Today's Tomorrow's Consent Calendar

Item D-7 and D-8
District Attorney
7. Amendment of Lease at 712 Fourth Street for the Victim Witness Office (State Grant Funds).
RECOMMENDATION: That the Board of Supervisors approve and authorize the chairperson to execute the Second Amendment to Lease for property at 712 Fourth Street; Direct the Clerk of the Board to return one executed amendment to Real Property for transmittal to Lessor.

8. Grant Application for Vertical Prosecution Block Program - FY 2008-09, State of California, Office of Emergency Services, in the amount of $146,981 (State OES Funds - VPBP)
RECOMMENDATION: That the Board of Supervisors 1) allow the District Attorney to submit application; and 2) authorize the Chair to execute continuation application for Vertical Prosecution funding, Grant Award Face Sheet (OES A301) and Certificate of Assurance of Compliance. (No impact to the General Fund).
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At least he is applying for it. But, does he really have a "Vertical Child Abuse Prosecutor?" And if so, who is it? He claims Maggie Fleming has been the designee since 1994.

So-o-o-o, what happened to Jeffrey "You'Go'Free.com: Schwartz? The One who got a BIG FAT RAISEbecause he had assumed that position?

Sources say - There was no 'Vertical Prosecutor" until October of 1996. there were people assigned to the unit, it was shared by Felony Prosecutors like Rob Wade, Allison Jackson and Maggie Flemming back then, but everyone in the office shared in the duties.
Between October of 96 and February 97 Jeannie Tunnison-Campbell became the Vertical Prosecutor.
Then it was Allison Jackson and Peter Martin.
Then Peter Martin left and it was Allison Jackson and Andrew Isaac.
Then Gallegos fired Allison Jackson and it was Andrew Isaac, alone.
Then Gallegos threw Maggie Flemming into that position.
Then he handed it over to "Yougofree.com" - who as far as anyone can tell never took a case to trial.
Now apparently, he has put newcomer Kelly Neel into that position, within a year of when she was hired.

What is a "Vertical Prosecutor" you ask? It is simply, one prosecutor assigned to see the case all the way through, from start to finish, so it isn't handed off from one person to another, so they don't have to start from scratch and wing it through a prosecution. It is supposed to provide for a higher grade of prosecution, it gives the victims one person to have to deal with, to learn to trust, and to count on to know the ins and outs of the case.

It is important enough that grants are provided to ensure that that person has adequate time to prepare and concentrate on that case, it is supposed to eliminate or lighten the other cases they are assigned to. That means they are NOT assigned to other cases such as Asset Forfeiture, Murders, Drug cases, or 'buckets' the random assignments necessitated by low staffing.

The DA's Office gets grants to provide for Vertical Domestic Violence Prosecutors and Vertical Child Abuse Prosecutors. When Gallegos signs his name to these grant applications he is saying that he has a qualified dedicated person assigned to these positions. And the CAST stats and records of cases taken to trail should match up.

Read the Grant App - And look at those numbers! WOW! They don't add up, however. Not to the numbers that have already been released, (things like the number of referrals, interviews and cases filed - without the CAST stats it is impossible to gauge the accuracy of this application) - and not to the numbers Gallegos himself has stated on the record (things like the number of cases each prosecutor is carrying as a load, is assigned to each year.) For example he says here that the average caseload for a non-vertical prosecutor in 2007 was 85 per felony attorney.... Yet Gallegos has told the media that the prosecutors handle some 550 cases a year. And that was BEFORE he "lost" a bunch more prosecutors.

What is the penalty to the County if Gallegos isn't giving accurate information on his grant apps, especially with regards to the names and actuality of the Vertical Prosecutors, of a Vertical Prosecution Program, both in this and the Domestic Violence Program grants? Does the County have to pay back the funds?

And does anyone care?

PUBLIC RECORDS ACT REQUEST re: CAST