Chef’s family scorns DA ‘betrayals’

This tale, so oft repeated over Gallegos' tenure, is particularly clear, and this time got some press. So many families have said as much over the years. Sometimes with heartbreaking poignancy, and were ignored.

READ IT.

◼ Chef’s family scorns DA ‘betrayals’ - Paul Mann/Mad River Union

◼ Relatives laud (DDA) Rees - Paul Mann/Mad River Union

◼ Juan Joseph Ferrer raw - Kevin Hoover/Mad River Union
Ferrer's probation report contains a wealth of detail on the case. Union reporter Paul Mann will have a deep dive on this and related stories. Meanwhile, click ◼ here for the raw Ferrer file.

ELECTION RESULTS:

◼ FIRST REPORT 8:06

Maggie Fleming: 63.69%
Élan Firpo: 22.62%

Virginia Bass: 61.61%
Chris Kerrigan: 38.25%

Ryan Sundberg: 65.81%
Sharon LaTour: 33.97%

◼ SECOND REPORT 9:59

Maggie Fleming: 62.92%
Élan Firpo: 23.23%

Virginia Bass: 55.34%
Chris Kerrigan: 44.44%

Ryan Sundberg: 65.81%
Sharon LaTour: 33.97%

◼ The second report of the night has Kerrigan closing the gap on Bass, who still has a commanding lead. - The Journal

◼ THIRD REPORT 10:57

Maggie Fleming: 61.95%
Élan Firpo: 24.34%

Virginia Bass: 53.55%
Chris Kerrigan: 46.21%

Ryan Sundberg: 65.76%
Sharon LaTour: 34.03%

◼ THIRD RESULTS: Bass and Fleming Leads Hold, inc. updates and running coverage - LoCo

◼ ELECTION NIGHT FINAL REPORT

Maggie Fleming: 60.96%
Élan Firpo: 25.80%

Virginia Bass: 53.31%
Chris Kerrigan: 46.46%

Ryan Sundberg: 61.09%
Sharon LaTour: 36.67%

People are calling about the Rio Dell 'debate'

Arnie has posted: Last night in Rio Dell: I went to a forum and turned it into a debate.....

Here's the ◼ AUDIO.

Here's the ◼ VIDEO.

Well worth a listen...

Apparently very contentious - Discuss.

(THANK YOU, RIO DELL TIMES)

Out Here In The Redwoods

Allan Dollison:



Arnie Klein:



Élan Firpo:

DA CANDIDATE PROFILES: ARNIE KLEIN

◼ District attorney candidate profiles: Arnie Klein speaks on experience, plea deals, funding - Will Houston/Times-Standard

After retiring from a 40-year law career that spanned across both sides of the aisle in courtrooms across California, Humboldt County district attorney candidate Arnie Klein said this year's wide-open election was something he could not pass up.

"This is the most important election Humboldt County is going to be facing for the next 10 years," Klein said....
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◼ WEB: votearnieklein.com ◼ ABOUT ◼ DONATE ◼ FACEBOOK

The KHUM DA Debate

Or, the Reporters' "ME ME ME" Forum. (Reporters asked the questions tonight)

Serious issues, like are you going to talk to US? Prosecute US, or support Gag orders.... and what about that art at HSU? Little to no indication that they care or understand the problems in the DA's Office.

The Candidates valiantly answered the questions, of course they care about free speech.

Look, the controversy over some piece of art at HSU may be near and dear to the Lumberjack reporter's heart, but it doesn't have a thing to do with the DA's Office.

As for PRESS RELEASES and press relations - there were some good points made - it's not that the questions are BAD questions, they are just so self-centered it's disappointing. With all the problems in the DA's office, insufficient communication with reporters is way down on the list.

Allan Dollison correctly pointed out the flurry of press releases that went out to support Gallegos' re-election and the dearth since. There were some good points made, but other answers mostly missed the boat when it comes to the press.

The DA is the liaison to the press. NOT the Deputy DA's.

It's the DA's job. the DA is expected to be knowledgeable about the cases, know how to deal with the media, and DO it - not pass it off to prosecutors who have no desire to interact with the media, and no knowledge how to do so. You get people popping off, and you're gonna get yourself sued, and/or lose cases. The Deputy DA's should not be talking to the media bout the cases. I've been pointing this out for years, as Paul abdicated his responsibility.

