Ross

I.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND1

A. Background Facts “Ross worked for the County as a deputy district attorney. He was assigned to the homicide prosecution unit and was ‘responsible for however many cases were assigned to [him] by [his] supervisor.’ In addition to trying the cases, his duties included filing complaints and informations; conducting preliminary hearings; appearing at trial readiness conferences, settlement conferences, and motion hearings; and preparing for trial, including turning over discovery, interviewing witnesses, and conducting further investigation. Among the cases assigned to him were death penalty cases, which were considered the most difficult cases in the office. “In July or August 2011, an assistant district attorney assigned him a case initially handled by another attorney. The attorney told the assistant district attorney she believed the defendant was innocent. Although the defendant had admitted committing the crime, the attorney believed the defendant’s confession was coerced.

Some facts recited in this section are taken from this court’s opinion in Ross’s prior appeal, Ross v. County of Riverside (2019) 36 Cal.App.5th 580 (Ross…