PLATFORM

James Cleavenger is running for Lane County District Attorney in an effort to improve the fairness and effectiveness of the criminal justice system in Lane County, by creating a more transparent and data-driven system of prosecution, while promoting alternatives to mass incarceration and increased mental health & addiction treatment services, in order to reduce recidivism.  

As a city administrator, licensed attorney, police officer, and former whistleblower, James Cleavenger is uniquely qualified to change the culture at the DA’s Office and to mend the office’s strained relationships with law enforcement agencies, community groups, and elected officials.  

The time has come for Lane County to break the cycle of nepotism that has plagued the DA’s Office for decades. James Cleavenger has a proven track record of being willing to stand up and fight for what is right, no matter the odds.  

Here’s what James Cleavenger stands for:

Fairness

Provide the same level of services and respect for the smaller communities outside Eugene.  Although I have primarily lived in Eugene for most of the 15 years I’ve been a Lane County resident, I’ve also had the honor of serving citizens as a Police Officer in 3 of the county’s smaller cities of Coburg, Junction City, and Oakridge.  In all of those communities, I have constantly heard citizens complain that the DA’s prosecution rates seem drastically lower than in Eugene, and it has only gotten worse.  This is simply not fair, just, or equitable. 

Increase Transparency

The current DA has continued her predecessor’s tendency to deny many public records requests, and has been reluctant to collect and release demographic data related to prosecutions, which has led to some mistrust of the office.

We can’t properly address the problems and inequities without the data to identify them.

Improve Trust & Communications with Law Enforcement

Allow Law Enforcement to release their own press statements and body camera videos after critical incidents.

Require informing the arresting agency every time someone they arrested is released from jail.

Stop the current practice of lobbying with the Sheriff to try to convince small towns to disband their local police departments in order for the Sheriff to create a “monopoly” on law enforcement services, which eliminates a community’s control over their law enforcement services and drains their budgets.

Cease the Nepotism

Ever wonder why 78% of District Attorney election races in Oregon are uncontested?  It’s because the game is rigged.  Here’s how it works: The DA runs for re-election as many times as they want (because no one dares run against them), then they pick a “Chief Deputy DA” they want to replace them when they retire, which they conveniently do roughly 2 years into their 4-year term so that their replacement can become firmly established as the “obvious” choice to become the new DA. 

In fact, 32 of the 36 DA’s in Oregon are former Deputy DA’s, just like Patty Perlow was, just like Alex Gardner was, just like Doug Harcleroad was, etc.

This practice of nepotism has gone on unchecked for decades.  You’d have to go back about 50 years to find an election for DA in Lane County that was actually between 2 candidates who were not already “preordained” by their predecessor. 

This nepotism has spread to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, which is directly controlled and manipulated by the DA.  Don’t think this nepotism and manipulation exists?  Compare the screenshots of these 2 quotes attributed to 2 different Sheriffs (Byron Trapp on 4/25/16 and Cliff Harrold on 3/1/20), found on Patty Perlow’s official Facebook Page www.facebook.com/PattyPerlowDA/

Weird that they’d both say the exact same thing about Patty Perlow, eh?  Coincidence or coerced?  You be the judge.   If you want more evidence of the connections, take a close look at who has donated to their campaigns on the Secretary of State’s Campaign Finance Transactions and Disclosures website. 

Posted quotations from two different officers on two different Facebook posts years apart.

Repair Relationships with Community Groups & Elected Officials

Civic leaders have recently noted that Lane County has not been receiving our fair share in state funding for services in the criminal justice realm, due in-part to a breakdown in the relationship between the DA’s Office and the community groups and elected officials in Salem who control that funding.

For example, my opponent’s opposition to Senate Bill 1008, which was supported by all four Lane County Senators. Or her bizarre decision to bar Lane County Circuit Court Judge, Josephine Mooney from hearing crimnal cases after she accused Judge Mooney of not being able to be “fair”, a claim which was never really substantiated and it should be noted that shortly after Perlow’s rebuke, the Governor appointed Judge Mooney to the Court of Appeals, which flies int he face of Perlow’s accusation that Judge Mooney is not “fair”,

Reduce Recidivism

Through the use of alternatives to mass incarceration and increased funding for Addiction & Mental Health Treatment Programs.  Minimizing the chances that a defendant will reoffend is obviously the highest priority for a DA. Many times, that requires a long prison sentence.  But for many offenders, data tells us that lengthy sentences without incentives and access to programs (such as addiction and mental health treatment) makes reoffending far more likely.  It’s human nature: Everyone needs hope.  And if we release our offenders back into society without any hope, it should come as no surprise that they will reoffend.

Improve Victim Services

Seek additional funding from the legislature for trauma-informed victim-centered services, including establishing a Sexual Assault clinic with SANE Nurses available 24/7 and modeled after Sara’s Place in Albany.  It is simply inexcusable that we do not have these services already.

Free Annual Training to All Law Enforcement Agencies

I will personally provide free annual legal trainings at ALL the law enforcement agencies in Lane County.  In my 10 years working in law enforcement, the actual DA has never even stepped foot in any one of the departments I worked for (Coburg, Junction City, and Oakridge) to meet with officers or train them on.  

Prioritize Addiction & Mental Health Treatment Programs

Cleavenger supports using alternatives to mass incarceration whenever possible (although in many cases prison is the only solution), including increased funding for mental health and drug addiction treatment services, which has shown to reduce the rate of repeat-offenses and homelessness.

Anti-Death Penalty

I am anti-death penalty for a number of reasons:

  1. Humans are fallible. We have all read too many cases (even one would be “too many”) being overturned after DNA evidence came to light.

  2. It costs too much. A recent study at Lewis & Clark Law School, found that it actually costs the State almost $1 MILLION dollars more in legal fees to process a death penalty case compared to a “Life” sentence.

  3. According to multiple studies, it does not deter crime.

  4. In reality, death sentences are not being carried out in Oregon, which hasn’t executed anyone in 22 years and has had a moratorium on the death penalty since 2011.

Restructure The DA’s Office

Designate 2 Assistant DA’s to handle cases referred by the smaller outside-Eugene/Springfield police departments (Cottage Grove, Coburg, Oakridge, Junction City, and Florence).  This way, law enforcement and victims know who to call for updates on their cases.

Include Civilian Oversight

Create a Citizens Advisory Committee that meets monthly to give input on policy decisions directly to the District Attorney.  Law Enforcement agencies have similar oversight and advisory groups and the DA’s office should too, in order to increase transparency and help set priorities and policy.

Increase Diversity & Standardize Hiring

I would strive to increase diversity by actively seeking diverse candidates to more accurately reflect the population of Lane County.  Further, the current hiring process for Assistant DA’s is “mysterious.”  It bypasses HR and consist of either an ad hoc interview committee chosen by Perlow, or simply an individual interview with Perlow alone.  I would standardize hiring practices so they are transparent, fair, and involve HR.