[7] Todd played leading roles in the Schurr High School department of performance arts' productions of the musicals Hello, Dolly!

[15][16] In 1996, Spitzer ran against Assemblyman Mickey Conroy in a heated election for the 3rd supervisorial district seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

[17][18] Described by Los Angeles Times as "a decided underdog", Spitzer came in second in the March 1996 primary among seven candidates,[18] leading to a general election between him and Conroy.

[10][20] While serving on the board, he successfully opposed the conversion of the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro into an international airport and instead advocated for a "Millennium Plan" for a mixed-use commercial and residential development for the 4,700-acre (1,900-hectare) property.

[30] He also helped write Marsy's Law,[31] an amendment to the state's constitution to expand the legal rights of victims of crime which was passed in 2008.

[35] A June 2004 Los Angeles Times article described a "long-simmering feud between Orange County [District Attorney] Tony Rackauckas and [...] Spitzer.

According to OC Weekly, in 2004, Spitzer was not only running for re-election to the State Assembly, he was privately seeking advice, support, and building a campaign to challenge Rackauckas in 2006.

[39][41] According to the news website Voice of OC, the fact that Rackauckas's fiancée, Peggy Buff, was Williams's deputy further fueled the controversy.

[44] In June 2012, Spitzer beat Deborah Pauly, a fellow Republican, to again become a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, serving the same 3rd supervisorial district he had represented from 1997 to 2002.

[54] [55]The county reached to an agreement with Richters for earned overtime over the period of multiple years which was approved by a unanimous vote of the Board of Supervisors including Spitzer.

[60] Spitzer ran on a platform to clean up the Rackauckas era scandals, including the unlawful use of utilizing jail house informants to gain convictions.

In December of 2024, Spitzer settled that threat of litigation with the USDOJ and was commended by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division who said in a statement: “We commend the District Attorney [Spitzer] and his staff for initiating corrective action at OCDA to comply with constitutional requirements.

The District Attorney’s proactive efforts, together with today’s agreement, will not only protect the constitutional rights of individual defendants; they will also help restore the public’s confidence in the fundamental fairness of the criminal justice system in Orange County.”[61][62] Spitzer went on to say: “I am incredibly proud of the work that we as a team have done over the last six years to implement the positive, sustained reforms necessary to prevent the sins of the past administration.

I am grateful for the partnership of the U.S. Department of Justice and its recognition of our unrelenting proactive approach to addressing these issues and safeguarding against violations of the United States Constitution.

Today marks a significant achievement in restoring the public trust.” [63] As District Attorney, Spitzer has criticized the moratorium on the death penalty in California, ordered by Governor Gavin Newsom in March 2019.

[64][65] In 2020, he was one of the several county district attorneys that prosecuted Joseph James DeAngelo (also known as the Golden State Killer) who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

[66] During the sentencing hearing on August 21, Spitzer told DeAngelo he would have liked to see him executed but agreed to a plea deal after meeting with the victims and their families, and considering "the age of the case."

[68] A lawsuit filed against the program was dismissed in June 2021 by Judge William D. Claster of the Orange County Superior Court.

[69] District Attorney Todd Spitzer continues to be the leading national spokesperson about Chilean nationals burglaries and has been working with the FBI and Congress to get the Secretary of State and Secretary of Homeland Security to end the ESTA Visa program with the Country of Chile for its failure to conduct criminal background checks before allowing Chileans into the United States.

He was on the advisory board for the Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America, along with California assemblyman James Silva, and former assembly member Van Tran.

[77] In 2003, he received that organization's Visionary Award, given annually to a person who exemplifies the attributes of the Scout Oath and Law, and who has demonstrated leadership and philanthropy in the Hispanic and Latino communities.