Mark Peterson (district attorney)

Mark A. Peterson is an American Republican politician who served as the district attorney for Contra Costa County in California from 2010 to 2017. Peterson resigned after a scandal involving the use of campaign funds for personal use.

Mark A. Peterson
District Attorney for Contra Costa County, California
In office
2010 – June 14, 2017
Personal details
BornAugust 1958 (age 65)[1]
Political partyRepublican

Early life and education

Peterson was raised in Anchorage, Alaska. He obtained a Bachelors of Arts degree in history from the University of Colorado, and went on to earn a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Denver law school.[2]

Early political career

Prior to being elected district attorney for Contra Costa County, Peterson served on the city council of Concord, California. He was first elected to the Concord City Council in 1995, and served on the council until 2010, when he resigned to take over as district attorney for Contra Costa County. During his tenure on the Concord City Council, he served as mayor three times.[2][3][4]

District attorney

Peterson was elected to the position of district attorney of Contra Costa County in 2010. In 2014 he was re-elected, running unopposed.[5]

Scandal

In December 2016 Peterson admitted that between 2011 and 2015 he used $66,372 from his campaign account for personal expenses such as groceries, jewelry store bills and movie tickets over 600 times. He had to pay a $45,000 fine to the California Fair Political Practices Commission. Peterson fully reimbursed his campaign account after being audited by tax authorities. In June 2017, Xavier Becerra, the California Attorney General, opened a criminal investigation against Peterson.[6] On June 14, 2017, Peterson pleaded no contest to one count of perjury as part of a plea bargain agreement in which all 12 other charges were dropped. As part of his plea agreement, he resigned. His sentence carried three years of probation and 250 hours of community service.[5] The plea deal allowed him to keep his pension, estimated at $128,000 per year, with adjustments for inflation.[1]

Prior to his resignation, he was planning on running for reelection in 2018.[7]

Electoral history
Concord, California city council election, 2000
(top two elected)[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
N/A Mark Peterson 23,244 36.25%
N/A Bill McManigal 21,303 33.23%
N/A Marcus O'Connell 13,059 20.37%
N/A J.T. "Jack" Novak 6,508 10.15%
Concord, California city council election, 2004
(top two elected)[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
N/A Mark Peterson 27,362 44.90%
N/A William "Bill" Shinn 19,705 32.34%
N/A Harmon C. West 13,868 22.76%
Concord, California city council election, 2008
(top two elected)[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
N/A Mark Peterson 25,974 41.98%
N/A William "Bill" Shinn 24,066 38.90%
N/A La Shawn B. Wells 11,566 18.69%
N/A Write-in candidates 267 0.43%
Contra Costa County, California district attorney primary election, 2010[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
N/A Mark Peterson 82,774 47.44%
N/A William "Dan" O'Malley 63,700 36.51%
N/A Elle B. Falahat 27,403 15.70%
N/A Write-in candidates 610 0.35%
Contra Costa County, California district attorney general election, 2010[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
N/A Mark Peterson 163,810 57.43%
N/A Dan O'Malley 120,408 42.21%
N/A Write-in candidates 1,015 0.36%
Contra Costa County, California district attorney primary election, 2014[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
N/A Mark Peterson 109,814 98.65%
N/A Write-in candidates 1,503 1.35%

References
  1. Borenstein, Daniel (July 5, 2017). "Borenstein:Plea deal protected felon Contra Costa DA's pension". East Bay Times.
  2. "District Attorney Biography".
  3. Thissen, Paul (November 10, 2010). "Concord City Council to appoint new member to fill Mark Peterson's seat". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved Jun 20, 2016.
  4. "Conservative Progress". 30 January 2013.
  5. Winton, Richard (June 14, 2017). "Contra Costa County district attorney resigns, pleads no contest to felony perjury". Los Angeles Times.
  6. Veklerov, Kimberly (June 9, 2017). "Contra Costa County DA is under criminal investigation". San Francisco Chronicle.
  7. Borenstein, Daniel (April 27, 2017). "Borenstein: Despite illegally using funds, DA Peterson seeks re-election". East Bay Times. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  8. "Contra Costa County Direct General Election Tuesday, November 7, 2000" (PDF). Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  9. "Contra Costa County Direct General Election Tuesday, November 2, 2004". Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  10. "Contra Costa County Direct General Election Tuesday, November 4, 2008". Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  11. "Contra Costa County Direct Primary Election Tuesday, June 8, 2010". Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters. June 8, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  12. "Contra Costa County Direct General Election Tuesday, November 2, 2010". Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters. November 2, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  13. "Contra Costa County Direct Primary Election Tuesday, June 3, 2014". Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters. June 3, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
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