I'm a Libertarian living in Humboldt County, CA. I've lived here in Eureka since 1973 and joined the Libertarian Party in 1992. This blog will mostly focus on local political issues, but I may stray into state and national issues as well, when I can't help myself. Please post your comments by clicking on the "comments" link at the bottom of each post. Although I do moderate comments, you need not be a registered user to post them.
I guess it's nothing new but, ouch, this doesn't look good. Whether he was helping out a contributor, every defendent gets treated that way, or a little of both; Doesn't look good.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 6:50 AM
142 comments
142 Comments:
Is this supposed to be some kind of a filibuster? Gallegos gets stinkier by the day.
What was that? Gallegos is a scary corrupt man. I honor of the planted filibuster left above, I leave a poem in honor of Gallegos and his paid flunky Salzman, who has worked so hard to keep Gallegos employed.
The Carpenter's Son
"Here the hangman stops his cart:
Now the best of friends must part.
Fare you well, for ill fare I:
Live, lads, and I will die.
"Oh, at home had I but stayed
'Prenticed to my father's trade,
Had I stuck to plane and adze,
I had not been lost, my lads.
"Then I might have built perhaps
Gallows-trees for other chaps,
Never dangled on my own,
Had I left but ill alone.
"Now, you see, they hang me high,
And the people passing by
Stop to shake their fists and curse;
So 'tis come from ill to worse.
"Here hang I, and right and left
Two poor fellows hang for theft:
All the same's the luck we prove,
Though the midmost hangs for love.
"Comrades all, that stand and gaze,
Walk henceforth in other ways;
See my neck and save your own:
Comrades all, leave ill alone.
"Make some day a decent end,
Shrewder fellows than your friend.
Fare you well, for ill fare I:
Live lads, and I will die."
Alfred Edward Housman
Another example of "getting what you paid for." The kid gets a wrist slap because Gallegos gets a big check and justice happens somewhere else. How many days until the next DA election? I want to set my watch. Of course the Gallegos supporters will say he had nothing to do with the case. It was all lower level people who made the decisions. If this is the case, it's very scary that these people have that much authority. And conversely, if they do, why is Gallegos there in the first place. Maybe he should just spend his days surfing.
If Debi August had only known, she could've saved $150,000 in legal fees.
If Salzman is keeping Gallegos employed he should go to work more often and get off the blogs. You need to watch your boss's hands going into his pockets not his back dummy!
the tip of the iceberg!
not all "donations" are cash, some are influence and support.
can't wait to hear what is to follow.
Who was the deputy handling the case? Was there a change, from one to another? Why do the judges approve these deals? How does a deputy DA do such a deal? How does an elected DA tolerate it?
By the way, are there any records of how much money any of the deputies gave to the DA?
Speaking of deputies, too bad the supes like the at will status of the deputies (it's their call, not the DA's, the supes could amend the DA's contract any time but for some reason they choose not to. Apparently the supes
want the DA to be able to fire people like Jackson and Dikeman, want the deputies not to tell the public what goes on. Wonder why that makes sense for Humboldt County? Grand jury didn't think so. Did the supes ever respond to that issue in the grand jury report? Is anyone asking the candidates about it?)
Which deputies handled the Bowman file? What judge approved the deal?
Speaking of deputies, why do the supes like the at will status so much? The deputies contract with the county has nothing to do with the DA, it's all up to the supes. Why didn't they respond to the grand jury recommendation about ending at will status? Is anyone asking the supe candidates why they
want the DA to be able to fire
people like Jackson and Dikeman on a whim, and keep the other deputies under his thumb "your primary job qualification is personal loyalty to me"? How is that good for the County?
Which deputies handled the Bowman file? What judge approved the deal?
Speaking of deputies, why do the supes like the at will status so much? The deputies contract with the county has nothing to do with the DA, it's all up to the supes. Why didn't they respond to the grand jury recommendation about ending at will status? Is anyone asking the supe candidates why they
want the DA to be able to fire
people like Jackson and Dikeman on a whim, and keep the other deputies under his thumb "your primary job qualification is personal loyalty to me"? How is that good for the County?
