Friday, February 26, 2010

One suspects pleads not guilty to Willow Creek man's murder

◼ TS One suspects pleads not guilty to Willow Creek man's murder
One of two men arrested last week on suspicion of killing a Willow Creek man pleaded not guilty to the charges Wednesday while the other is expected to enter a plea today.

Eddie David Lee, 21, and Limmie Greg Curry III, 19, face charges related to the death of a man believed to be William “Billie” Reid, 46, who was reported missing by his family on Feb. 15. A body believed to be Reid's was found Saturday after authorities searched Reid's home. Lee and Curry are scheduled to return to court today after Lee's lawyer requested more time to review the charges.

Lee and Curry are being held on suspicion of murder with the special circumstance that it was intentional and carried out for financial gain, according to the Humboldt County jail. Lee faces other allegations, as well, including possession of marijuana for sale and committing a felony while armed with a deadly weapon.

Curry was appointed a public defender after the Humboldt County Alternate Counsel Office declared a conflict, apparently related to the victim. Curry entered a plea of not guilty Wednesday and a denial of the special circumstances. To the court, Curry stated he was attempting to hire a private attorney but accepted the public defender appointment until he is able to do so.....

◼ TS Two arrested on suspicion of killing Willow Creek man 2.23.10
Two men already in custody at the Humboldt County jail were charged Saturday with allegedly killing a 46-year-old Willow Creek man who was reported missing about a week ago.
According to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, William “Billie” Reid was reported missing by his family on Feb. 15. Eddie David Lee, 21, and Limmie Greg Curry III, 19, were arrested for the killing after authorities searched Reid's home and found his body, following a short but seemingly complicated investigation.

◼ TS Court dates scheduled in Willow Creek homicide case 2.26.10

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Is Hagen being told to stand down?

Check out heraldo.

A winning strategy...?



http://votepaul.org/
From Gallegos' site
With excitement and a measure of pride, I announce my campaign for re-election to the office of the Humboldt County District Attorney. I have served in this position effectively and faithfully for eight years, and see continued improvements ahead for our community in the next four years.

To give you an idea of the changes I have brought to the District Attorney’s Office:

In 2002, the case records were kept on 3x5 index cards! Despite drastic budget cuts, we now employ 21st century technology, enabling us to more successfully access the information needed to extend justice to the victims of violent and white collar crimesalike.

We took on Charles Hurwitz for fraudulently acquiring permits to overcut Pacific Lumber lands. Though PL was deeply rooted in the area, his illegal activities demanded action. Despite aggressive scare tactics, we succeeded in putting an end to Hurwitz’ local corruption.

In 2003, my office reopened and prosecuted the murder of Nathan Dannemiller. With the cooperation of Eureka police, we successfully solved the case, putting his murderers in prison for life.

We actively pursue cases long thought cold. Eighteen years after the murder of Blue Lake teenager Curtis Huntzinger, I put our investigators and deputies on the case. Within a few months, we obtained a full confession by the murderer and now the victim’s family can finally find some peace.

Last year we embarked on a landmark case against Skilled Healthcare Group that will bring justice to more than 32,000 elderly nursing home patients throughout California. I initiated the class action law suit against more than twenty nursing homes who have chosen profits over a natural instinct to protect human life. The victims will receive compensation for the wrong done them and Humboldt County will be rewarded sizeable legal fees.

My preference is to “lead from the front” and I have no fear to personally prosecute difficult cases. And by insisting on fairness and accuracy in the office and courtroom, we continually hone our professional ethics and competency. Though this is an ever-present goal, positive feedback from members of the local law community show me we are on the right track. We are committed to justice, not vengeance.

As a proven and substantial asset to the people of Humboldt County, I hope my experience will inspire you to publicly endorse this re-election campaign. 2010 is a year that will see many challenges. Together we can meet those challenges and continue to improve the lives of Humboldt County residents into the next decade.

Sincerely,
Paul Gallegos


Riddled with doublespeak and spin... how many do you count?

Monday, February 22, 2010

McK Press - Can he win again?


The word “change” is synonymous with District Attorney Paul Gallegos, but it’s a word that’s being used in different contexts as he begins a campaign for a third term.

Gallegos still draws an impressive support base that wants him to continue to carry out his vision for a reformed DA’s Office.

But after seven years of controversial decisions and unmet expectations, some of Gallegos’ past supporters are working for another change – a DA’s Office that’s aligned with Gallegos’ values but helmed by someone else.

In the June primary election, the liberal vote will be split between Gallegos and candidate Paul Hagen, and to a lesser extent, Kathleen Bryson.

Forecasting the conservative vote is up in the air now as no candidate who can be defined that way has emerged – officially.

But one will, and a name is being heavily mentioned – Allison Jackson, a former deputy DA who was fired by Gallegos shortly after the failed attempt to recall him in 2004.

With progressive-friendly candidates in the mix, a run-off election is virtually ensured. Gallegos remains a front-runner, and absent another liberal candidate, gaining a third term in June would be a realistic goal.

But some have doubts that he could get over 50 percent of the vote even under those conditions. The reason why is that disenchantment with Gallegos, once owned mostly by the conservative side of the county’s culture war, is now more pervasive.

The shift can be seen in Arcata, where Gallegos’ support has been dominant. Hagen has been involved in the community and has been politically active, volunteering for successful campaigns. The outcome is that people who are looking for a progressive alternative to Gallegos are supporting Hagen, and they include well-known county and city political figures.

Why the disappointment in Gallegos? People who don’t support him anymore are saying he’s inaccessible and doesn’t live up to commitments. Abrupt decision-making in some highly-watched court cases has alienated groups of former Gallegos supporters and contributed to a belief that he’s unreliable.

Of course, if it comes down to Gallegos versus a candidate like Jackson in the general election, the liberal votes that Hagen gets in the primary will go back to Gallegos. But some say he’s going to lose something that translates into lost votes – campaign volunteers and, perhaps, donations.

Considering that Gallegos only got a 53 percent majority when he ran against Worth Dikeman, even a small subtraction of political energy is significant. And those who campaigned for Dikeman are a more seasoned group now and by all accounts, their desire to replace Gallegos is red hot.

Still, the DA has seven years of incumbency and support from key blocs like environmental groups on his side.
His emphasis on treatment instead of jail time in drug- and alcohol-related cases and initiation of new programs like a homeless court is part of the attitude shift that his supporters wished for.

The controversial and allegedly political court cases that are said to demonstrate his lack of acumen have probably impressed as many people as they’ve angered.

And although there’s a buzz about Gallegos being an ineffective manager, no one has ever said he’s an ineffective campaigner.

By Daniel Mintz
Press Staff Writer
http://www.mckinleyvillepress.com/

Related:
Fred comments.

Gallegos: ‘Vast Change’ is a work in progress Update w/response



The McKinleyville PressThe Arcata Eye - Gallegos: ‘Vast Change’ is a work in progress – February 17, 2010The Independent

HUMBOLDT – District Attorney Paul Gallegos has caused an historic but controversial transformation of his office and he says a third term will give him a chance to see it through.

Gallegos is at once the county’s most championed and disparaged political figure. From what’s said of him, he’s either courageously aligned the DA’s Office with community values or turned it into a smoking crater.

Both attitudes will be on full show in the upcoming DA primary election.

The political split is reflective of a larger, cultural one and DA elections of the recent past have inflamed it. But Gallegos said it’s ultimately been constructive and re-election will allow him to “finish work that I started years ago.” He described what he views as the fundamental improvements that have happened since he was elected in 2003.

They include modernizing the office’s filing and information systems; new DUI, drug enforcement and cultural awareness training programs for police and investigators; improvements in the quality of investigations and initiating multiple fronts of community outreach, including tribal outreach.

Gallegos said a “vast change” has taken place and is ongoing. It’s been a famously turbulent process and Gallegos believes the office is better for it – and so is he. “It’s always wrong to say there’s nothing more to learn,” he said.

He’ll be facing at least two and probably three of his former prosecutors in the election and they’re already saying that the first thing Gallegos needs to learn is how to run the office. His critics say he’s caused an exodus of respected prosecutors, personally taken on high-profile felony cases at the expense of office management, and his relationships with police agencies are strained.

