D.A. to talk about gangs and human trafficking at Wake Up Newport event

By Hannah FryStaff Writer

Feb. 2, 2016 4:02 PM PT

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas will discuss gang violence, human trafficking and other public safety issues during Thursday’s Wake Up Newport event.

Rackauckas will also discuss the effects of Assembly Bill 109, which aims to reduce state prison populations by shifting prisoners to county jails, and Proposition 47, which reduced several nonviolent felony crimes to misdemeanors.

Rackauckas joined the D.A.’s office in 1972 as a deputy district attorney. He was elected district attorney in 1998 and was reelected in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.

Most recently, his office has been embroiled in controversy regarding the use of jailhouse informants.

Wake Up Newport, hosted by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, will begin at 7:15 a.m. at the Newport Beach Public Library Friends Room, 100 Avocado Ave.

Hannah Fry

Hannah Fry covers breaking news for the Los Angeles Times. She most recently covered Orange County for The Times and has written extensively about criminal trials, housing, politics and government. In 2020, Fry was part of the team that was a Pulitzer finalist for its coverage of a boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of Santa Barbara. Fry came to The Times from the Daily Pilot, where she covered coastal cities, education and crime. An Orange County native, Fry started her career as an intern at the Orange County Register.