Whatever "deals" are made at the DA's office there is only ONE person responsible, THE District Attorney. Gallegos, as the DA is responsible. It's not like this is LA County with hundreds of deputy DA's. There are maybe 5 or 6 handling felony cases. And with the "AT WILL" status of Deputy DA's and Gallegos' track record for firing DDA's "at will" none of the Deputy DA's would dare make some kind of sweetheart deal for a defendant like that without the approval of Gallegos.
The real question is who will Gallegos try and pin this one on? Which Deputy DA will be selected as the fall guy (or gal) ? Gallegos has got to be spinning! Does he think that there is no record of this stuff? All it takes is someone to do the research, request, and pay for the copies.
Gallegos will throw a Deputy DA down to take the heat and they will keep their mouth shut or get fired. Pretty simple. A form of terrorism.
And as the saying goes "don't blame me I voted for Dikeman". And by the way I never voted for Farmer.
Reminds me of another saying about a "slippery slope". And it's only going to keep going.
I noticed Heraldo and Eric have not touched this one yet. Could it be they are tired of defending their "surfing DA" buddy.
When are we going to hear some admission from the Gallegos fans that the guy isn't up to the job? How much proof does it take?
This one isn't rumor, it's a thoroughly documented link between a donation and a suspect freed with minimal consequence.
Justice for all? Not so much.
Eric's taken a shot at giving a spin to the story to deflect Paul's blame. It won't work this time because there really is just too much evidence of crooked dealing in Gallegos' DA's office with the Bowmans.
9:44 9:48 9:48 good point redundant but good
use the candidate forums to ask supervisors what they think of this issue and do not let them skirt the issue.
Dismissed: Sex with a 14 year old. Felony check writing. Felony threats. Felony battery. Drug charges.
So for $10,000, you can have sex with a 14 year old, beat up your wife, threaten to kick her ass if she goes to the police, get busted with drugs, and all you are going to get is 180 for that needle in your pocket, while writing bad checks to cover the costs.
Nice.
And the Humboldt progressive community will dutifully look the other way.
Heraldo and Eric Kirk have their heads so deep in the sand their toes are the only things left sticking out.
Oh yes, the "Justice for All" and Equal Justice under the law crap that spewed out of Gags' mouth during the election.
Equal Justice my ass !
Hey, don't be so hasty. If you have casino money to lavish on a pubic official, justice is fully available.
Wonder what Blue Lake, Hoopa and Trinidad have to say about this? And Bonnie? Will she keep her $10,000?
Don't forget, Worth Dikeman is the racist here folks, nothing to see, move along, this is somehow Worth Dikeman's fault, he made Gallagos take the money, this is justice....
rabble rabble rabble.
Jesus H Christ, we got a bill of goods here.
the best justice money can buy !
Wasn't Bonnie's $10,000 payoff from the Blue Lake Casino ?
Is this why Gallegos went after EPD? They didn't "donate" any money to his campaign ?????
Bonnie was given $25,000 by the Blue Lake Rancheria. What does chair Arla Ramsey need? Follow the money.
Just because Bear River and Gallegos are corrupt doesn't make the other tribes and Bonnie corrupt.
From Paul's HELP WANTED AD:
"The Humboldt County District Attorney's Office is recruiting for a top-flight prosecutor, with at least 5 years felony experience, who is able to "pick up a file at a moment's notice and run with it."..."
"The Humboldt County DA's office is one of the most exciting prosecutorial offices in California."
"Its District Attorney, Paul Gallegos, is willing to charge anyone who commits wrongdoing--no matter how wealthy, sacrosanct, or ruthless. He believes in total equality before the law..."
Yeah. Right.
And apparently willing to look the other way if the price is right.
Ah yes anon 11:48, but if let's say another Humboldt County area tribe with a Hotel in let's say Arcata kept covering up let's say, the chairperson's sons and familymembers actions, what would that be? How about another tribe in Humboldt County area who got a casino then started removing members from the tribe and closing the rolls...
Those three casinos move almost as much money a year as the Arkleys are rumored to have.
Hey ! Wanta have some fun ? ? ?
try Googleing up "without fear or favor" !!!!!!!
The hit is from an article by Diane McFarland of the Sarasota Florida Hearld Tribune. The "witout fear or favor" is supposedly a pledge that all jouralist make? Check it out!
