San Diego District Attorney Bonnie M. Dumanis squashed the off-and-on speculation that she could be eyeing a run for higher office, perhaps even a bid for state attorney general.

“I am running for district attorney in 2010,” Dumanis said in a recent interview published in The San Diego Union-Tribune.

According to the July 7 article, Dumanis stated that she has “no interest” in running for attorney general at this time. Dumanis said she always intended to run for three terms as the county’s top prosecutor.

Additionally, Dumanis, who is the first woman to serve as the district attorney for San Diego County, was sworn in as president of the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA) on Thursday, July 10, at a ceremony in San Diego attended by DA’s from across the state.

Dumanis will head the organization, which serves as a source of continuing legal education and legislative advocacy for its membership and provides a forum for the exchange of information and innovation in the criminal justice field.

“Being a prosecutor is about more than just getting a conviction,” she said. “CDAA recognizes the greater role of District Attorneys in the state and I am honored to serve as their president for the next year.”

Dumanis, an out lesbian, takes the reins of the CDAA in an election year that includes several public safety-related initiatives on the November ballot.

“Part of CDAA’s mission is to educate voters about these propositions and advocate for the initiatives that will best serve the public and law enforcement in the state,” said Dumanis.

One of those initiatives is Proposition 5, or the Nonviolent Offenders Initiative. The CDAA adopted the position that Proposition 5 is unconstitutional and provides penalties that are far too lenient for violent drug offenders.

Since taking office in January 2003, Dumanis has shown leadership in several areas. With public safety as her top priority, her office has focused on crime prevention, reducing recidivism, helping victims and keeping the office transparent and accessible to the people of San Diego County.

The Diversity Pipeline Project of the district attorney’s office, aimed at recruiting minorities to careers in the criminal justice field received an achievement award, recognizing creative and innovative county programs, from the National Association of the Counties (NACo) at a ceremony on July 13 in Kansas City, Mo.

“This program is an important step in the long-term goal of increasing the number of young people from minority communities who seek a career in law enforcement,” Dumanis said. “In a county as diverse as San Diego, it is important that the faces of the district attorney staff be a close reflection of the community. It promotes public trust and confidence in the justice system.”

Since the program began in 2006, the district attorney’s office has reached out to more than 1,200 students in San Diego County through outreach events that include school presentations, tutoring and mentoring programs, career days, and job-shadow days.

Unlike many district attorney offices in California, employees at the San Diego district attorney’s Office mirror the community in terms of minority representation, Dumanis said. “I am proud of the fact that our office is made up of a workforce that is as diverse as the community it serves,” she said.

Information about the district attorney’s Diversity Pipeline Project can be found on the DA’s public Web site at www.sandiegoda.com.