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◼ Local attorney throws hat in the ring for DA
◼ DA race begins to take shape Updated complete story
A local defense attorney who worked for District Attorney Paul Gallegos for nearly a year and a half announced her candidacy for the position today.
”You can complain or you can try to do something to change things,” Kathleen Bryson said in an interview.
Her decision to run came after she and other local attorneys had discussions on who was going to run against Gallegos.
”And no one came forward,” Bryson said.
She said issues like the treatment of victims, prosecuting big cases and the office's relationship with police were a few of her motivating factors.
”Law enforcement has about had it with Paul,” Bryson said.
Bryson grew up in the Palo Alto area, went to the University of California at Santa Cruz and graduated from Tulane University in 1992.
She practiced corporate law for an English firm and lived in England and Ireland.
She's married to the St. Bernard's School Director of Facilities Gary Bryson and lives in Cutten. Her two daughters are 16 and almost 10.
After time at the DA's office as a deputy district attorney, she worked for the law office of Manny Daskal before recently starting her own practice.
At Daskal's office she defended a number of marijuana cases, which, she said, has given her experience with the one of the county's top issues.
”We keep it criminal and we keep it dangerous,” Bryson said. “We have to be very careful on how we regulate it.”
Photo: Josh Jackson/The Times-Standard Kathleen Bryson announced her run for Humboldt County District Attorney during an interview at the Mity Nice Bakery in Eureka on Tuesday. (Allison White)
◼ Gallegos Challenger Announces The Journal
The Times-Standard writes that former Deputy DA Kathleen Bryson will run against current DA Paul Gallegos in June 2010. ”Law enforcement has about had it with Paul,” Bryson told the T-S. No word yet from former environmental crimes prosecutor Paul Hagen, a widely rumored candidate.
◼ First Gallegos challenger steps up heraldo
◼ Totally nutso chick uses dead child as campaign prop
◼ Gallegos to face a reelection challenge
Read the comments? ".... before starting her own practice."????????? She was FIRED from her last job at Manny Daschel's office for poor performance. Upon leaving she failed to inform any of her clients of the situation, essentially leaving them hanging in the wind. That utter lack of integrity is not what we need more of in Eureka nor anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteHow is an openly pro pot lawyer not even worse that Gallegos?
ReplyDeleteE.R.
OK this a joke. I mean really a joke Bryson is the most incompetent lawyer in town. 4 more years for Gags.
ReplyDeleteThis must be pretty exciting news for you huh Rose
ReplyDelete7:35 Got any facts to back up that "opinion?"
ReplyDeleteABP.
ReplyDeleteAnybody but Paul - well, except for Tim Stoen, Jeffrey "yougofree.com" Schwartz, and Steve Schectman...
From what I hear there is more to the Manny Daskal story.
ReplyDeleteMore unsubstantiated rumors. What is this, a gossip column?
ReplyDeleteSince you appear to be new here, 8:44 - it is a place where the issues get discussed. It's a conversation. And people will weigh in with what they have heard, the scuttlebutt, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteIt is open to all, and you are free to weigh in, set the record straight or dispute any comments made here.
If you are new to the blogosphere it may take you a while to get used to anonymous comments. They have their downside. But overall, open discussion is best. And freedom of speech is paramount.
Anything But Paul...or Bryson!
ReplyDeleteI happen to know someone whose case was left "hanging in the wind" by Byson's move.
There's other reasons why I don't think she could do the job, but I can't say them here because it would violate some people's privacy.
She's the not answer for replacing PG.
Daffy Duck would be a better candidate than her.
What was her position at Daskal's office? Were they her clients or his? What were the circumstances of her leaving?
ReplyDeleteThere are alot of questions to be answered before accusing her of leaving 'her' clients in the lurch, which I see happening on the TS as well. It would be the Firm's responsibility to cover all clients in any event, whether an individual attorney quits, gets fired or dies in a car accident.
So far, all we've heard here are a lot of rumors that she has done SOMETHING bad. Not one substantial fact.