Don't know if this rises to the level of PLAGIARISM but it is interesting! And the statement to the ER was in the form of an e-mail, he (gags)did not comment on the phone. You would think this guy would learn his lesson. Can he really be that stupid? Or that Arrogant ?
"Can he really be that stupid? Or that Arrogant ?"
Yes and yes. He knows that his "progessive" legions will follow him over the cliff.
Just like Tom DeLay's adherents.
Don't question the idol, no matter what.
Justice for all . . . of my friends.
Which deputies handled the Bowman file? What judge approved the deal?
And what did the probation department recommend? More importantly, what was the evidence against the guy?
Eric, it is time to quit drinking the kool-aid.
Oh Eric stop it! Quit being such a putz. At a minimum there is a serious preception of wrongdoing, or ....impropriety. Blind loyalty is not very becoming, and kind of stupid as it takes away from any credibility you have. Follow the time line !!!!! The whole thing smells.
With 40 arrests in two states over an 11 year period this guy is not just a misguided boy. You can't spin that away or put that much sugar on it. You wanted facts Eric, well you got them...... court documents.
You are so predictable.
Eric wants to throw probation on the grenade. As if a bad probation report ( even yougo got hot about the report in the case he gave away) would excuse the DA's office
for making the deal. Deal first, report later. And the judges are not bound by the probation report. The question is, did the deputy say "no objection to probation"? Did the DA promise no more jail, much less prison?
When is the DA's office going to throw open this file, so the public and the media can see what
"justice for all" means.
Government code sections beginning at 6254, read them, write a letter
referring to them, they have to show you the file. But of course, I am sure the DA who wanted the
Cheri Moore inquest will also demand an open process here.
So anon 2:20 - what do you know about the evidence in the case against Bowman? And please be specific, as I assume you possess the wealth of knowledge to justify your accusations.
At a minimum there is a serious preception of wrongdoing
Oh, there is definitely a serious preception of wrongdoing.
You wanted facts Eric, well you got them...... court documents.
And what do the court documents say again? They contain a hearsay allegation from a 17 year old girl who doesn't explain why she believes what she believes other than her husband's boasts. Would you convict on that?
Now that Eric brings it up, I'd be interested in knowing what the probation recommendation(s) were.
I'm not sure how the back and forth between the D.A. and Probation office works.
I know, from speaking with at least one past juvenile probation officer who moved to adult, adult probation recommendations are more cut and dried: You do a crime, there a certain penalties that apply.
With juveniles, you have to go through all the possible options and find the one that is most likely to rehabilitate the kid.
Of course, that was over 15 years ago. Don't know how those systems work now. Still, it would be interesting if probation recommended some hard time and the D.A.'s office blew it off. Then again, that might happen all the time, even before Gag's watch.
"Acosta stated in the letter that he would recommend reinstatement of derk's employment in the casino's surveillance Department should probation be granted."
Ummm - isn't that like SECURITY?
So, if you go to Bear River, and you hit a jackpot or walk out with some cash - and this guy, this little criminal who Gallegos let go free, has been watching you - what's stopping him from following you out to your car, following you home, hell they probably have your home address on their casino player card - and you feel safe?
Nuh-uh. No, NADA, NO way.
Fred to the defense. The defense of Eric and his King, King Paul the 1st.
I'm so glad to see the DA's office operates "without fear or favor" .. more PG plagiarism. More PG BS. I can't address anything Kirk says anymore since he will twist, deny, lie, and wiggle to make excuses for Gallegos. The facts are in black and white (a little red) too. Kirk is just an empty suit.
The question should be "how much justice does $11,100.00 buy you?
I have heard rumors that even PG's former supporters are starting to see the light!
Well lets just see what tomorrow or next week will bring. I have no doubt that PG will be in the hotseat again for something. He can't avoid it. People are starting to dig and ask questions. The spin doctors can try but they can't make it all go away.
This Eric guy is all about attacking the messenger, isn't he. Seems to me the 2:20 post is just suggesting that the file be opened up, so we can all see the facts, and Eric responds by demanding the facts up front. Think Cheri Moore, Eric, and lets put the facts of the Bowman case in front of the community.