Gallegos has fired three attorneys and others chose to leave the office after he was elected. He isn’t apologetic. “Yes, we do have standards here and we have responsibilities to this community and to the office,” he said. “I was voted in to do a job and to turn this office around.”

It’s been said that the office is now staffed with young, inexperienced attorneys who aren’t well-managed or trained. Gallegos named eight prosecutors in the office who are “far from young and inexperienced,” and added, “We have a base level of young attorneys doing misdemeanor work that we’re training and will be replaced – that’s the way it’s always been and it’s the way it’s always going to be.”

Gallegos also named himself an experienced prosecutor but some say that’s part of the problem — that he doesn’t have time to be what a DA should be: a department head.

But Gallegos believes that “first and foremost,” a DA’s job is to be a trial attorney. “You have to lead by example and be willing to try those tough cases, those big cases for the community,” he said. “The people of this community deserve to see me in court – I’m not an administrator, they didn’t elect me to be an administrator, they elected me to make sure this office runs and it runs well.”

Gallegos added that the office has “working, functional relationships” with all agencies, including the Sheriff’s Office and police departments. “There are times when individual chiefs and agencies are unhappy with me and sometimes that is mutual,” he said. “But by and large we know what our responsibility to this community is and we fulfill it.”

He added, “At the same time, the tail cannot wag the dog and I would say there was a perception of the tail wagging the dog.”

One of Gallegos’ signature messages is that application of law has to be based on it content, not biases. “One of the fundamental things I believe is that it has to rain on the rich and poor alike,” he said. “The DA’s office shouldn’t just pick on poor people – you know, we never get criticism when we pick on poor people, the mentally ill and homeless people.”

Marijuana growers were seen by some as being picked on before Gallegos was elected. His medical cultivation guidelines were eventually adopted by the Board of Supervisors but as the DA’s Office has changed, so have the times. Now there are complaints about the impacts of marijuana growing and a demand for doing something about them, especially in Arcata.

Has Gallegos’ marijuana prosecution approach changed? He says it’s “absolutely the same” and that he supports prosecuting marijuana cases when appropriate. But he added, “The first key is to remove the hyperbole – we will sit down with Arcata any day to address the issues but they have to be real issues. We cannot break the law, I’m not going to violate people’s civil liberties.”

Nor will he be pressured into seeking recourses that aren’t pragmatic, he said. His use of plea bargains, especially in some of the cases he’s personally prosecuted, is another target of criticism. One of the more controversial plea deals is the one accepted by Jason Whitmill, one of two men who caused the death of nine-year-old Nicole Quigley while drag racing on Route 299.

Whitmill was sentenced to 14 years, eight months in prison on a manslaughter charge, a punishment that members of Quigley’s family and others think is light. Gallegos had originally filed a second degree murder charge, which set a hard-nosed tone for the case and probably raised people’s expectations.

“It also raised Mr. Whitmill’s expectations,” said Gallegos. “And I didn’t charge it to get him to plead but it also let everyone know – ‘You do this and you may find yourself accused of murder.’ We put the community on notice.”

The downgrading of a vehicular manslaughter charge against Alan Bear, the man who drifted out of a State Route 299 travel lane and struck and killed bicyclist Gregory Jennings severely disappointed the bicyclists and trail advocates who are – or were – part of Gallegos’ support base. Asked about it, he said he made the right decision.

“I reduced it because the evidence changed,” Gallegos continued. “That guy got a year in jail – that was a big case for Humboldt County. When I got here, they said, ‘Paul , they never prosecute people who run over bicyclists.’ Guess what, no one will ever say that again – we sent someone to jail for a year for accidentally running over a bicyclist. That is a great thing, that is a big change for Humboldt County.”

Gallegos has had less time than it seems to establish his leadership. He’s been in office for seven years but the first four were steeped in turmoil and sidetracked by a recall election. He won a second term with a 53 percent majority and the division of opinion on him still runs strong and is probably as bitter as ever.

“I have shouldered the burden of change not only in this office but in this community,” Gallegos said. “I’ve been the meat in the grinder, so to speak … from the recall to the next election, which was a revisit of that whole past battle — and we’re seeing it again.”


Daniel Mintz

*******
I am at a loss. The quotes here are astounding. There's too much to address.

Gallegos has had less time than it seems to establish his leadership. He’s been in office for seven years but...

BUT. But what?

BUT he has failed to do so. Consistently. Over and over and over again. No more excuses.

The Humboldt County Grand Jury found that "Weak leadership and poor managerial practices" have undermined the office... Implicit in all evidence gathered by the Grand Jury - including interviews with the D.A. - is the unfortunate truth that the D.A. exhibits a limited understanding of how things are done in the department" Gallegos "lacks the global perspective needed to keep the department operating efficiently," and quotes an unnamed staff member as saying, "The D.A. does not fully understand the functionality of many of the things we do here"

Those are Daniel Mintz's words, writing about, and quoting, the Grand Jury findings in 2005.

TS - Grand Jury Findings and Recommendations
ER - 2004-05 Humboldt County Grand Jury Report 6/29/2005
TS - Grand jury issues scathing DA critique June 29, 2005
"However, the informed, well-organized, diligent leadership essential during difficult times is missing," the grand jury report said. "Operations are neither as efficient nor as effective as they must be."

McK Press - Grand Jury Report: D.A. guilty of 'weak leadership'
ER - 2004-05 Humboldt County grand jury releases its final report
NCJ - GRAND JURY REPORT IN


The Grand Jury Report on the DA's office
The Grand Jury Report on CAST
TS - Gallegos responds to grand jury findings
CAST Response/Grand Jury Report

Weak leadership and poor managerial practices - what has changed? This has been the case from day one.

The last election, the Times Standard opined that he should have yet another chance. Again we find that "a third term will give him a chance to see it through."

See what through? Further degradation of the office? Lose more prosecutors? Pile more work on already overworked inexperienced hires?

Seven YEARS. And he says "I’m not an administrator, they didn’t elect me to be an administrator,"

WTF?
***
UPDATE, Response to this article"
Letter to the Editor


I don't know what does:

I read Mr. Gallegos recent article in the Arcata Eye. Here is a man that says he needs a third term as Humboldt County District Attorney to finish what he started. That is a scary statement, especially if you are one of the victims of his incompetence.

I had the unfortunate opportunity of watching Mr. Gallegos try to prosecute what was suppose to be a murder case in Humboldt County Court. This man is no more a prosecutor than I am a brain surgeon. Mr. Gallegos was always late to court, could not answer any of the judge’s questions and always had the excuse that he did not have the case file with him.

The court-appointed, taxpayer-provided attorney for the defense made Mr. Gallegos look like a deer caught in the headlights and virtually kicked Mr. Gallegos’ butt all over the courtroom.

Some say that Mr. Gallegos needs to leave the courtroom to his deputies and administrate but he has proven that he cannot do this either. The morning that the preliminary hearing was to begin, Mr. Gallegos dropped the case into one of his deputy’s lap, and sent her into the courtroom late and totally unprepared.

After the preliminary hearing, Mr. Gallegos felt that with all of the publicity that this case was getting he could get some personal mileage out of handling the case himself, so he takes it away from the deputy after she spends day and night for a week getting up to speed.

After months of delays from the defense, numerous blunders from the prosecution and thousands of Humboldt County taxpayer dollars Mr. Gallegos decides he cannot prevail in the courtroom in front of a jury, so he plea bargains with the two who took my little girl’s life.

Mr. Gallegos then gives the file to one of his most talented prosecutors so she can go to the victim’s family and try to clean up the mess he made.

Mr. Gallegos did not show up for the sentencing hearing for Jason Whitmill or Anthony Flores which is a good thing because when Mr. Gallegos prosecuted Jason Whitmill back in 2007, he forgot to add his prior felonies which in turn allowed Whitmill out of prison a year early and 12 days before he killed Nicole Quigley.

I will remember this come June’s election and I hope and pray that everyone else in Humboldt County does, too.

Kenneth Quigley
McKinleyville


Letters to the Editor – March 3, 2010 (Updated to include Feb. 24 letters) - Arcata Eye

Sunday, February 21, 2010

It's absurd

http://www.votelocalcontrol.org/gallegos.htm

Talking to a friend from Boston, who started laughing hysterically at Gallegos incoherent ramblings at the link...

Then he read Sopocci-Belknap's site, and further hilarity ensued.

