Melinda J. Murray

As a deputy district attorney, Murray is part of the Parole Division, where she prosecutes paroled sex offenders and gang members. She started with the office in 1991 prosecuting misdemeanor domestic violence cases and found she had a knack for it.

“I found I had a good rapport with victims and I had good results in my trials,” Murray recalled.

She followed up: receiving training and mentorship by going to seminars and classes on DNA, domestic homicide, sexual assault and child abuse. Murray said throughout her time as a prosecutor in Los Angeles County, she has focused on sex crimes and gang violence.

“I always knew I wanted to represent the underdog,” Murray said. “I think sometimes the victims of crimes don’t get a voice, and the victims of domestic violence and gang violence often don’t get a voice.”

Murray also has an extensive list of extracurriculars. She was the president of the John M. Langston Bar Association of Los Angeles in 2013 and she is the vice president of the California Association of Black Lawyers. She was also recently elected president of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, a five-member panel designed to guide policy and education of city and state law as it relates to campaign financing, governmental ethics, lobbying and contracts.

Murray is the first African American woman to be elected president of the commission, which was launched in 1990 as mandated by voters. She was appointed to serve on the commission by City Council President Herb Wesson in 2017 and quickly made herself stand out with an aggressive effort to reform campaign finance rules for elected officials in Los Angeles. That included drafting and presenting a proposal to the City Council Rule Committee to ban contributions from developers and revise the matching funds rule, making it easier for non-wealthy donors to contribute.

“I think I provide a voice of reason as a lawyer who can get in the trenches of the issue,” Murray said of her contributions to the commission.

— Paula Lehman-Ewing