Born and raised in San Francisco, Bill Fazio worked his way up through the ranks of the District Attorney’s office gaining respect and admiration during his 20 years of service to the City to become one of the premier homicide prosecutors in the country.
Bill tried over 150 violent felony cases to verdict and achieved a 90% conviction rate; 97% in sexual assault cases.
Bill Fazio is the only candidate for District Attorney who has ever prosecuted a felony case in a San Francisco courtroom.
The appointed incumbent has never prosecuted a single case in San Francisco – or any courtroom, ever – not even a misdemeanor.
Bill Fazio began his career as a prosecutor trying misdemeanor cases, but soon was selected to try violent felony cases before juries in San Francisco criminal courtrooms. He spent many years preparing and trying hundreds of violent criminal cases, and gained a reputation for being an effective, fair and successful prosecutor in the very difficult areas of rape and child abuse. Bill then applied his skills exclusively to homicide cases. Bill wrote the first guidebook outlining the legal process for sexual assault victims and worked closely with community and support groups for victims of sexual assault.
Bill Fazio’s career as a prosecutor was spent getting the most violent criminals in San Francisco out of our community. Bill volunteered to prosecute one of the first hate crimes in America. He prosecuted one of the first spousal-abuse cases in America as first degree murder. Bill has taken on murderers and child abusers and those who prey upon seniors – and he’s taken them off our streets. He’s done one of the toughest jobs that there is to try to make our neighborhoods safer.
Bill Fazio has had the courage to break new ground as a prosecutor. In 1984, Bill volunteered to prosecute the case of People v. Clanton, a gay bashing murder. He obtained a conviction in this case, one of the first hate crime murder convictions in the country. After the trial, Bill collaborated with community leaders and legislators in formulating “hate crime†enhancements to deal with the terror of hate crimes. Community United Against Violence (CUAV) called the conviction a turning point in the prosecution of hate crimes against gays and lesbians. Bill also built a reputation as a landmark prosecutor in domestic violence and child sexual assault cases. That reputation for outstanding work led to recognition by then Mayor Dianne Feinstein, who praised Bill for his successful prosecution of a violent rape of a blind woman.
Bill Fazio has managed a successful law practice for more than 15 years specializing in criminal defense litigation. The diversity of his clients gives him a breadth and depth of experience not shared by any other candidate for District Attorney. Bill’s criminal defense experience has given him a balanced view of seeking real justice. Bill Fazio brings over 35 years of balanced experience in administering justice, as both a prosecutor, and a criminal defense attorney, that reflects the values of San Franciscans.
Bill Fazio is a legal analyst who has appeared on Bay Area television station newscasts and on Court TV. Bill has served on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Bar Association. He was selected to be a member of the prestigious American College of Trial Attorneys and has received numerous awards and recognition from the California District Attorneys Association. Bill was chosen as Northern California “Super Lawyer†for six consecutive years including 2011. He is the author of numerous articles on crime including, “Sexual Assault and the Victim†and “Domestic Violence Expert Testimony in the Prosecution of Male Batterers.†Bill worked with the National Gay Rights Advocates organization to write a manual for the prosecution of gay hate crimes.
Bill has always been eager to volunteer his time to teach about the law. He has taught at the University of San Francisco, UC Hastings, Golden Gate University and Stanford University Law Schools; the San Francisco Police Academy; the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office; California District Attorneys Association; Advanced Officer Training in Sexual Assault; the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA); and Sexual Trauma Services at San Francisco General Hospital.
Bill has been active in many community and professional groups including: Community United Against Violence (CUAV), Centro Latino, San Francisco Child Abuse Council, San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, Municipal Attorneys Association and Lakeshore Homeowners. He has provided pro bono legal work to the South Pacific community.
Bill’s grandparents emigrated from Italy to San Francisco at the turn of the century, settling in the North Beach neighborhood. They survived the great quake of 1906. Bill’s grandfather shined shoes at the Palace Hotel to support a family of six. Bill’s father was a member of the Pressman’s Union and sailed as a Chief Engineer in the Merchant Marines during World War II. His parents had five children and in 1954 moved from North Beach to the Sunset. Bill attended Abraham Lincoln High School. His first job, while still in high school, was at Alioto’s #8 on Fisherman’s Wharf, cracking crabs and selling walk-away shrimp cocktails.
Bill Fazio was born and raised in San Francisco and has lived and worked here his entire life. Bill worked his way through City College and San Francisco State University, earning a Bachelor and Master’s Degree. He earned his law degree from USF while working full-time as a union printing pressman for the San Francisco Newspaper Agency.
Bill lives in San Francisco’s Sunset District. Widowed in 2009 after 33 years of marriage to his wife Lepeti Tuitele, Bill has three children, Tarita, 33, a biotech engineer, wife and mother; Tommy, 30, a police officer, husband and father; and Tatiana, 20, a junior at University of California, Riverside. Bill has two grandchildren, both boys, Gianni, 2, and Ares, 7.
