Former GOP candidate for AD74 and OCDA staffer Kelly Ernby Dies from COVID19

Kelly Ernby, a member of OCDA Todd Spitzer’s staff and a former candidate for State Assembly in 2020, has died from complications of COVID19.  A social media post offered the photo above with the news.  Ernby was a candidate for AD74 but lost in the primary.

Ernby had more than 19 years of experience in complex litigation, beginning in the Orange County Office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP.  She was an accomplished writer and advocate on issues of first impression in the California Courts of Appeals and the California Supreme Court. Currently practicing as an Environmental and Consumer Protection prosecutor for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, handling high profile civil and criminal prosecutions involving unlawful business practices, false advertising, unlicensed practices, workplace safety violations, labor violations, public nuisance, unlawful prescribing and narcotic pill dealing, predatory towing, environmental pollution and compliance. Also skilled in Nonprofit Management, Legislative Policy and Public Administration.

She had posted on COVID19 hearings on Twitter and had been a guest on an Appellate Court podcast last September about the first remote argument in the California Supreme Court during COVID19 and her appellate experience on behalf of the District Attorney’s office.  A social media post on her passing said she was “fine on Christmas.”  And the post warned the virus is no joke.

OCDA Todd Spitzer issued this statement:

Statement by Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is utterly heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of Deputy District Attorney Kelly Ernby.

Kelly was an incredible vibrant and passionate attorney who cared deeply about the work that we do as prosecutors – and deeply about the community we all fight so hard to protect.

Her enthusiasm was contagious and she invested every ounce of her enthusiasm into her work safeguarding Orange County as part of our Environmental Protection team.

Kelly joined the Orange County District Attorney’s Office in 2011, specializing in environmental and consumer law. She previously worked for Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher where she practiced from 2002 to 2011.

She authored or co-authored several publications, including the “Environmental Prosecution Manual: Public Nuisance Enforcement Chapter” for the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA) in 2017. District Attorneys from across California honored Kelly for her prosecutorial contributions in environmental law, presenting her with an award for “Significant Contributions to Environmental Enforcement” in 2019.

The work of a prosecutor is not one that you can simply turn off at the end of the day. It is that passion and unwavering dedication to protecting our communities and fighting for victims that binds us together in the pursuit of justice.

It was an absolute privilege to fight the good fight alongside Kelly. Her passion and her shining light will be forever missed.