I will focus all of my energy toward addressing these crucial areas.”
Stanley’s announcement said nothing about her battle with lung cancer, which many say caused her to be absent around the district attorney’s office.
Her statement comes just one week after Senior Deputy District Attorney Joyce Dudley announced she will run in next year’s race.
Dudley was suddenly yanked off a sex-crimes case this summer for unknown reasons by Stanley, but later was reassigned the case. At her announcement last Tuesday, Dudley said her decision to run was not “out of disrespect for the person currently holding that position,” but spurred by a conviction that she and others within the DA’s office believed that the response to several critical circumstances was too slow or passive.
Stanley, elected in 2006, chose not to endorse Dudley, however, and instead named Chief Trial Deputy Joshua Lynn as her choice for the seat. This summer, Lynn prosecuted the Jesse James Hollywood murder trial, as well as the case of Leanna Patricia Arzate, who kidnapped a newborn from Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in February. She was sentenced two weeks ago to 11 years in prison.
Lynn, a Santa Barbara native, has served as a deputy district attorney for 14 years.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com.