ReplyDeleteSmells like a smear campaign. If she's getting slimed without a shred of evidence, I'd be inclined to support her candidacy.
11:10:
ReplyDeleteHere she gets blind support for challenging G. Look elsewhere for serious discussion.
Look, 11:10, you're going to have to develop a tougher skin real quick. I don't read it that she has done anything bad. that's YOUR interpretation.
ReplyDeleteAnd 11:27, that's funny, you're saying the opposite of 11:10, they say she is being smeared, you're saying she is getting blind support. NEITHER is the case.
Respect people who have the courage to throw their hat in the ring. It's not easy, and going against Gallegos is going to be an incredibly painful experience for her.
I agree with you on that one point Rose -- the more DA candidates to choose from, the better for the voters and for our democracy.
ReplyDeleteIt's the control freaks at Loco Solutions/Democracy Limited who want to have this autocratic power to hound good people out of running for office -- after all, new voices and free choices throw out of whack their carefully constructed false dichotomies and fake liberal candidates who proclaim "there is no alternative" between them and the ol' boys network.
With any luck, we'll have a run-off election in November with two new candidates to choose from...poor Paul Gags will be tossed to the roadside as the phony idiot he really is.
True - and it brings up the question - will Salzman/Loco-Non-Solutions/DUHC be supporting Paul or will the be fronting another stooge?
ReplyDeleteWill an otherwise good candidate sell their soul to that faction? And if they do, are they prepared to file cases on Salzman's behalf? You know the piper will want to be paid back.
That's not going to fix what is wrong.
nor will kneejerk support for anyone other than Gallegos.
ReplyDeleteShe has a point - Law enforcement IS fed up with Paul. With good reason. That may make pot growers happy, but it is not a good trait for a DA. And his bullshit explanation that he doesn't want to curry favor is ludicrous, and as always demonstrates that he fundamentally doesn't understand his own job.
ReplyDeleteI can appreciate that Gallegos' core supporters don't like or want a functioning law enforcement entity in any form. That's entirely clear.
But the REST of the people, and even some of the growers, recognize that you need a functioning DA, if only to avoid prosecutions of innocents like Sean Marsh.
Paul's done. Even his former supporters know it.
Great. "She has a point."
ReplyDeleteRose, what do you know about her? What are her qualifications for the job, if any?
Other than what is in the paper, I have no idea. I am learning about her right along with you. I've been getting calls and emails and information all day long.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be interesting.
And, she does have a point. A couple of them, actually. What were Paul's qualifications when he ran? Anybody remember?
Paul's qualifications? He garnered a strange bedfellow's coalition of Loco Solutions/DUHC and Arkley together to sabotage Bonnie's (now ex) hubby and flush him out by surprise in a low turnout June contest with no run-off.
ReplyDeleteThose conditions have changed and there will be at least three challengers who emerge, guaranteeing a November run-off and ensuring that Gallegos can't claim to be the "only" progressive or lefty choice (even though he's clearly a fake liberal who gleefully prosecutes non-violent protesters).
It's still my bet that Gallegos will do as Chris Dodd did today, see the writing on the wall, and bail out to leave Hagen as heir apparent with full backing from Loco Solutions, DUHC, and the Arcata mafia rep'ed by Kevin Hoover (who Hagen is pro bono defending, not a cheap gift or one without strings attached for later) and the typical Dem machine pols like Stillman, Berg, Chesbro, etc.
"Kevin Hoover (who Hagen is pro bono defending, not a cheap gift or one without strings attached..."
ReplyDeleteHuh? Defending against what?
Hagen is representing Hoover in court, for free, for reasons that doubtlessly aren't very savory.
ReplyDeleteThe case? Hoover was "allegedly" caught trespassing on private property, literally sniffing around, picking through the garbage, reading the power meter, etc. and passing this information on directly to his longtime close friends in the Arcata Police Department -- the same ones who violate their impartiality by supplying Hoover with inside information on cases not available to the rest of the local media, much less the general public.
