L.A. County prosecutor Alan Jackson jumps into 2012 D.A.’s race

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Deputy Dist. Atty. Alan Jackson isn’t wasting any time applying with voters to be Los Angeles County’s top prosecutor -- in 2012.

Jackson, a 16-year prosecutor, on Monday announced his candidacy for district attorney, hoping to succeed his boss, Steve Cooley.

Cooley, who last month narrowly lost the race for state attorney general, said last week he would not rule out running for a fourth term as D.A. He said he would consider seeking reelection if no qualified candidates stepped forward or some ‘undeserving and unworthy’ contenders appeared likely to win. He said he would thoroughly evaluate candidates before endorsing anyone, and that to get his backing, a contender must be a prosecutor committed to running a nonpartisan office.

Jackson political consultant John S. Thomas, who managed Cooley’s D.A. campaigns, said his client has a ‘very, very strong’ relationship with Cooley, who has chosen Jackson as the lead prosecutor on several big cases. They include the successful prosecutions of former music mogul Phil Spector and the murderer of Lily Burk, the high school student who was abducted and killed while running an errand for her mother.

The new candidate’s website, www.votealanjackson.com, says he was chosen Prosecutor of the Year in 2008 by the Assn. of Deputy District Attorneys and received the same designation in 2010 from the Los Angeles County Bar Assn.

-- Jean Merl