Sigh.

On the plus side, since it wasn't a call in forum, we didn't get Sara the Dog's standing question "What do you most admire about Paul Gallegos?" Which is too bad really because that was really backfiring, as the poor candidates struggled to come up with something, it became increasingly apparent that Paul's fan club has closed its doors.

Did you listen? Your takeaway?

DA Candidate Forum/Humboldt Senior Resource Center

Did you go? What did you think?
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Chiv's report:

◼ DA candidate debate at Humboldt Senior Resource Center

...The only light hearted moments in the debate were when the wind blew the name cards off the table for each candidate. While it was an equal opportunity wind; it did pick on the men first. Also the mike sputtered and finally failed. These two technical difficulties brought a smile and exchange from all four candidates where the people overruled the candidates....The debate will be aired on Access Humboldt so you can watch for yourself....

◼ Senior Center DA debate part 2

◼ Or, you can cover the race this way: My Name is _____ and I’m Supporting _____ for District Attorney - Lost Coast Outpost
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The KMUD Debate

◼ Candidates for District Attorney of Humboldt County will appear in a debate sponsored by the Civil Liberties Monitoring Project,

Monday, May 5 at the Veterans Memorial Hall, Garberville, from 7 to 9 pm. Doors opened at 6:30.

This debate was broadcast live on KMUD!

7:01 PM: CLMP Welcome, Introductions, Overview of Process
7:05 PM: Brief Opening Statements by Candidates - 1 minute each
7:10 PM: Prepared Questions - Facilitators decide how much time for a question. Each question is answered by each candidate with time for any rebuttals.
7:55 - 8:05 - Ten Minute Break
8:05 PM: More Questions asked by Facilitators and from the floor. Each Answered by each candidate with time for rebuttals.
8:55 PM: Brief Closing Statements by Candidates
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Did you hear it? What did you think? Will link the podcast if and when it becomes available.

The Journal DA edition

And, for the record - the decimation of the office is not even in dispute any longer. The ENTIRE discussion now is about what has to be done to fix it. It took this long for this fact to be recognized. It is a crying shame.

◼ It might be the most powerful position in all of Humboldt. The county's next district attorney will oversee a staff of nearly 60 people and wield the authority of the state to pursue criminal charges against local citizens, negotiate punishments and, in extreme cases, even pursue the death penalty. - Thadeus Greenson/The Journal

Each of the candidates took some time in recent weeks to sit down with the Journal to discuss his or her plans for the office and to weigh in on the central issues of the campaign. Here's an overview of the issues and the candidates' plans....

By just about any measure you choose, the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office is underfunded and understaffed, leaving prosecutors overworked with caseloads well beyond those recommended by the American Bar Association. At the debates held in the DA's race in recent months, the candidates have all lamented the situation, each pledging that his or her tenure in office will bring more county funds, more grants and more prosecutors into the office. It has clearly become the central issue of the campaign, with questions of plea bargains, case prioritization and the prosecution of serious violent felonies all coming back to questions of funding and staffing.

So, how bad is the problem really? The short answer is: bad. The office currently has about 13 full-time equivalent attorneys, a number that includes Gallegos and Assistant District Attorney Kelly Neel — both of whom have a host of administrative duties in addition to prosecuting cases — a juvenile prosecutor and an environmental prosecutor. That leaves about nine full-time attorneys to handle almost all the adult felony and misdemeanor prosecutions for the county....

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What is your favorite movie?

What is your favorite book?

What magazine do you read most regularly?

If your campaign had a theme song, what would it be?

Who is your favorite fictional lawyer?

Who is your favorite real-life lawyer?

Dogs or cats?

What is your favorite hobby?

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

KEET-TV DA Candidate Forum: Open Thread

KEET-TV (Ch. 13) and The League of Women Voters of Humboldt County 2014 Candidate Forum Tonight: 7:00 P.M.

◼ Watch it ONLINE: LIVE STREAM

◼ iOS users please use this link: http://keet.streamguys1.com/live/keet/playlist.m3u8
◼ Android and other users please use this link: rtsp://keet.streamguys1.com/live/keet

This is the big one.

