FINAL ELECTION NIGHT REPORT:
Deputy District Attorney Stacey Eads will be Humboldt County’s next top prosecutor, taking over for her mentor Maggie Fleming, who announced she will retire at the end of the year. Eads has taken 59 percent of the 13,749 votes counted thus far in the race, far outpacing Deputy Public Defender Adrian Kamada’s 30 percent and defense attorney Michael Acosta’s 11 percent.

FOURTH REPORT:
Deputy District Attorney Stacey Eads is running away with the race to succeed Maggie Fleming, having taken 59 percent of the 13,028 ballots counted thus far to hold a commanding lead over Deputy Public Defender Adrian Kamada, who has 30 percent of the vote, and defense attorney Michael Acosta, who has 11 percent.

THIRD REPORT:
The third election night report only added about 250 votes to the night’s tally and Deputy District Attorney Stacey Eads continues to hold a strong lead in the race to become Humboldt County’s next district attorney, having taken 59 percent of the 12,191 ballots counted thus far, with deputy public defender Adrian Kamada and defense attorney Michael Acosta trailing with 30 percent and 10 percent of the vote, respectively.

SECOND REPORT:
The second election night report didn’t add many votes to the night’s tally and Deputy District Attorney Stacey Eads still holds a significant lead in the race to become Humboldt County’s next district attorney, having taken 60 percent of the 11,677 ballots counted thus far, with deputy public defender Adrian Kamada trailing with 30 percent of the vote and defense attorney Michael Acosta bringing up the rear with 10 percent.

FIRST REPORT:
Deputy District Attorney Stacey Eads has jumped out to a significant early lead in the three-way race to replace retiring Maggie Fleming as Humboldt County's next district attorney.

In the first Election Night return — comprised entirely of ballots that arrived at the Humboldt County Elections Office prior to today — Eads took 60 percent of the vote, with Deputy Public Defender Adrian Kamada trailing with 30 percent and local defense attorney Michael Acosta bringing up the rear with 10 percent of the vote. Roughly 11,300 ballots have been counted thus far.

With incumbent Fleming retiring after two terms as the county's top prosecutor, the three candidates have run a spirited race to replace her, with Kamada casting himself as a reform candidate, Eads pledging to continue the direction Fleming set for the office and Acosta running as an anti-establishment candidate looking to reshape the system entirely.

Eads has worked as a prosecutor in Humboldt County for more than 20 years, handling everything from misdemeanors and juvenile cases to child abuse, sexual assault and high-profile murders. She's got Fleming's endorsement in the race and Eads has referred to the county's first female district attorney as a mentor.

Kamada, meanwhile, worked as a deputy district attorney in the office from 2014 through 2019 before leaving for the county's Public Defender's Office. Selected as the Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year by the California Fish and Game Commission in 2017, Kamada was touted for prosecuting poachers and forming the county's environmental crimes task force. Kamada also prosecuted homicides and narcotics cases, and has defended a felony caseload since becoming a deputy public defender in 2020.

Acosta, meanwhile, is a polarizing figure who has shown flashes of brilliance in his 23-year law career, much of it spent in criminal defense. Acosta has twice been deemed ineligible to practice law by the California State Bar and currently faces felony charges of maintaining a drug house and drug possession with the intent to distribute. (He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and argued his prosecution is politically motivated.)