It must be something in the water, he said. If he only knew.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Town Dandy - WTF?

Away We Go
...Earlier this week, we received a call from someone we know and respect, and who has had plenty of useful information and insight in the past. This person -- Source X -- wanted to pass along some information, but wanted to remain off the record. We said OK. And then, almost instantly, we regretted it.

The story Source X told was this:

A candidate in the upcoming local elections, one that Source X could be expected to oppose, had received a fairly large campaign donation. All well and good. But the purported donor -- Person Y -- was not the actual donor at all, according to Source X. In fact, it was Person Z who provided the money for the donation. Z used Y as a pass-through, Source X alleged, to obscure the origin of the funds and contravene campaign finance laws.

"How do you know this?" we asked Source X.

Source X replied that he knew someone who had seen Person Z's bank statements, which showed a check from Person Z to Person Y in the same amount as the donation.

This took us aback. When we recovered, we had more questions. Who saw Person Z's bank statements? How did this person have access to those documents? Theoretically speaking, how could we be expected to replicate this knowledge? Source X declined to elaborate further, and signed off by expressing faith in our investigative abilities....


Wow. So many questions... And so many MORE questions...

Thursday, February 18, 2010

It's signed! Klamath dam pacts signed in Oregon Capitol

Live webcast: Klamath Agreement Signing -link 2/18

Analysis: Klamath deal would help salmon John Driscoll for the Times Standard
Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs Historic Klamath River Agreements AP
Klamath Basin Pact signed by Schwarzenegger and Kulongoski warning audio
Governors of Oregon and California sign Klamath River agreement examiner
Agreement Reached on Klamath River NY Times
Govt, Utility Officials Sign Klamath River Dam Removal Deal Wall St. Journal
The governors of California and Oregon joined the U.S. secretary of the Interior in Salem to sign two agreements that could officially end decades of feuding over the Klamath River. LA Times
Pacts Signed to Help River and Salmon NY Times
SEATTLE — What supporters are calling the largest river and salmon restoration effort in American history took a critical step forward on Thursday, when formal agreements were signed to remove four dams and revise how water is shared in the Klamath River basin in southern Oregon and Northern California.


It's signed! Klamath dam pacts signed in Oregon Capitol

Way to go, Jill, Troy and Craig!
*****

The local naysayers have an Op-Ed in the TS today:
Why the Humboldt Watershed Council cannot support the Klamath settlement
Humboldt Watershed Council can’t support the Klamath settlement deal! http://goo.gl/fb/gJzh (Oh look, they got one retweet)

Poor Humboldt Watershed Council - they were never a party to the talks in the first place and were never a party to sign it anyway.

The LOCAL enviro groups who WERE invited to the table, and who helped craft the agreement up until the point they had to sign away their right to sue have shown why it isn't worth inviting them to the table anyway, they're gonna back out, stab you in the back and sue anyway. (It doesn't bode well for the MLPA "stakeholders" group)

But guess what:

Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 700,000 members... Commends Leadership, Collaboration on Historic Klamath River Restoration

So, all those "UnDam the Klamath" fundraisers? Where did that money go? 'Cause it didn't go into this agreement.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

OMG! you gotta pick up a copy

The McKinleyville Press, The Arcata Eye, and The Independent.
Read the two articles on Gallegos.

Gallegos: "Vast change" is work in progress
News Analysis: Can Gallegos win again?

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

This really is the D.A.s case

Humboldt County, residents await Titlow Hill resolution

Only the D.A. can decide to press felony charges. So what happened?

Supervisors back felony charge for Titlow Hill subdivisions
"...The District Attorney's Office offered Bareilles a plea bargain that would have involved Bareilles making a contribution of $283,000 to be deposited into a trust for the county to use to fix the violations, Lovelace said.
Bareilles has yet to agree to the deal, Deputy District Attorney Christa McKimmy said...."

Hagen: ‘The bloom is off the rose’ for incumbent

The McKinleyville PressThe Arcata Eye - Paul Hagen: The bloom is off the rose for the incumbent – February 10, 2010The Independent

Paul Hagen has worked for several different district attorneys – including Incumbent DA Paul Gallegos – as an environmental prosecutor, and he says pervasive dissatisfaction with Gallegos’ management has led to his bid to replace him.

“The current District Attorney’s Office needs far better leadership for its staff and far better representation of the interests of the people of the county,” Hagen said.

Adding that “the bloom is off the rose” for Gallegos, Hagen highlighted staffing issues.

“There’s been an enormous drain of talent out of the office since the incumbent took over,” he said. “People have been fired, people have been driven out, people have left. You can say whatever you want to about (former DA) Terry Farmer and his policies, but over a 20-year period, he put together a very good team of prosecutors.”

Now, Hagen added, the office has “a lot of first-year hires, a lot of people without a lot of experience and people with very questionable backgrounds.”

There are also some qualified recent hires, he said, but Gallegos “doesn’t train them well, he doesn’t track their cases well and he doesn’t ensure that they coordinate with the various police agencies well.”

A high amount of plea bargains, over-charging of cases, lowball settlements and “a fair amount of chaos in the court system where deputy DAs really don’t know what they’re handling” has led to a “situation where, quite frankly, justice is not being well-served,” Hagen continued.

Hagen has experience in environmental law. He worked as an environmental analyst for Pillsbury Madison and Sutro, one of the nation’s largest law firms, from 1989 to 1995. He then worked for the Mendocino County DA’s Office as an environmental prosecutor for more than four years.

In 1998, he was hired to do environmental prosecution for Humboldt, Lake and Del Norte counties on a part-time basis by the California District Attorneys Association.

It became a full-time job in 1999, when he moved to Arcata, where he still lives and serves as a member of the Arcata Planning Commission.

He switched to private practice in the summer of 2006 with the Eureka-based Bragg, Perlman, Russ, Stunich and Eads firm, whose clients include the City of Trinidad, the Shelter Cove Resort Improvement District and the California Teachers Association.

Hagen’s mention of plea bargains prompted a question on what an appropriate amount is. He said charging is an important aspect of the situation and “whatever is charged needs to bear some relationship to what is settled,” something he believes is often lacking now.

One police chief told him that a man charged with rape had gotten a plea deal for trespassing. “He found that obscene – that was the word he used,” said Hagen.

“So what’s going on is that the young attorneys aren’t being trained well, they’re not being given good marching orders and there are no clear policies for them to follow,” he continued.

Hagen believes “the first order” of the DA is to be an administrator and to work with county government, police agencies and the public.

“And when it comes to the public, you can’t over-promise and under-deliver,” he said. “You have to make yourself available and if you say you’re going to do something you have to do it or make yourself available to explain why you haven’t – and that’s not being done.

Taking on prosecution is something a DA does to “help pull the load” but Hagen believes high-profile trials shouldn’t be done by a DA unless absolutely necessary.


“The question is, is the elected DA going into the courtroom for purely administrative purposes, to help out the staff, or is he doing it for purely political purposes, to try to get press or curry favor with the public?” he asked.

When one is DA, “your forte absolutely should not be being a trial lawyer,” Hagen continued. Asked if he thinks Gallegos has taken on cases for political reasons, he answered, “Without question.”

He named the filing of the Pacific Lumber lawsuit, the prosecution of former Fortuna Councilmember Debi August, the over-prosecution of former Blue Lake Police Chief Dave Gundersen and the case against two Eureka police officials in the Cheri Moore shooting as examples.

Hagen said that it’s not known how strong the evidence was in the Eureka Police case because it was “bungled” and dismissed.

“Humboldt County once again made national news for having a bizarre prosecution come out of the DA’s Office,” he continued.

On prosecution priorities, Hagen said people are most concerned about violent crimes and property crimes.

There is less consensus about some types of crimes, and in Humboldt, there’s a cultural acceptance of marijuana but also an emerging call for enforcement against it.

Asked what his approach to that would be, Hagen acknowledged that Gallegos “brought the DA’s Office more in line, I believe, with the mentality and beliefs of the community” but “there’s clearly a degree of permissiveness there.”

It’s led to an excessive amount of grows in residential neighborhoods, home invasion robberies and shootings, said Hagen, adding that Proposition 215’s permissiveness has contributed to those impacts.

He referred to the City of Arcata’s enforcement approach, which relies on land use and zoning authority, as a sound one.

