David W. Paulson is the 26th District Attorney of Solano County. He first joined the office in March 1977 and worked as a Deputy until January 1983, when he was promoted to Chief Deputy.  He was appointed District Attorney by the Board of Supervisors in January 1993.  Mr. Paulson was then elected to a four-year term in 1994.  He is now in his 17th year as the county's chief law enforcement official, having been re-elected in 1998, 2002, and again in 2006.  As a result, he is the second-longest-tenured District Attorney in the history of Solano County.  (Please see District Attorneys of Solano County for the names and terms of office of his predecessors.)

Mr. Paulson is a graduate of Northwestern University and Boston University School of Law.  Before coming to the District Attorney's Office, he was engaged in the private practice of law in Vallejo.  Prior to that, he served as a lawyer on active duty in the U.S. Navy at Mare Island.  Mr. Paulson continued in the Naval Reserve and was promoted to the grade of Captain (O-6).  He had several notable assignments, including service as a military trial judge and as an appellate military judge on the Navy's highest court, the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals.  During his 30-year career, he earned the Legion of Merit, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and numerous other awards.

Mr. Paulson is a Past President (2004-2005) of the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA).  He currently serves as a Co-Chairperson of CDAA's Prison Crimes Committee.  He served as an officer on the CDAA Board of Directors for six years (2000-2006), and he previously served as a director from 1995 to 1997.

Additionally, Mr. Paulson is a Past President (2005-2006) of the Board of Directors of the Institute for the Advancement of Criminal Justice (IACJ).  He remains active with IACJ, serving as the Editor in Chief of The Journal of the Institute for the Advancement of Criminal Justice.

The premier issue of the IACJ Journal, entitled "Debunking the Myths Attacking California's Three Strikes Law and Demonstrating Its Effectiveness in Protecting the People of California," was was published in June 2007.  Click to view a pdf version of the Journal's premier issue. 

The second issue  of the IACJ Journal, published in July 2008, was entitled "The Death Penalty in California."  Click to view a pdf version of the Journal's second issue. 

The recently published third issue of the IACJ Journal is entitled "Seeking Justice with Forensic DNA:  Its history, current applications, future opportunities and challenges, and why it matters to victims of crime."  Click to view a pdf version of the Journal's third issue. 

Mr. Paulson also serves as Chair of the Board of Advisors for the new LL.M. in Prosecutorial Science program at Chapman University School of Law.  For more information about the program, please visit the Chapman University School of Law website.

Mr. Paulson is a member of the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA).

Since his appointment by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on March 15, 2005, Mr. Paulson has served as a member of the Governor's State Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (SACJJDP).