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Sonoma County District Attorney
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Meet the DA

Attorney PassalacquaIn March of 2002, Stephan R. Passalacqua was elected as the youngest District Attorney in the state of California. Inaugurated on January 6, 2003 as the 35th District Attorney for the County of Sonoma, District Attorney Passalacqua promised consistency in the application of equal justice under the law in protecting our communities. In June of 2006, he was elected to a second term. On January 9, 2007, he took the oath of office for four more years.

Mr. Passalacqua was born and raised in Sonoma County. He is the fourth generation of Italian-Irish heritage. His parents, a retired teacher and lawyer who both were actively involved in their community, instilled in him a strong commitment to pubic service and respect for the elderly.

Mr. Passalacqua attended public schools and became a standout student-athlete in high school football, basketball and tennis. He enrolled at the University of California at Davis, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Spanish in 1985. He is bi-lingual in Spanish. While attending Davis, he was a member of the varsity track team, a writer for the California Aggie, and he studied abroad at the Institute of European Studies in Madrid, Spain.

Mr. Passalacqua received his Law Degree from Santa Clara University School of Law with distinction as a Public Interest Scholar. At Santa Clara, he served as President of the Student Bar Association, worked as a law clerk for the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and for Justice William A. Ingram, of the United States District Court.  Also, he attended the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

In January 1989, retired District Attorney Gene L. Tunney who served as DA from 1972 to 1994, hired Mr. Passalacqua as a Deputy District Attorney.  He has played a key role in fighting crime and gained recognition for his fair, tough and effective prosecution of complex cases including sexual assaults, domestic violence and other violent crimes. Throughout his career, Mr. Passalacqua has fought to prevent and reduce the incidence of crime in Sonoma County. As District Attorney, his top priority is crime prosecution, but his goals are crime prevention and to expand services to victims of crime.

Mr. Passalacqua has taken a leadership role locally and statewide. He served as a mentor with Social Advocates for Youth, a member of the Advisory Board for Kidstreet Learning Center, past Board member for Community Support Network, and a volunteer with the American Cancer Society. In 2003, he created a homicide unit to ensure that the most experienced prosecutors are handling the most serious cases in an effective manner. In 2004, he successfully received a federal grant from the Department of Justice to hold events during National Crime Victims Rights week for the first time in the history of the District Attorney’s office.  In May 2005, the DA’s office held a public-private Elder Abuse Summit in Sonoma County with one of the largest turnouts statewide to raise the public awareness of the financial exploitation of our seniors. In October 2006 his office hosted the first statewide Ca. Gang Summit to raise public awareness of the regional nature of gang activity throughout the state. In 2007, the District Attorney published the first Report to the People, highlighting the efforts of this office in ensuring public safety for the people of Sonoma County. District Attorney Passalacqua is a founding member of the Santa Rosa Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force and serves on the Board of Directors for the Sonoma County Bar Association. Presently, he is a co-chair for the elder abuse committee of the CA District Attorneys' Association, and the President of the Sonoma County Chiefs Law Enforcement Association and on the Advisory Board for Hope Works.