‘I Don’t Think This is the Right Thing to Do’: Bid for New Consumer-Protection Unit Prompts Turf War with DA

Media
Jan 13
2 min read

Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, left, and District Attorney Summer Stephan, right, are at odds over how to spend a more than $200 million fund earmarked for consumer protection efforts. (U-T File)

If Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer has her way, San Diego County could tap a more than $200 million pool of money to set up a new team of lawyers to take on consumer litigation.

District Attorney Summer Stephan has different ideas.

A turf war has broken out between the two elected officials over the prudence of creating a new consumer protection unit, with the district attorney arguing her office’s own ongoing efforts need support, not competition.

At issue in the dispute is what should be done with a growing pile of money the district attorney’s lawyers have won.

Largely through the work of the district attorney’s office, the county has amassed a fund worth hundreds of millions of dollars via settlements and judgments won from suing companies big and small for violations of consumer protection law.

From 2023 to 2025, that fund grew from $186 million to $224 million, according to county financial reports. But under state law, that money can only be spent on enforcing consumer protection laws.

“I would love to hear a reason why (Lawson-Remer) wants to grab at this hard-earned money. She has not given one reason why it’s needed to duplicate the work, or to fill a gap that I’m unable to fill. I don’t think this is the right thing to do.” —District Attorney Summer Stephan

In the last decade, the Economic Crimes and Consumer Protection division of the District Attorney’s Office has won $134 million in penalties, including nearly $14 million last year, according to the office.

The rest of the story . . .