The number to call, if you want to call in a question, is 445-0811
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Candidates On Parade

ALLAN:

Took a break from the Campaign trail to participate with the Mad River Honor Guard in today's Rhododendron Parade through the streets of Eureka.
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◼ WEB: dollisonforda.com ◼ ABOUT ◼ DONATE ◼ FACEBOOK
ARNIE:

We had a such a great time today at the Rhododendron Parade! Thank you Ken Bareilles, for all of your support. Your truck looked great. It meant a lot to us having you drive us down the parade route. We especially want to thank all the wonderful citizens of Humboldt County who turned out today. Your smiles and waves were not in short supply. We are both humbled and thankful for all of your support.
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◼ WEB: votearnieklein.com ◼ ABOUT ◼ DONATE ◼ FACEBOOK
ÉLAN:

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◼ WEB: elanfirpo.com ◼ ABOUT ◼ SUPPORTERS ◼ DONATE
MAGGIE:

Maggie greeted supporters at the Rhododendron Parade on Saturday.
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◼ WEB: electmaggiefleming.com ◼ ENDORSEMENTS ◼ NEWS ◼ DONATE
From Facebook

Ocean West Senior Village Candidate Forum

◼ Arnie Klein for Humboldt County District Attorney 2014: A big thank you to Ocean West Senior Village for hosting Friday evenings forum. A lot of important questions were asked and I met some great people.

Berkowitz: One On One with Arnie Klein

◼ Continuing our one on one interviews with the candidates, this morning I spoke with DA candidate Arnie Klein. He give his background and says that “restoring public confidence” in the DAs office is his top priority. - Lost Coast Outpost
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◼ WEB: votearnieklein.com ◼ ABOUT ◼ DONATE ◼ FACEBOOK

Signs, Signs, Everywhere A Sign...

◼ All about the Signs - Eric Kirk/SoHum Parlance

I almost missed this one. Thought it was an earlier article, the title was so similar

But no, this one is about a 'debate' that happened yesterday: ◼ DA Candidates Trade Jabs at Latest Debate - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost ◼ (Image from Arnie Klein on Facebook)

In a rapid-fire debate this afternoon, Humboldt County’s four district attorney candidates took turns addressing complex issues in one-minute sound bites, and they found time to take a few swipes at each other.

The 45-minute debate, which was hosted by Eureka Rotary Club and moderated by the League of Women Voters, touched on some of the usual hot-button topics, including marijuana legalization, homelessness, public safety realignment and campaign donations. And while the differences between candidates were often more about style than substance, there was a distinct feistiness in the air, with candidates looking to poke at each other’s perceived weak spots.

◼ Richard's interesting analysis: Eureka Rotary DA race debate leaves lots of questions. - Richard Marks/Samoa Softball Thursday update - that Samoa Softball comments thread turned into something quite different.
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Celebrity DA Candidates

◼ Ryan Hurley discovered Dollison: the WikiLeak Dossier

If campaigns for public office are really just popularity contests in disguise, hardscrabble Humboldt County district attorney candidate Allan Dollison holds an intriguing — if potentially troublesome — advantage over his more monied opponents.

While none of the four candidates for the office is so illustrious as to command his or her own Wikipedia page — the gold standard of Web notoriety — Mr. Dollison's WikiLeaks trove serves as a provocative substitute. Diplomatic cables published to the site disclose that a then-Army Capt. Dollison organized and led Afghani judges and tribal officials in a conference focused on patching together a functioning justice system in the beleaguered nation. An impressive credential, no doubt....
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◼ Arnie Klein and The Twilight Zone Case "The North Coast Journal sent me several questions, one of which was "What's your favorite book?" It reminded me of the book Special Effects that covered the Twilight Zone disaster case. I was a defense attorney in that trial when I had much more hair The whole defense team, including me, is pictured here."

Letters: Firpo, not Klein, politicized case

Arnie Klein has been unfairly criticized for his involvement with the Family of Douglas Anderson-Jordet and the plea deal accepted by Élan Firpo. It's important for the public to know that I was the person who put Mr. Klein in contact with Doug's family. I contacted Arnie after reading his response to a letter I wrote, and he agreed to work on this case, pro bono. Arnie Klein offered help and hope by advocating for those who felt increasingly double-crossed by their representatives and alienated by justice.

