Prosecutor Running for D.A. Touts Endorsement by Beaumont Police Union

A prosecutor who is campaigning to be Riverside County District Attorney touted his endorsement by the Beaumont Police Officers Association in an announcement distributed Monday morning.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Michael Hestrin hopes to be elected in June 2014, according to his campaign website.

According to Hestrin's campaign, BPOA president Scott Davis recently announced the endorsement of Hestrin's bid to unseat incumbent DA Paul Zellerbach.

Zellerbach could not be reached to comment for this report.

"Beaumont is proud to join our fellow law enforcement officers across Riverside County in identifying the individual with the experience, ethics and focus necessary to again make Riverside County a safer place for its citizens and visitors," Hestrin's campaign quoted Davis. "The BPOA believes that Mike Hestrin will have an immediate and positive effect on criminal activity in our county and set a standard for other counties to follow."

The Beaumont Police Officers Association has 36 active members, all below the rank of sergeant, who represent more than 70 percent of the city's police force, according to the union's website.

Hestrin was born in the Coachella Valley and and he is the son of a Palm Springs police officer, according to his campaign. He's been a deputy DA more than 15 years.

He touts his prosecutions of Raymond Lee Oyler, convicted of killing five firefighters in the Esperanza fire, and Earl Green, convicted of killing Riverside Police Officer Ryan Bonaminio. Oyler and Green are now on death row.