But the degree to which those zoning codes can be enforced has yet to be tested, and Hagen believes the ultimate solution is to legalize marijuana and regulate it.

Meth is a “very vicious drug” that can lead to serious crime, and Hagen thinks people agree that tackling the “very large meth problem here” is an enforcement priority.

Environmental prosecution is Hagen’s specialty, and he says “there been very little of it that I can see” since his own exit from the DA’s Office.

There was some media attention and a lot of speculation about the reason why he left. Asked about it, he said he was fired by the California District Attorneys Association and signed a settlement agreement which stipulated that he not talk about it.

But he added, “There can be consequences to speaking truth to power.”

Asked for more detail, he replied, “If you’re doing your job right, you need to tell the boss what the boss needs to hear whether the boss wants to hear it or not … If your boss doesn’t want to hear bad news or doesn’t want to hear advice, people who haven’t got the guts and the strength to do it won’t do it and they will keep their jobs, and those who do their jobs correctly despite the consequences will often suffer the consequences.

“And that’s what speaking truth to power is all about,” he continued. “And that’s what I did, and that’s what happened.”

By Daniel Mintz - Press Staff Writer

Bryson: Pink for crime survivors, blue for law enforcement

The McKinleyville Press ◼ ◼ The Independent
Arcata Eye - Kathleen Bryson: Pink for crime survivors, blue for law enforcement – February 10, 2010

Kathleen Bryson is quickly becoming known as a unique personality in the district attorney’s election.

At first brush, she’ll lean toward subjects more esoteric than politics, but she also has plenty to say about how the District Attorney’s Office is being run – and how she can run it better.

And, like all the announced and rumored challengers so far, she has insider’s experience, having worked under Incumbent District Attorney Paul Gallegos as a deputy DA from October 2005 to March 2007.

She is now in criminal defense private practice and continuing to take on DUI, possession and cultivation cases after doing similar work for the Law Offices of Manny Daskal, Bryson is aiming for management of the county’s prosecutors.

She says she’s doing it out of a sense of responsibility.

“It gets to the point where you have to run, when you see a lot of things being done improperly, things you know you can do better,” said Bryson.

She emphasized her mix of law and business experience – she worked in London as a legal advisor for Tesco Stores, a major global retailer, from 1998 to 2003 – and wants to apply that experience to the DA’s Office.

“We need to treat it like a business and properly manage, train and motivate people,” she said. Bryson liked that Gallegos “didn’t manage me too much” but said a slack approach doesn’t work as well with younger, less experienced attorneys.

Bryson has more advice for Gallegos: “When you hold a meeting, you don’t have it be just a bull session.”

She added that if Gallegos takes up her advice, it could offset her campaign but will help the office.

“So here we are, Paul: you need another legal secretary,” she said. “You have two for about 15 lawyers, they get sick a lot. And if they’re not sick, they wish they were – those girls are overworked. I said it while I was in there, I’m going to say it now.”

Continuing to address Gallegos directly, Bryson added, “I also told you when I was in there – turn off the lights after hours – unless you have stock in PG&E, turn them off.”

Bryson also commented on something that has been widely talked about since Gallegos overturned former DA Terry Farmer’s longtime authority in 2003 – the loss of many veteran deputy DAs.

She acknowledged that “there are deputy district attorneys who don’t want me to win” but added, “Once I win, they’re going to be gratified to see that I will remain professional, and they will keep their jobs.”

One of the longtime attorneys who lost their deputy DA work is Allison Jackson, a respected prosecutor of crimes against children and women who was fired after an unsuccessful attempt to recall Gallegos in 2004.

There’s been speculation about the reason for it – and Jackson’s emergence as a DA candidate – ever since.

“Paul fired her because Paul wanted to, I don’t know if he had any other criteria than that,” said Bryson. “Of course, I’m not necessarily in the know as to why Paul fired Allison right in the middle of a prelim (preliminary hearing), but I’m sure Paul will be able to tell you that if you interview him.”

Divulged or not, the circumstances of Jackson’s firing will be talked about more during the election.

When Bryson was asked about her own exit from the Office, she said Manny Daskal’s firm had a high caseload and paid better.

Asked about the issues that will matter most in the election, Bryson talked about the symbolism of her campaign colors – pink represents “survivors” of serious crimes, she said, relating it to the handling of the case against Jason Whitmill and Anthony Flores, the men who caused the death of nine-year-old Nicole Quigley while drag racing on State Route 299 and agreed to plea deals.

Bryson has been criticized by Quigley’s father, and she clarified that use of the color pink represents respect for “survivors not being treated the way they should be in a case like that – that case hit me pretty hard … my daughter is the exact same age, almost, as Nicole Quigley.”

Observing the court proceedings in the case, Bryson said she was surprised that Gallegos took on the case and then handed the prosecution off to Deputy DA Maggie Flemming.

“Why on earth would Paul take a case like that?” she asked, saying that the DA should only take felony cases if “he thinks he can do it better than the other lawyers in his office – no, you can’t, Paul.”

Another reason is “taking a case to get your name in the paper – well, you’ll never see me do that, ever,” she said.

Bryson also said that a DA becomes inaccessible when felony cases and jury trials are taken on.

The color blue in her campaign signs and buttons will be for law enforcement, she continued.

She believes police agencies have “about had it with Paul,” although she added that he’s paid some attention to the issue since she was first quoted on it by the Times-Standard newspaper.

Asked about use of plea bargains, which is sure to be a major election issue, Bryson said they’re a “mandatory” aspect of the judicial system. But on the misdemeanor level, “where we can easily afford to have a plea bargain or two,” Gallegos is taking cases to trial to train his inexperienced prosecutors.

“Which is great if it weren’t so unethical and an abuse of power – we are clogging the courtrooms with penny ante misdemeanor cases,” she said.

Bryson’s prosecution priorities will be violent crimes and sex crimes. Regarding drug offences, “If I could use one four-letter word, it wouldn’t be Paul, it would be meth,” she said. “Right now he’s doing his best but it’s just not good enough.”

Marijuana is a more difficult subject to assess as laws on it continue to change, but Bryson called for “no more lawyers, guns and money” promoted by a black market. She favors legalization/regulation and better communication between defense attorneys and prosecutors on medical needs.

If police search medical grows that are apparently overblown, they should leave behind an amount of cannabis that fits the concept of patient needs, Bryson added.

Unlike the other announced and rumored challengers, Bryson’s name is a new one to many people.

But she said that other than spending a few years in London, her family has been in Humboldt since 1993 and loves it here.

“It seems like I’m this person from out of nowhere, but I’m not,” she said.

By Daniel Mintz - Press Staff Writer

Saturday, February 13, 2010

One big gaping omission

Larry Hourany Ph.D is back, sans the Ph.D this time - and he is upset that the business community isn't supporting his job-killing buddy Pat Higgins. Therefore they become evil developers, and their money is tainted.

He says he read James Faulk's "informative article" and says he will be working "with the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee to see if there is a solution to local campaign finance reform."

NO MENTION of the ten grand Bonnie Neely got from an out of area developer, a really big one at that. A great big glaring omission there. No mention of huge donations from Bill Pierson, who depends on her to block his competition. Presumably, Hourany supports THAT.

No recognition of the fact that local businesspeople have a right to support the candidates they believe will best represent the interests of the business community - i.e., NOT the job-killers. It looks like they have decided to stand up and fight back. He sees this as 'white hot propaganda' - owwww, it burnnnnnssss!

Pat Higgins didn't make his bed, he climbed in with the "progressives" and now he has to accept the consequences.

It's sad for him that his "progressive" buddies, who were oh so supportive in their efforts to get him on the Harbor Commission, have now abandoned him. He may feel he has earned the right to move up the chain, Harbor Commissioner was supposed to be a nice boost to his resume, after all. What he didn't realize is, they are not his friends, and were only using him to secure a place on the Harbor Commission, a trustworthy "progressive" vote against all business development in Humboldt County. He's out of line expecting them to give up that seat to let him move up. They have another chosen one to place in the Supervisor seat.

White hot propaganda wars pollute the media

Interesting turn

Coastal Commission director says Marina Center lawsuits are frivolous
The executive director of the California Coastal Commission responded Thursday to a pair of lawsuits challenging the commission's authority to hear an appeal of a preliminary cleanup plan for the proposed Marina Center development, calling the suits “frivolous.”

