Prosecutors at the Shasta County District Attorney’s office work a lot.
Brian Ziegler focuses on drug crimes. He said he probably manages hundreds of cases at any one time. District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett said the workload is the same as counties with double the resources, and her deputies are buckling under the pressure.
As vacancies pile up, Bridgett says Shasta County needs to pay more to attract prosecutors who would otherwise choose higher-paying jobs in California’s urban counties. At stake is whether a rural county can afford to be tough on crime.
JPR reporter Roman Battaglia reports on an unresolved problem in Shasta County in his report: High workloads strain the Shasta County DA’s office. More pay may not fix it. Roman joins the Exchange to discuss the challenges facing the DAs office.