Élan Firpo and her campaign politicized this situation with the press release titled, “Ms. Firpo responds to concerns about Ferrer disposition.” In this politically motivated and defensive press release, Élan Firpo threw Douglas Anderson-Jordet and his family under the bus, strictly to save face in light of her candidacy in the upcoming election for Humboldt County District Attorney. When faced with criticism from her opponents and the community, Ms. Firpo chose to dishonorably react, rather than to virtuously proceed. Her colossal failure to nobly handle this situation should be strongly considered on voting day.

◼ Ben Dale
Eureka
Times-Standard

Plea deals in Ferrer case tossed

Plea deals in Ferrer case tossed - Links to coverage by John Chiv, Mad River Union, Lost Coast Outpost, Times-Standard, KIEM Ch 3 News, and more. Updated as they're filed.

◼ Plea bargains rejected in Ferrer case - John Chiv/Words Worth UPDATED

◼ The Judge explains her reasoning. Gallegos late to the hearing. - John Chiv/Words Worth UPDATED

Once Judge Hinrichs was done explaining the rules and the plea bargaining, she opened her remarks with, "This case is a tragedy." She said the Court had read and reviewed all documents presented and these were from all the attorneys and Probation and the victim's family.

She then said her tentative decision was to set the pleas aside. She explained why and read post 1 (link above) for those details.

◼ MAD RIVER UNION

◼ Judge Tosses Plea Deals in Anderson-Jordet Stabbing Case - Hank Sims/Lost Coast Outpost UPDATED

...Judge Hinrichs said that it was not in the public interest to accept the plea agreements and signaled that she would disqualify herself from hearing the case in the future.

◼ Times-Standard

A Humboldt County Superior Court judge set aside the pleas of three people charged in connection with the fatally stabbing of an Arcata chef in November at their sentencing hearing today.

Judge Joyce D. Hinrichs also set May preliminary hearing dates in the cases to determine whether they will face trial.

...His family asked the judge to set aside the plea, saying manslaughter didn’t represent the scope of the crime.

Arcata residents Nicholas Benjamin Stoiber, 28, and Sophie Buttercup Rocheleau, 24, also had their no contest pleas set aside. There were accused of beating Anderson-Jordet during the altercation.
Rocheleau had plead to a misdemeanor battery charge while Stoiber plead to a charge of assault likely to produce bodily harm.

News Channel 3 - Judge did not accept plea deals in the Ferrer case Juan Ferrer is the man who plead guilty to fatally stabbing 50 year old Douglas Anderson-Jordet in the heart in downtown Arcata.

Ferrer will appear in court again for a preliminary hearing on May 28th.

We have reporter in the courtroom. We'll have more details as they become available.
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◼ Plea deals tossed in Arcata fatal stabbing case; Judge: Decision made to keep 'public's confidence in the justice system' - Will Houston/The Times-Standard

A Humboldt County superior court judge on Thursday rejected the plea deals of three Arcata residents charged in the Nov. 25 fatal stabbing of chef Douglas Anderson-Jordet, saying she did “not believe justice would be served.”

Judge Joyce Hinrichs said she would be acting as both the “judge and the jury” by moving forward with their sentencings.

”It would undermine the public's confidence in the justice system,” Hinrichs said. “To not set aside the pleas erodes the public's confidence.”

...District Attorney Paul Gallegos argued that Hinrichs' statement of acting as both the judge and the jury should not apply to this case.

”What the court has is the inherent power to accept or reject the plea deal,” Gallegos said.

Hinrichs said her ruling might have been different if she had been able to review all the documents. She noted that Gallegos' office brought her three inches of new documents to review right before the sentencing hearing.

...Though he supported the plea deal, Gallegos said he was “happy accepting the court's ruling.”

”I think the court's ruling results in a just resolution,” he said.

◼ Judge Tosses Plea Deals In Arcata Stabbing Case - Jack Durham/Mad River Union (UPDATED at 8:27 a.m. April 4 with edits, additional information and photos.)

Hinrichs said she would take the blame for giving tentative approval to the plea deals last month. She said at the time, she hadn’t heard objections to the deals from the victim’s family. It wasn’t until after tentative approval of the plea deals last month that the family became publicly vocal about what they perceive as light sentences for the suspects.

“I didn’t ask enough questions,” said Hinrichs, who added that she should have paid closer attention to the state’s Victims Bill of Rights. “Hindsight is 20/20.” Hinrichs said that she doesn’t believe that “justice would be served” by allowing the plea deals to stand....