The Pacific Legal Foundation, which is representing the freshly formed Citizens for a Better Eureka, and the project developer both recently filed lawsuits in Humboldt County Superior Court alleging that the commission overstepped its legal authority.

The suits center around the commission's Dec. 10 decision to hear an appeal of a coastal development permit issued by the city of Eureka. The permit cleared the way for CUE VI, a subsidiary of Security National, to begin a preliminary clean up of the contaminated Balloon Track property.

The property, which sits at the foot of Eureka's downtown commercial district off of Waterfront Drive, is the site of a former rail yard, and CUE VI is proposing to turn it into a 43-acre mixed use development that will include retail, office and residential space, as well as an 11-acre wetland reserve.

Proponents of the cleanup and the developer allege in the lawsuits that the Coastal Commission had no authority to take up the appeal. Supporters argue that the commission can't legally take an action that runs counter to a water quality ruling made by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. The board had approved the cleanup plan -- known as a supplemental interim remedial action plan -- before it came to the City Council.

They further argue that the commission has no jurisdiction over the city's power to abate a public nuisance, which the property was officially labeled when the city issued the coastal development permit in November.

Calling the commission's intervention a “flagrant abuse of power” and charging that it puts public safety at risk, Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Damien Schiff said Tuesday that the commission's only legal obligation is to “butt out.”

On Thursday, commission Executive Director Peter Douglas said simply that he thinks CUE VI and the Pacific Legal Foundation have no case.

”We totally disagree with them,” Douglas said in a phone interview. “I think it's a frivolous lawsuit, but it's typical. It's what we see all the time from the Pacific Legal Foundation.

”Clearly, we have jurisdiction,” Douglas continued, “but if they want to waste public resources ... they have a right to go to court. That's kind of the nature of our system.”

******

Yeah. It is pretty sad that it has come to this. It's even sadder that the predatory litigious groups who have led us to this point are continually brought in to important issues like the Klamath Agreement and the MLPA as "stakeholders." Then after sitting at the table participating in the negotiations that result in an agreement, they turn around and sue anyway.

What's sad is that those same predatory litigious groups are allowed to make their living extorting 'go-away' money from businesses up and down the state, and around the nation.

In this case, the target, Rob Arkley, has taken a stand and refused to pay the protection money. It's gotten ugly.

And this time, a citizens's group has arisen to fight the multi-headed groups of the EPIC/ERF/Paykeeper sort. Even using their own weapon of choice. A lawsuit.

It's sad.
******

from the comments:
reader said Fisrt(sp) of all why doesn't Peter Douglas's name appear within the first paragraph so he can receive the name recognition he deserves.

Secondly why is the executive director opening his mouth regarding pending litigation.

Thirdly Mister Douglas states: "Clearly, we have jurisdiction," Douglas continued, "but if they want to waste public resources ... they have a right to go to court. That's kind of the nature of our system."

Well now there is an accurate statement: "but if they want to waste public resources..."

Mister Douglas was merely projecting HIS reality. The California Coastal Commission has been wasting public resources since 1972.

They have become an out of control behemoth.

Mister Douglas must feel threatened by the PLF's action. Otherwise he would have kept his mouth shut like he should as an executive director of a quasi-public agency.

Kamikaze says
ACE wrote: The biggest mistake Arkley et al made with this project is they tailored a clean-up to suit the development. If they had just characterized the site correctly, separated the clean-up, and then unveiled the plans for the development they would have had an easier time with the coastal commission. The phased nature and "customizing" the clean-up around the big-box etc., was doomed from the beginning. As much as I'd like to see the property developed, CUE IV is going to lose this one. Too Bad.
I disagree. His biggest mistake was to let Pierson pay Neely more money than he did.
Penny wise, pound foolish.

Friday, February 12, 2010

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE:

Durant to Leave T-S, Launch New Mag
Chris Durant, longtime Times-Standard reporter/onetime “Fat Guy“/all-time eathquake juker, has informed the Journal (in a World Exlusive!)(sp) that he will soon leave the trusty daily to create a “scene zine with a tongue-in-cheek view on local issues.”

Oh, and here’s a heads-up to Heraldo and the Mirror: Durant plans to put a bounty on the identities of anonymous bloggers. The Savage Henry Web site will allow people to donate money and submit information on blogger identities. The person who successfylly(sp) and accurately outs an anon-o-blogger (the veracity of the info will be subject to as-yet-undetermined criteria) wins the reward.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Prayers for Clinton.

Former President Bill Clinton Gets Two Stents in Coronary Artery
Clinton, 63, was transported to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan for a condition related to his heart.

The former president's counselor Douglas Band released a statement saying that Clinton is in "good spirits."

"Today President Bill Clinton was admitted to the Columbia Campus of New York Presbyterian Hospital after feeling discomfort in his chest," said Band. "Following a visit to his cardiologist, he underwent a procedure to place two stents in one of his coronary arteries."

Clinton underwent quadruple bypass surgery to clear four blocked arteries nearly six years ago at the same hospital.

President Bill Clinton taken to the hospital — please pray for him. Hillbuzz

Two nice articles

on Paul Hagen and Kathleen Bryson by Daniel Mintz - in the McKinleyville Press, the Eye and the Independent. Get a copy.

One thing is for sure - the Grand Jury report is not only vindicated, it shows quite clearly that Gallegos STILL cannot manage the office. It most certainly is broken.

They'll be posted here on Tuesday the 16th.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Quote of the day - Can't resist

Polar opposite views - Gotta love the dueling headlines:
Quote of the day The Humboldt Mirror
Quote of the day The Humboldt Herald
And the funny thing is it's the crowd on heraldo who, not so long ago, was "balls to the wall" out to get Bonnie Neely.
Dozens turn out for Marina Center lawsuit announcement
...”They're no strangers to issues of jurisdiction -- they've been challenged in the past -- but, I'll leave it up to counsel for the coastal commission to comment on the lawsuit,” (Bonnie) Neely said before turning her attention to the attorneys representing the local citizens group. “The Pacific Legal Foundation is a Sacramento special interest group funded by big oil and tobacco companies, and I don't think anybody in Humboldt County trusts them to clean up a toxic site.”...

Just a Sacramento "special interest group" - once again the Orwellian turn of phrase, that odd Bizarro Superman juxtaposition. WHO is the "special interest group" here? Why, it is the ones you have aligned with, the predatory litigious groups.

Either way it is going to be interesting to see this play out - what I am looking for is how they explain the "special interest" enviro groups filing suit one day, and within about 24 hours some 87-page staff report WITH a recommendation is released. It seems to me that the only way that could have been done (we all know how long it takes staff anywhere to do anything) is if the staff report was written first, and then provided to the appellant so they could write up their complaint. There's a word for that, and it starts with c-o-l-l-u-s-i-o-n if that happened.

With regards to Neely - and this is directed TO Neely - this isn't high school. You don't get to indulge in petty wars with your constituents, cliques and alliances have no place in the world you have chosen. You don't like somebody, tough. Rob Arkley is a citizen in your town, your County. He is a successful businessman and employer in your town. He has donated a boardwalk to your town. A building for your zoo, and not some cheap metal building. He has enabled your Co-op to build and move into a building they will enjoy for a hundred years. He has rebuilt and stayed located in your dying downtown, and given the town, the County, an entirely new performance arts theatre.

For you to now, when he has another project, not a seat-of-the-pants project as so many other's in the past have been, to build business and retail space, bring business to your town, and provide jobs to the people of your town - your petty hatreds and vendettas are not only wearing thin, they are on full display. It is not statesmanlike, it is not appropriate, and it is not in the best interests of your community.

As a Supervisor, you could have gone out begging businesses to locate in your dying downtown - you could have gone begging for funds to rebuild the Daly building, for any purpose, same with the zoo, same with the Boardwalk, and same with the Co-Op - if you had come back successful in any one of those endeavors you would have touted it to the heavens as an accomplishment.

It has all been given freely. from one source. Without any effort from you, and in fact in spite of you. The only conclusion for people to reach is that you have let your personal vendetta get in the way of your responsibilities to your town, and to your County. That is nothing to be proud of.

Enter the Backlash - The Journal, Town Dandy

Monday, February 08, 2010

Fire With Fire... What Salzman -- and now Neely -- hath wrought.

