Ventura DA names chief deputies from inside and outside

Recently appointed Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko is wasting no time filling vacancies on his management team.

Roughly two months after he replaced former DA Greg Totten, who resigned in January to take a position with the California District Attorneys Association, Nasarenko said Monday he has tapped two prosecutors as chief deputies, including a former supervisor from the Los Angeles County DA’s gang unit who previously prosecuted an officer in a cold murder case.

The moves come after Nasarenko recently demoted two chief deputies and transferred them to homicide and fraud units. “These moves enabled me to look for and hire two chief deputies who were best aligned with my vision and philosophy for the office,” Nasarenko said in an email. “I stated at the outset that I would bring one chief deputy on board from the outside and promote an internal candidate.”

The positions remained vacant until Monday, when Paul Nuñez and Rachelle H. Dean were hired to fill them.

Nuñez, a 25-year veteran of the LA DA’s Office, will oversee homicide, gang, drug, felony and public corruption cases, along with wiretaps and the use of the criminal grand jury. He previously served as an assistant head deputy with the LA DA’s gang division, where he supervised more than 15 specialized prosecutors.

He has tried 26 murder cases and has extensive experience investigating officer involved shootings, Nasarenko said. In 2012, Nuñez prosecuted former Los Angeles Police Officer Stephanie Lazarus for the 1986 murder of Sherri Rasmussen in Van Nuys, securing a murder conviction that was upheld on appeal.

“He has all the ingredients I was looking for,” Nasarenko said, adding that he’s the first Latino chief deputy in county history.

Dean, who has spent more than 20 years in the DA’s office, was promoted to fill the remaining vacancy. Dean previously oversaw several units including juvenile and grand felony trials, and she is known as the office’s point person for marijuana related expungements under Proposition 64, Nasarenko said.

“She knows the office inside and out and will be able to smoothly transition to the chief deputy role over justice services,” he said.

Dean will oversee writs, appeals, training and conviction integrity reviews, along with information technology tasks including upgrading the office’s computer system and archiving data.