Mike Feuer

“I have a very expansive vision of the job,” Feuer said simply.

That’s putting it mildly. Though misdemeanor prosecutions are the Los Angeles City Attorney Office’s bread and butter, in recent months, Feuer has tackled targets such as Wells Fargo & Co., ivory traders, white supremacists, and the Trump administration, to name a few.

Feuer described himself as a big believer in reforming the criminal justice system. A significant portion of his office’s work is prosecution, but “merely prosecuting doesn’t ensure reductions in recidivism or advance public safety. We want to create a real sense of safety in a way that will make a lasting impact.”

A former city council member, Feuer said he holds strong feelings about the importance of neighborhoods, and has created programs focused on helping neighbors identify houses that may be a source of guns, gangs, drugs and safety concerns for families afraid to let their kids walk to school.

But Feuer has also set his sights on issues of a scale fitting a city the size of Los Angeles: recidivism, immigration, the Muslim travel ban, and hate crimes. He has been a vocal critic and active opponent of many White House policies. “I have a job that gives me the privilege of speaking out and of taking action,” Feuer said. “You’re going to see us continue to do that.”

After the Charlottesville protests, Feuer said he was deeply troubled by the president’s failure to unequivocally condemn hate groups. “I have very strong views on what it takes to be a leader in our nation right now. I think no one can abdicate the responsibility each of us has at this moment … to be very strong in our rejection of white supremacists and neo-Nazis and to affirm our common humanity.”

Now’s not the time to play it safe, Feuer said. “I see great risk in standing by the sidelines. I see great risk in indifference, throwing up your hands and saying, ‘I can’t do anything about this.’ I do not want to look back and think there was any step I was empowered to take that I didn’t. I think that this is going to be one of those eras that defines who we are as a nation.”

— L.J. Williamson