This case really smells bad. It's a transparent attempt by BIG POT to bully the press into silence. I hope Hoover kicks ass.
ReplyDeleteI agree, and I applaud Paul Hagen for working on this case.
ReplyDeleteHagen is a good man, and a brave one, too. I've been impressed with his willingness to stand up and be counted where Gallegos is concerned. He took alot of heat for it.
Hoover went after Big Pot, which is a lot more than you can say for the NCJ or the TS.
ReplyDeletePaul wasn't defending me, since I wasn't accused of anything. The defendant is an accused grower whose alleged grow room I left a business card on in 2008 after neighbors heard the fan noise and were hit by that telltale "sickly-sweet" smell enveloping the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteEverything I know about the case – mostly from press releases – has been in the newspaper so I'm not sure what good I could do for the defendant. The subpoena was specific to the previous court date and I never got another one, but that could happen I suppose. If called I'll go back.
Paul was helping me navigate the process and properly respond to the court's requirements. We also studied up on the Shield Law.
Thanks for the clarification, Kevin.
ReplyDeleteNO one I know has any sympathy for the grower(s). And no one can see anything for them to gain by going after you - but it looks like the criminals have received the message that they can pretty well do whatever they damn well please. Maybe it's the big money and they figure they can buy everyone off, so they've gotten bold. Their neighbors keep quiet because they don't want to upset the apple cart and tank the economy of Humboldt, I guess.
In my 2:59 p.m. post I should have made clearer that I had been subpoenaed by the defense, Steve Schectman, as a witness for his client, Daniel Carbonneau.
ReplyDeleteMake that Recall-shill scumbag Steven Schectman. And the scary thing is, when that POS ran for DA he was treated with respect.
ReplyDeleteYou called him out on his stiffing the poor kids he had "interning" for him.
Then we have his involvement with "Vilica LLC" - what's happening with that anyway? And how does he still get to practice law?
If you want to know what Bryson is like or what her qualifications are, why dont you just ask her? Her number is listed on the bar website.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it was Manny who left the clients hanging in the wind. I hear that Kathleen wanted to look after them, but Manny wasnt having it. It was Paul G. who asked Manny to let her go as she was sticking up for her clients too zealously...oops, I thought that was her job.
I guess Paul forgot that she left him back in June 2008. Paul is a little slow. He probably thought that she still worked for him.
Paul did a deal with growers to get in, then as soon as he is elected he puts Maggie Fleming, one of the best prosecutors on pot prosecution. Now, he has an even worst "true believer" in Randy Mailman.
ReplyDeleteHe double crossed the growers...so no honor among thieves! I cant see them asking him back, do you?
Yeah? I am a little curious - rumor was that Paul fired her, but I saw she called Eric to tell him that wasn't the case.
ReplyDeleteGood for her if she saw the writing on the wall and got out.
I am not sure Bryson is "pro-pot". I think that Manny handled most of the pot defense work. She was the DUI lawyer mostly, but had experience with MJ DUIs and possession cases and not so much the big pot cases that Daskal does.
ReplyDeleteMakes sense to de-criminalize with all the home invasions. I like the way Bryson wants to hear from the community before craving stuff in stone. We should get off our butts and let politicians know what we want.
I forgot he had Maggie on green dope. He's shifted her around - had her on child abuse for a short time - and asset forfeiture - one of his biggies - that's what the assault team was going to be for - talk about going after dope growers, confiscating their toys.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kathleen Bryson here.
ReplyDeleteJosephine Blowe: I do not remember meeting you, but I clearly did not make a very good impression. Sorry for that. Would love to meet with you and discuss the issues so that you understand where I actually stand.
Call me on 268 8600. That is a landline that will be fully "manned" in the weeks to come so be patient if you do not get a person right away.
Best, Kathleen (Bryson)
Josephine Blowe? Comments on the Mirror, not here. But maybe he/she reads here.
ReplyDeleteWelcome Kathleen. Nice to 'meet' you.
OK Rose. Was the IP from Kathleen a match for prior posts? Do Tell.
ReplyDelete