Kamala's Call

Kamala's call: San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris once again finds herself in the spotlight over her no-death-penalty stance - and it could come back to haunt her.


Harris, who is considering a run for state attorney general in 2010, was asked very publicly by the woman whose husband and two sons were slain on the street last week to seek the death penalty for their alleged killer, a suspected gang member.

It's not the first time Harris has been put on the spot over her death penalty stand.

Shortly after taking office, she came under fire from the Police Officers Association for not seeking the death penalty for the killer of Officer Isaac Espinoza.

Harris has since turned such decisions over to a committee of prosecutors in her office. But whether she likes it or not, the call is ultimately hers.

"It's something she is very aware of," said one source close to Harris. "Believe me, she sympathizes with the family - but she has her convictions as well."

Besides, if she changed now, what would she tell the cops about her decision in the Espinoza case?

Harris' camp is also keenly aware that while her opposition to capital punishment plays well in liberal San Francisco, it's a whole other story in a state election.

"If there is any issue that has had consistent solid support among voters statewide, it's the death penalty," said Mark DiCamillo of the Field Poll.

How solid? Better than 2-1, he says.

(source: San Francisco Chronicle)