Expensive elections, lawsuits and "groups." Long the hallmark of Salzman and his side of the fence - the other side is fighting fire with fire.

Whether I like it or not, I have to say it's about time, and more power to ya. Sadly.

Ballon Track: It’s On - Hank at the Blogthing
New group sues Coastal Commish over Balloon Track - heraldo
Citizens group and Pacific Legal Foundation sue over Balloon Track property appeals - TS

Citizens group sues California Coastal Commission over Balloon Track delay - TS

Enter the Backlash - The Journal, Town Dandy

What happened to Gary Bird's Op Ed in the TS? (Update: restored - THANK YOU)



20 years is too long to wait for action on Balloon Track

Missing.
Thank you for visiting Eureka Times Standard. We are sorry the article that you requested is no longer available. Please search for this article in our archive search.

The comments are still there.

Full story: Eureka Times Standard

My name is Gary Bird. I am a citizen and taxpayer of Humboldt County. I grew up in Eureka; water-skiing, crabbing and fishing on Humboldt Bay.
Share

Read 47 Comments

Something is very wrong.

2:03 - still not restored, Bear in mind this is an editorial that ran on Saturday - gone.

I was linking to it - because for one thing, I would like to know why Bonnie Neely, who as County Supervisor, has nothing to do with the Balloon Track, brought COUNTY Counsel with her to meet with this guy. As California COASTAL COMMISSIONER, she DOES have dealings with the Balloon Track matter. If she was a Eureka City Councilperson, she would have dealings with the Balloon Track matter.

For another thing, he brings up the millions in Prop 65 monies, Baykeeper etc.

3:22 - It is back up - Thank You.
***

More:
Ballon Track: It’s On

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Quake-Up Call


Quake-Up Call Willamette Week Online h/t: jason
There’s a massive earthquake in Portland’s future—and a government “prophet of doom” will tell you all about it.
In the reasonably near future, perhaps within our lifetimes and quite possibly as soon as tomorrow, an earthquake will strike Portland with roughly the same force felt this month in Port-au-Prince.

But while the Jan. 12 Haitian quake lasted less than 40 seconds, the shaking in Portland will continue for at least four minutes. Portland will feel a quake with a strength, duration and destruction never before experienced in the developed Western world.

Our cataclysm will begin 75 miles off the Oregon coastline. The ocean floor will split, sending shock waves racing under the water as fast as 17,000 mph. Those shock waves, felt first as a rumble, will slam into Portland in 30 seconds. The rattling will grow into a pulsing undulation that will repeatedly shove the ground up and down as much as 6 feet.

Landslides will ensue in the West Hills, sending mansions crashing on top of each other. Several of the 10 bridges across the Willamette River will collapse—the Steel Bridge, Sellwood Bridge and Marquam Bridge, most likely—and the rest will be impassible. Big Pink and other office towers will sway so violently their granite and glass façades will shear off and crash into the street, piling rubble up 4 feet deep. The Multnomah County Courthouse will tumble. Underground gas, power and water lines will be pulverized. The soil beneath the Portland International Airport will temporarily turn to soup.

About half an hour later, a 30-foot wall of water will crash into the Oregon coastline, with the tsunami flooding as high as 100 feet above sea level, sweeping in and out for hours.

This is not a pitch for the next Hollywood disaster movie. It is the scientific consensus on what will happen here sooner or later. And the latest data suggest it may in fact be sooner.

Earthquake 5.4 6.0 5.9


http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Quakes/nc71348851.php
Magnitude - 5.4
Date-Time
Thursday, February 04, 2010 at 20:20:21 UTC
Thursday, February 04, 2010 at 12:20:21 PM at epicenter
Location
40.431°N, 124.929°W
Depth
11.2 km (7.0 miles)
Region
OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

***
Magnitude 6.0 - regional moment magnitude (Mw)
Time Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 12:20:21 PM (PST)
Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 20:20:21 (UTC)
Distance from Petrolia, CA - 56 km (35 miles) WNW (282 degrees)
Ferndale, CA - 59 km (36 miles) WSW (254 degrees)
Fortuna, CA - 68 km (43 miles) WSW (256 degrees)
Eureka, CA - 76 km (47 miles) WSW (239 degrees)
Sacramento, CA - 363 km (225 miles) NW (306 degrees)


http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Quakes/nc71348851.htm
http://www.northcoastjournal.com/blogthing/2010/02/04/earthquake-1220-pm/
http://sfappeal.com/news/2010/02/another-humboldt-earthquake.php (image source)
http://humboldtherald.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/6-0-earthquake/
http://kunsoo1024.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/whoa-that-was-a-long-one/
Magnitude 6 rocks Humboldt coast

SOMETHING NEW - An automated call from the school letting all parents know that the kids and facilities were all of, and that they all practiced 'duck and cover' as they have done in countless drills prior.

Supervisors races attracting big money -- already

Supervisors races attracting big money -- already
Supervisors races attracting big money -- already

James Faulk/The Times-Standard
Posted: 02/04/2010 01:24:18 AM PST

While we may be some four months away from a primary to determine who will next occupy the 4th and 5th District seats on the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, donors have begun shoveling money into those and other races as if the general election is right around the corner.

Three candidates are vying for the 4th District seat, long held by incumbent Supervisor Bonnie Neely, who will be seeking her seventh term. Last time around, the two main candidates vying for the job -- Neely and former Eureka Mayor Nancy Flemming -- spent more than $250,000 in that race, and it came down to a smattering of votes.

With the 4th District to a large degree consisting of Eureka and its suburbs, it's perhaps no surprise that two denizens of City Hall are trying to make the leap from city to county government.

Eureka Mayor Virginia Bass is one, and she's outdistanced all her competitors in funds raised so far, according to financial disclosures filed this week with the Humboldt County Elections Office. And judging by the numbers, it appears that this year's 4th District race is off on a trajectory similar to the race of 2006.

Bass in 2009 raised a total of $53,174. Her list of donors is long, and includes a number of people and businesses from Humboldt County's building and development communities, among others.

They include David Schneider of Pacific Affiliates, who gave $1,000; Fred Sundquist, who gave $1,500; Glenn Goldan, $1,000; Michael Dominick, $1,500; Truman Renner, $1,500; ReProp Investments, $500; TJS Leasing and Holding Co., $1,500; Loretta Nickolaus, retired county administrative officer, $200; Pierson Co., $1,500; Hilfiker Pipe Co. $1,500; Kramer Investments Corp. $1,500; Russ Cattle Co., $3,000; Hooven and Co. of McKinleyville, $1,500; A.N. Hunts and Sons, $1,500; Eureka Oxygen Co., $1,500; Bettendorf Enterprises, $1,500; Barnum Timber Co., $1,000; Eureka Ready Mix/Sand and Gravel Co., $1,500; Gary Philp, $500; Jim Furtado of McKinleyville, $1,500; Kim Slack of Eureka, $1,500; and Robert McBeth of O&M Industries, $1,500, among others.
Neely is no stranger to serious challenges for the 4th District seat, having barely defeated Flemming for the job last time around. And she's no slouch as a fundraiser, as proven by her 2009 disclosures.

Neely raised $27,334 in 2009, from a relatively short list of donors who gave, on average, much larger amounts.
Sedgefield Properties, owned by longtime Neely ally and sponsor Bill Pierson of Eureka, donated $10,000; Kurt Kovacks of Portland, Ore., gave $2,000; Thomas Hofweber, a county planner, gave $3,000; MPDSE, Inc., a building firm from Dana Point, CA, also known as Master Plan Developments, gave $10,000; Recology of San Francisco, formerly known as City Garbage Co., gave $500; and CA Dewitt of Fairhaven gave $200.

MPDSE is a development company which in 2004 had a project to develop a portion of Orange County's last untouched stretch of beach front property. The project was approved against staff recommendations.

But when that project was approved by the commission, Neely had yet to be named as a member. Former 3rd District Supervisor John Woolley was the commission representative at the time. Neely has voted on minor issues surrounding that development since taking her seat on the commission, but has voted both for and against the developer.

Also in the 4th District race, Eureka City Councilman Jeff Leonard has some catching up to do in the money race. For 2009, he raised a total of $7,902 -- $5,342 in cash, $2,300 in a loan, and $260 in non-monetary contributions.

