Thursday, June 24, 2010

Vigilantism is not, no scratch that... Universal justice is not universally popular

Gallegos campaign ad, I mean, "My Word"

Universal justice is not universally popular
Paul V. Gallegos/For the Times-Standard
Posted: 06/24/2010 01:37:11 AM PDT

I want to send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made our spring campaign a success. It would not have been possible without each and every one of you who volunteered, donated and endorsed. Thank you for all you have given and the many hours of hard work and dedication you selflessly gave over the last several months. It is the sum of your very efforts that made our campaign successful.

I am grateful for the votes and affirmation I received, and to those who did not vote for me, I want you to know that I have heard your voices and I intend to redouble my efforts to earn your votes in November.

Joanie and I moved here about 15 years ago, and fell in love with this remarkable community. Eight years ago I ran for district attorney on a platform of Justice For All -- including those historically neglected by the justice system such as children, victims of domestic violence, people of color, and victims of corporate fraud -- and for modernization. It's hard to believe now, but when I inherited the office, criminal case information was kept on index cards-- not computers.

Since then, my office has aggressively prosecuted the powerful -- even when it's been unpopular. My office prosecuted Maxxam/PL on evidence of fraud. We prosecuted Blue Lake's police chief for multiple felonies including illegal weapons. We prosecuted an oil company and won a major settlement to protect our drinking water.

But universal justice is not universally popular, and some would rather go back to how things used to be. This would be a mistake.

When I came to office, the murder of Blue Lake teen Curtis Huntzinger was still unsolved after 18 years. It was presumed to be unsolvable. But my investigators cracked the case and obtained a full confession from his murderer, Steven Daniel Hash.

During the campaign, one of my opponents made the disturbing accusation that I had let a child abuser off with a slap on the wrist. It was odd because she, under the previous office, had handled the case back in 2000, and should have known the original sentence was overturned on appeal; my office had to re-prosecute it anew in 2004, and the perpetrator was sentenced to eight years in prison.

I'll be the first to admit how much I've learned in the past eight years. Delivering justice to all is not easy. Behind the big publicity stories are thousands of small success stories and dozens of daily tragedies. We can't bring back loved ones -- but we can prosecute to the full extent of the law with the best evidence we have, which is what we do.

We cannot go back to how things were; the improvements and progress we've achieved over the last eight years are simply too precious to give up.

I ask for your support on my campaign as we move toward a November victory. For more information, go to votepaul.org.
Paul V. Gallegos is the Humboldt County district attorney.


Where to begin.

14 comments:

  1. Kindly do begin. It seemed fine to me.

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  2. Despite its name, Big Oil and Tire is not an oil company.

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  3. Honest to God, anon at 11;12, you do not think he can honestly say with a straight face that he is looking out for kids... PAY ATTENTION!

    In 1997
    There were 137 CAST Child Interviews
    There were 56 cases of alleged child abuse RECEIVED by the DAs office
    There were 37 child abuse cases FILED by the DAs office

    In 1998
    There were 142 CAST Interviews
    There were 52 cases received by the DAs office
    There were 37 cases FILED by the DAs office

    In 1999
    There were 194 CAST Interviews
    There were 81 cases received by the DAs office
    There were 49 cases FILED by the DAs office

    In 2000
    There were 194 CAST Interviews
    There were 66 cases received by the DAs office
    There were 48 cases FILED by the DAs office

    In 2001
    There were 196 CAST Interviews
    There were 65 cases received by the DAs office
    There were 46 cases FILED by the DAs office

    In 2002
    There were 215 CAST Interviews
    There were 66 cases received by the DAs office
    There were 47 cases FILED by the DAs office

    In January of 2003, Paul Gallegos took office

    In 2003
    There were 205 CAST Interviews
    There were 67 cases received by the DAs office
    There were 40 cases FILED by the DAs office

    In June of 2004 Paul Gallegos fired his top child abuse prosecutor.

    In 2004
    There were 146 CAST Interviews
    There were 50 cases received by the DAs office
    There were 23 cases FILED by the DAs office

    In 2005
    There were 155 CAST Interviews
    There were 35 cases received by the DAs office
    There were 17 cases FILED by the DAs office

    In the first four months of 2006
    There were 40 CAST Interviews (on track for 120 interviews)
    There were 4 cases received by the DAs office (on track for 12 cases received)
    There was 1 case FILED by the DAs office.

    ONE.

    ONE child abuse case filed. January to April of that year.

    And now - a report of "a 40 decrease in investigations that led to cases between 2006 and 2009."

    A 40% decrease.

    40% From what? the 2006 numbers?

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  4. If I were him, I wouldn't brag about his case against PL. He couldn't even get it to trial. I don't think he even had a legitimate case. On the other hand, if he did have a case, then he totally blew it, and PL got away with fraud.

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  5. This is a contrast of character when the TS publishes on the same day:

    1) A gracious letter to the editor from Allison thanking the public for their support, and

    2) Self-serving, back-handed campaign tripe from Paul in the disguise of a My Word guest editorial.

    Who would you trust in this critical post? I know who I do, and it ain't the whacked out surfer dude.

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  6. I know who I trust. And it ain't the poseur. Pretending he "aggressively" prosecutes anyone is a joke.

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  7. I think Sara the dog wrote this My Word and Gags just plagarized it.

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  8. My thoughts: whoof whoof.

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  9. Perhaps one day people will get over something that happened,what,6 years ago now?Yeah Salzman fucked up,it's done,lessons learned.
    Amazing that team Sundberg and supporters who are some of the very same people who can't seem to break off from that event are pounding their fists and telling folks to forget about Sundberg's .16 D.U.I.,as to them it's old news,having occurred 8 months ago.
    The negative campaigning on the part of team Jackson,added to a few other things,likely has already cost her the election even at this point,so I really don't expect it to stop,as it still allows for all the smear and pot shots at folks they disagree with.

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  10. Look, the choice is pretty clear. A
    shallow, amoral opportunist wholly owned by the marijuana industry
    and incoherently mendacious when left to his own devices, or a seasoned attorney lawyer with wide experience and a a proven track record of acting in the interest of public safety.

    About time to see a woman in charge, too.

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  11. Yep. A breath of fresh air and smart too.

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  12. In a way we have a woman in charge.....Gags is Salzman's bitch.

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  13. Crime is up under gallegos by 17 percent. Guess that is going to come off his website like the fact he never was a da in Los Angeles. Lying about the statstics and his past seems pretty sleazy to me.

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