When East Indian American attorney Sajid Khan announced his candidacy for Santa Clara County District Attorney (DA), he didn’t expect his ethnicity to be used against him politically.
Khan, a Democrat, is challenging the incumbent Santa Clara County DA, Jeff Rosen, who is also a Democrat
“He has been relatively quiet in specifically addressing me by name but we have seen some rhetoric from his emails to his supporters and things that he's put out publicly where he has said that he is being challenged by extremists or extreme leftists,” Khan told Southern California Record.
Rosen, a three-term incumbent, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“It's been unfortunate that my communities have often been labeled as extremists and that despite the fact that I've been a public defender in this county for more than 13 and a half years, that I'm a well-respected lawyer in Santa Clara County and across the state, and that I'm an expert in the areas of the criminal legal system, my opponent is trying to paint me as an extremist in this very ugly way,” Khan said. “That’s very troublesome on a number of levels.”
This is just one obstacle that Khan faces as a person of color trying to become Santa Clara County’s next elected DA.
“There is this very real demand of financial resources that perhaps makes it harder for people of color to run for these seats of power and then there's also the political fabric in Santa Clara County that is relatively well-established,” Khan said.
“It can be hard to break into that fabric as an outsider or as someone who does not have immediate or personal connections to the local Democratic party establishment or other parts of the local political establishment. There do appear to be some barriers that would prevent, or inhibit persons of color who may be outside of those financial and political circles from taking on this type of significant undertaking.”
Before an individual can be elected DA, they must first graduate from law school, but, according to State Bar of California data, 68% of attorneys were white in 2019 compared to only 32% who were people of color.
“The criminal legal system has had a disproportionate discriminatory impact on people, families, and communities of color and so it's critical that we have diversity both within and at the top of DA offices to address this generational harm that has been inflicted by the criminal legal system upon communities of color,” said Khan.
“That’s why it’s important to have leaders that come from the communities that they serve, that represent the communities that they serve and who are mindful of the realities of the impact that the criminal legal system has had on communities of color and are actively and affirmatively working to address those inequities.”
The California District Attorney Association Foundation (CDAAF) is aiming to improve the number of prosecutors of color statewide with its Prosecutor’s Diversity Project. On Nov. 2, the CDAAF hosted a virtual town hall called Journey to Increasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in California District Attorney Offices.
“There are organizations that have been popping up like the Working Families Party, or this group called Run For Something where they are recognizing the dearth of people of color who are running for local offices and trying to establish a more level playing field by identifying candidates of color who otherwise might go unnoticed and then providing them intellectual and financial resources to help them enter what can otherwise be a very complicated and daunting process,” Khan added.