Donors include Eureka attorney Ken Bareilles and his wife Rene, at $100; Teresa Sims, loan officer with Redwood Capital Bank, with $500; Hank Pierson, owner of L&H Properties, at $1,000; and Pierson Co. of Eureka at $1,500.

Farther north, in the county's 5th District, one candidate -- Ryan Sundberg -- has so far run the tables during this fundraising cycle, and did so with many of the same donors who gave to Bass' campaign.

Donors include Glenn Goldan at $500; City Ambulance at $1,500; Dale Wermuth at $1,500; Maxine Maples at $1,500; Michael Dominick at $1,500; Hilfiker Pipe Co. at $1,500; ReProp Investments at $500; Barnum Timber Co. at $1,000; TJS Leasing and Holding Co. at $1,500; Eureka Oxygen Co. at $1,500; Kramer Investment Corp. at $1,500; Eureka Ready Mix at $1,500; Bettendorf Enterprises at $1,500; A.N. Hunt and Sons at $1,500; Russ Cattle Co. at $1,000; Hooven and Co. at $1,500; Pierson Co. at $1,500; Marilyn Renner at $1,500; Becky Pritchard at $1,500; and JL Furtado Construction at $1,500, among others.

The other filing received so far for the 5th District -- from McKinleyville resident Jeffrey Lytle, who first ran four years ago -- had scant information to report. There was no money raised for 2009, and a total of 10 cents spent, copying a form from the Elections Office.

The Elections Office has yet to receive 2009 disclosures from Lost Coast Communications President Patrick Cleary and 5th Division Harbor District Commissioner Patrick Higgins, both of whom have declared for the 5th District race. The disclosures had to be postmarked by Monday, and could arrive as late as today.

In other Humboldt County races, only two candidate disclosures were received as of Wednesday afternoon.

In the race for Humboldt County sheriff, Undersheriff Mike Downey raised $1,905 in 2009. Donors include Sheriff's Lt. Steve Knight, $100; Sgt. Wayne Hanson, $100; The Liquor Still, $100; outgoing Sheriff Gary Philp, $1,000; Melinda Ciarabellini, $100; and Lt. Michael Thomas, $500.

A disclosure from Mike Hislop, also running for sheriff, has not yet been received.

And in the race for county assessor, Johanna Rodoni -- former 2nd District supervisor and wife of the late Supervisor Roger Rodoni -- filed a disclosure under the name Johanna Rodoni for Assessor 2010, but no money was raised in 2009.

As the supervisorial races are making abundantly clear, Humboldt State University political science professor emeritus JeDon Emenhiser said, even local campaigns have steadily become more expensive. He noted that Humboldt County seems to be finally catching up with the rest of the state as far as campaign war chests are concerned.
This flow of campaign money into politics is worrisome, he said.

”(Politicians) spend a lot more time raising money than they do governing,” Emenhiser said. “Once in office, instead of studying the issues, they have to spend a lot of time making speeches, hosting breakfasts and calling donors, all looking toward their next election.”

Emenhiser said the first campaign finance reports are often seen by candidates as an opportunity for a pre-emptive strike.

”They're saying, we have this war chest here, and you shouldn't even try us,” Emenhiser said. “Sometimes, they refer to it as the funding primary.”

Even on a local government level, Emenhiser said, political bodies make decisions that have major implications for people -- hence the spending.

”It's land use and planning -- there's a lot of money to be made and a lot of interests to be represented,” he said.
Emenhiser said the only way to truly reduce the influence of campaign money in politics is to switch to a system of publicly funded campaigns, where voters decide how much money to allocate to campaigns, and candidates are forced to live within those bounds. That might mean a very short campaign season, Emenhiser said, but it would also mean a more level playing field.

But, Emenhiser said, the idea hasn't gained much traction.
”Nobody is willing to take that seriously,” he said.

Staff writer Thadeus Greenson contributed to this report.

James Faulk can be reached at 441-0507 or jfaulk@times-standard.com.

******

(Virginia) Bass... raised a total of $53,174. Her list of donors is long, and includes a number of people and businesses from Humboldt County's building and development communities, among others.

They include David Schneider of Pacific Affiliates, who gave $1,000; Fred Sundquist, who gave $1,500; Glenn Goldan, $1,000; Michael Dominick, $1,500; Truman Renner, $1,500; ReProp Investments, $500; TJS Leasing and Holding Co., $1,500; Loretta Nickolaus, retired county administrative officer, $200; Pierson Co., $1,500; Hilfiker Pipe Co. $1,500; Kramer Investments Corp. $1,500; Russ Cattle Co., $3,000; Hooven and Co. of McKinleyville, $1,500; A.N. Hunts and Sons, $1,500; Eureka Oxygen Co., $1,500; Bettendorf Enterprises, $1,500; Barnum Timber Co., $1,000; Eureka Ready Mix/Sand and Gravel Co., $1,500; Gary Philp, $500; Jim Furtado of McKinleyville, $1,500; Kim Slack of Eureka, $1,500; and Robert McBeth of O&M Industries, $1,500, among others....

Neely raised $27,334 in 2009, from a relatively short list of donors who gave, on average, much larger amounts.

Sedgefield Properties, owned by longtime Neely ally and sponsor Bill Pierson of Eureka, donated $10,000; Kurt Kovacks of Portland, Ore., gave $2,000; Thomas Hofweber, a county planner, gave $3,000; MPDSE, Inc., a building firm from Dana Point, CA, also known as Master Plan Developments, gave $10,000; Recology of San Francisco, formerly known as City Garbage Co., gave $500; and CA Dewitt of Fairhaven gave $200....

Eureka City Councilman Jeff Leonard... raised a total of $7,902 -- $5,342 in cash, $2,300 in a loan, and $260 in non-monetary contributions.

Donors include Eureka attorney Ken Bareilles and his wife Rene, at $100; Teresa Sims, loan officer with Redwood Capital Bank, with $500; Hank Pierson, owner of L&H Properties, at $1,000; and Pierson Co. of Eureka at $1,500.

Ryan Sundberg -- has so far run the tables during this fundraising cycle, and did so with many of the same donors who gave to Bass' campaign.

Donors include Glenn Goldan at $500; City Ambulance at $1,500; Dale Wermuth at $1,500; Maxine Maples at $1,500; Michael Dominick at $1,500; Hilfiker Pipe Co. at $1,500; ReProp Investments at $500; Barnum Timber Co. at $1,000; TJS Leasing and Holding Co. at $1,500; Eureka Oxygen Co. at $1,500; Kramer Investment Corp. at $1,500; Eureka Ready Mix at $1,500; Bettendorf Enterprises at $1,500; A.N. Hunt and Sons at $1,500; Russ Cattle Co. at $1,000; Hooven and Co. at $1,500; Pierson Co. at $1,500; Marilyn Renner at $1,500; Becky Pritchard at $1,500; and JL Furtado Construction at $1,500, among others.

The Elections Office has yet to receive 2009 disclosures from Lost Coast Communications President Patrick Cleary and 5th Division Harbor District Commissioner Patrick Higgins, both of whom have declared for the 5th District race. The disclosures had to be postmarked by Monday, and could arrive as late as today.

In the race for Humboldt County sheriff, Undersheriff Mike Downey raised $1,905 in 2009. Donors include Sheriff's Lt. Steve Knight, $100; Sgt. Wayne Hanson, $100; The Liquor Still, $100; outgoing Sheriff Gary Philp, $1,000; Melinda Ciarabellini, $100; and Lt. Michael Thomas, $500.

A disclosure from Mike Hislop, also running for sheriff, has not yet been received.


James Faulk: The unauthorized translation the Mirror

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Campaign Finance

SEMI-ANNUAL CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS DUE:
Yesterday was the last day to file semi-annual campaign disclosure statements for all candidates and slate mailer organizations for the period ending December 31, 2009.- Gov’t §§84200, 84218

Good thing this doesn’t smell bad. At all. Really. - The Mirror
Neely and the Coming Craziness The Journal
Holy moly, but does the black ops pr firm known as the Humboldt Mirror ever have a smoking hot story this morning. We would only add that the $10,000 donation from a SoCal developer to the Bonnie Neely for Supervisor campaign seems to have come not from the developer himself, but the developer’s corporation — a triple-touchy matter, obviously....
Lost in Humboldt heraldo
heraldo ignores it, choosing to post on Arkely's donations to Whitman
The Mirror expands... 27.3K?