At today’s hearing, Hinrichs explained how she arrived at her decision, citing the various briefs and letters she had read. She then explained the reasons for her decision, which she said would be tentative until she had a chance to hear from the DA and the defense attorneys at the hearing. This left the door open for the attorneys to convince her to change her decision, but she was unpersuaded.

Gallegos, representing the People, had the first opportunity to respond, but he wasn’t present in the room. There was a short delay before Gallegos arrived. When he finally did, one of his assistants briefly whispered in his ear, presumably telling him what he had missed.

Gallegos, having missed the judge’s explanation of her decision, seemed somewhat confused by her rationale, which he hadn’t heard in its entirety. He said he would respect whatever decision to court made and said he thought that, in the end, justice would prevail.

“The true evidence will come out sooner or later,” Gallegos said.

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◼ Prior posts on this case: Sophie Buttercup Rocheleau, Nicholas Benjamin Stoiber and Juan Joseph Ferrer, the three suspects in the Anderson-Jordet killing, who had accepted the plea deals that have now been tossed. HERE

What's next? Re-filing. A Preliminary Hearing. A trial or another set of plea deals.

Preliminary hearing set for May 28 at 8:30 a.m.

Heads up, from Chiv: Ferrer sentencing may not happen until 4 p.m.

◼ Ferrer sentencing may not happen until 4 p.m., information you would not know except for this post - John Chiv/Words Worth

It is listed as 2 p.m. on the court calendar for today. But when I checked on the time today, heard it may happen at 4 p.m. That is interesting since it is not a special set.

Come a bit early if you want a seat. I suggest people interested come at 2 p.m. and then you will know for sure.

◼ Ferrer hearing to start at 4 - John Chiv/Words Worth

...hallway packed.

◼ Allan Dollison declines Arnie Klein's request to attend Ferrer sentencing; will public have access to enough seats, read why - John Chiv/Words Worth

◼ Showdown Over Arcata Stabbing Suspect’s Plea Deal This Afternoon - Hank Sims/Lost Coast Outpost

The Outpost’s Ryan Burns will be in the courtroom this afternoon at the politically charged sentencing hearing for Juan Ferrer, the man who has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in stabbing death of Douglas Anderson-Jordet in December.

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◼ Community Encouraged to Come to Ferrer Sentencing Hearing - Arnie Klein

Today at the Humboldt County Courthouse at about 2 p.m. (may be moved to 4:00) Judge Joyce Hinrichs will be the presiding magistrate for the sentencing hearing of Juan Ferrer. The Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office has stated it will present a plea bargain to Ferrer of involuntary manslaughter for the November murder of Abruzzi chef Douglas Anderson-Jordet, which the judge does not have to accept.

Mr. Klein invites and urges every member of the community to attend who cares about public safety, justice and fairness. If you live here, work here, own a business, raise children, are going to school, retired and living on a fixed income, any of the above or none of the above, if you care at all about the future of public safety in Humboldt County, please attend the court hearing. Or if you cannot, follow the results of the hearing on any of the various social media outlets.
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◼ It's a big day in court today: Bodhi Tree jury selection procedure starts today; Borgner update - John Chiv/Words Worth

Due to a minor illness, Arnie Klein is taking a 48-hour sabbatical.

◼ Arnie Klein for Humboldt County District Attorney 2014 He regrets missing the League of Women Voters candidate forum and tonight’s scheduled KMUD interview with Bonnie Blackberry. Mr. Klein needs to make sure he is well for Thursday, because his priority is assisting the family of Mr. Anderson-Jordet. For this reason, he is putting the campaign on the back burner until Friday morning. Mr. Klein will be at the Humboldt County Courthouse on Thursday at 2 p.m. to ask the judge to set aside the plea.

Earlier: The facts of this case do not support the plea bargain of involuntary manslaughter that the DA's Office arranged. The victim's family has asked me to represent them on Thursday with an impact statement. I encourage you to come to the hearing. ◼ Community Encouraged to Come to Ferrer Sentencing Hearing

For concerned citizens who want to attend the hearing, the sentencing is scheduled for April 3 on the 2 p.m. calendar at the Humboldt County Courthouse, 825 5th St, Eureka, in Judge Joyce Hinrichs’s courtroom.