Supervisors races attracting big money -- already - Times Standard

Update: 2/10 - STILL NO WORD FROM DAVID COBB AND KAITLIN SOPPOCCI-BELKNAP ON THIS VIOLATION OF THEIR PRECIOUS UNCONSTITUTIONAL MEASURE T. A large out-of-the-area CORPORATE donation, no less. All pigs are equal - but some pigs are more equal than others, apparently.

Monday, February 01, 2010

Mr. Infill and the DA

Supervisors back felony charge for Titlow Hill subdivisions
...Bareilles reportedly illegally subdivided his rural property, the former Double B Ranch in the Titlow Hill area, about 20 years ago. The county, which said it only came across the full extent of the activity recently after investigating a complaint, has since collected taxes on those parcels.

Third District Supervisor Mark Lovelace said after the hearing that the probation report was not what the county was concerned about -- the county would recommend a felony regardless, based on what's happened over the last 20 years on the property. The county's letter outlined the impact Bareilles' reported actions have caused to the environment, those living in the area and to county operations.

Lovelace said Bareilles' testimony did not sway him.

”Everything he said only confirms what the board put in the letter,” he said. “He only wants a solution that basically gives him everything that he wants.”

The District Attorney's Office offered Bareilles a plea bargain that would have involved Bareilles making a contribution of $283,000 to be deposited into a trust for the county to use to fix the violations, Lovelace said.

Bareilles has yet to agree to the deal, Deputy District Attorney Christa McKimmy said.

***

From the comments:
Ken Bareilles Jr.
This article is wrong on a lot of points, for example, the amount in the article was $238,000.00. But at the hearing yesterday, which I attended, the amount was $283,000.00. Fact check much?

Also, at the time Bareilles entered the guilty plea, it was conditional that he be allowed to put on evidence and argue for it to be tried as a misdemeanor rather than a felony. That was a part of the plea. This article implies he changed his tune at a later date.

The article also doesn't mention that Bareilles applied for and received approval by the Board of Supervisors for a large subdivision in the area back in the 1970's and early 1980's. The Board said yes, Bareilles did all the work and then, with Bareilles more than one million in debt at the time of completing the subdivision, the Board changed their mind and denied the subdivision.

Full disclosure, this is my father.

Feb. 1

Feb. 1, 2010, through Feb. 10, 2010
(E-127-118) DECLARATION OF INTENTION (JUDICIAL OFFICES OF THE SUPERIOR COURT ONLY):
Dates between which candidates for judicial offices of the Superior Court must file a Declaration of Intention to become a candidate for office.
Superior Court Judge
Department 1 - 6 Years
Department 5 - 6 Years


Gallegos for Judge? It's always been one of the rumors. He has a chance here.

Sundberg Kick Off article - Updated


What happened to the link to the Sundberg campaign kick off on the Times Standard site? It was there Sunday.
http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_14305419
It's gone from the listing and this is the message that comes up:
Thank you for visiting Eureka Times Standard. We are sorry the article that you requested is no longer available. Please search for this article in our archive search.

The link for Cleary, however - a January 21st story - is still up http://www.times-standard.com/ci_14236955

The comments are still there:
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/eureka-times-standard/T4F659JD0R5HICCGO

Sundberg official in 5th. 4 running for Humboldt County Assessor's seat? More Humboldt County political bits. Samoa Softball
sundbergforsupervisor.org
patrickcleary.com

UPDATE: The link is still not in the Local News listings online but the link is active, the article has been restored.

Bradshaw positively identified; full autopsy report pending more test results

Bradshaw positively identified; full autopsy report pending more test results
Human remains unearthed from a wooded area near McKinleyville earlier this month have been positively identified as those of Monica Bradshaw.

Humboldt County Coroner Dave Parris said that the forensic pathologist, Dr. Mark Super, who performed an autopsy on Monica Bradshaw last weekend, has ordered more tests and likely won't offer his full report for some weeks. Parris said that Super is being cautious and thorough, knowing his findings have major implications for Monica Bradshaw's husband, Robin Bradshaw, who is charged with killing her.

...Reached on Friday, Monica Bradshaw's sister, Caroline Sheffield, said she and her brother are relieved their sibling's body was recovered, and can now be laid to rest.

”We're immensely grateful that her body's been recovered, because my brother and I both had some very strong feelings about leaving her out there alone in the dirt,” Sheffield said. “We knew she was out there somewhere, but it's kind of like being discarded. That bothered us a great deal.”

Sheffield said she's disappointed that Robin Bradshaw is not facing more time in prison, but understands why the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office entered into the deal.

”It's better that he serves some time than none,” Sheffield said. “In this world, you take what you can get, and it's important that he be put away.”

While Sheffield said she was somewhat disappointed that the District Attorney's Office wasn't in better contact with her, she said the detectives who worked the case and Parris have been great.

”(Humboldt County Sheriff's Office) Detective Rich Schlesiger has been wonderful in keeping us informed every step of the way, and I think he's gone above and beyond,” she said. “He has been extraordinarily kind and helpful. He's very gentle and very caring.”

Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos said if Super's report indicates a manner of death different from what Robin Bradshaw has told authorities, he will fairly and impartially look at the evidence before making a decision on how to proceed.

”We'd probably be seeking to have the plea taken back and to start fresh (with the case),” Gallegos said....


NOTE:
From the comments:

somone who watches said:
In January's 14th 2010 issue of "Public Notices" in the back of North Coast Journal there is a filing of Probate for Monica Bradshaw. It was filed by her husband. Isn't that proof that he knew she was dead! Look it up for your selves. Plea deals should not be accepted. It's time to elect anyone else running for the position of District Attoney, NOT GALLEGOS!!!!!!!

Searching this at The Journal - I don't find this at the link provided... seems the legal notices are the current listing:
legal notices | North Coast Journal | Humboldt County, Calif.
Monica Sue Bradshaw. Case No. PR100001. To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will ...
www.northcoastjournal.com/legal-notices/ - Cached - Similar -

Since it was posted AFTER he'd already led people to the body - if it was posted 2010 - then it doesn't seem to mean much.

***

PREVIOUSLY:
DA's office (Paul Gallegos) still undecided in Bradshaw case; Gallegos to talk to pathologist next week May 28, 2010
Bradshaw sentencing postponed, Gallegos "weighing" decision May 5, 2010
...Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos received Super's report last week, but has yet to decide how to proceed with the case. At Tuesday's hearing, Bradshaw's attorney, Peter Martin, said Gallegos had contacted him asking that the sentencing hearing be postponed.

”He wants more time, I believe, to review the medical report and to request supporting materials from the medical examiner,” Martin said....

”It's going to be something Paul's going to have to think about.” April 27, 2010
-- Bradshaw autopsy report with Humboldt County DA; indicates blunt force trauma as cause of death
Autopsy report coming in Bradshaw case; plea agreement hinges on results for McKinleyville man accused of wife's murder APRIL 24, 2010
Bradshaw positively identified; full autopsy report pending more test results FEBRUARY 01, 2010
Autopsy set for Sunday in Bradshaw case JANUARY 23, 2010
ANOTHER PLEA DEAL - Bradshaw agreed to give location of body in plea deal JANUARY 09, 2010
Robin Stuart Bradshaw entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors last month, agreeing to disclose the location of his wife's body and plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter, court records show.
Authorities believe they have found the body of missing McKinleyville woman JANUARY 08, 2010
The person further told investigators, according to the affidavit, that Robin Bradshaw confessed to first burying his wife in a shallow grave in the backyard of his home, only to later dig her body up and bury it on an undeveloped Danco subdivision off of Fieldbrook Road in McKinleyville.
Hearing for McKinleyville murder case continued NOVEMBER 05, 2009
Bradshaw Prelim continued to Nov. 5 SEPTEMBER 30, 2009
Prelim for Robin Stuart Bradshaw JULY 07, 2009
Bradshaw pleads not guilty to murdering wife June 16, 2009
Robin Stuart Bradshaw, arrested JUNE 16, 2009
Second search warrant issued in missing woman case - and a request to seal documents January 29, 2009
Monica Bradshaw: MISSING January 27, 2009