Eric and the boys don't want the facts in front of the community. Eric and his buddy will look bad, really bad.
Let's do it!
The facts are in black and white (a little red) too.
Judging from her article, Ms. Muller doesn't think so. But what does she know? She just did the research and wrote the story.
You know, as I'm thinking about it - if you really believe that Gallegos took a bribe, are you going to write a complaint to the attorney general? In fact, there might even be grounds for federal prosecution if he accepted a bribe for leniency.
What about it? Anybody going to stand up for what they believe, assuming they really do believe this? You'd get your public hearing.
How about it? I mean, this is a serious allegation. Nothing's going to be done here on bloggersville. Are you stand up people or what?
Because if I truly believed a prosecutor accepted a bribe and granted leniency on it, I would indeed notify the attorney general, the bar, and any agency that might provide recourse.
I'm posting this on my blog as well. I'm curious as to the level of conviction here.
Yes. Eric. I will.
Not just about this, either.
Oh, there will be people standing up real soon, eric--people demanding Paul's removal from office after public review of all the facts in the matter.
You are trying to divert the damage to Paul by first belittling the case evidence and now by challenging critics to produce evidence most of them have only heard about today.
The facts will out unless Paul and crew can find a fall guy to take the heat his office is responsible for. Probably a desperate search for such going on right now..
Eric, be careful what you wish for.
And by the by Eric, as a side note, you are really full of shit.
Okay, Rose has the courage of her convictions. What about the rest of you? Why aren't you on the phone as we speak?
Steve - this isn't about "damage to Paul." Any "damage to Paul" that should arise out of accepting a bribe to let a rapist off should involve a jail sentence. It's out of the political realm now.
That is, if you really believe what you're saying. Don't depend on the ER article, because Ms. Muller isn't making the same accusation. You're making them. You must have information that the attorney general/state bar/federal prosecutors will find helpful.
Come on now. Pick up the phone.
No posts in over 20 minutes. I'm assuming everybody's on the phone.
"Acosta stated in the letter that he would recommend reinstatement of derk's employment in the casino's surveillance Department should probation be granted."
Ummm - isn't that like SECURITY?
No, it's much more then that. The surveillance deptment is run by the gaming commission office, a state supervised area. It's staffed by people who don't work for the casino, but for the tribe and keeps everybody in check. One of the other things that is covered in the deptmart is how fair the games are and if they are up to California code.
This man oversees where the money comes and goes and who is doing what when. Not a place where check fraud would be allowed. AT ALL.
Eric, people don't need to phone - Email works just fine.
Attorney General's Office, the State Bar Association, the California District Attorney's Association, the US Attorney's Office, the Indian Gaming Commission, the Fair Political Practices Commission, the IRS... can you think of any others I should add, Eric?
Get the files. The files are in the County Superior Court Clerk's Office in the Courthouse.
As I understand it this is a stipulated probation by the D.A.'s office - the probation report is in the file and is a public record for 60 days after sentencing, open for another two weeks, for anyone who is interested.
Just so we're clear, this isn't a dare. I think we really need a public hearing now. Either he's guilty of accepting a bribe, in which case he needs to be removed. Or he's innocent, but will be trying to run the office in a cloud of suspicion. It can't sit like this for 4 years. If you really believe he's guilty, you really are obligated to report it.
And to retain any presumption of intellectual honesty, you're obligated to admit it in the court of reason.
The gaming commission? Maybe, though it certainly wouldn't have any jurisdiction over Gallegos. I'm not sure where the IRS would come in either.
I don't know if this would violate federal racketeering laws, but if so the US attorney should know about it as well.
Calm down boys and girls. erick knows the requirements to prove bribery. You are falling into a trap. Quid pro quo without the necessary elements of the crime does not a bribery conviction make. Just because you cannot prove "bribery" does not mean Gallegos is "innocent".
This is the man who charged Penny O'Gara with a crime when her car hit a patch of hail - and then he lets this guy go free? After a massive campaign donation.
There's nothing fair or just or rational about Paul Gallegos.
Who arranged for the donation? Who approached the tribe and asked for the money?
Allison Sterling Nichols? Richard Salzman? Gallegos himself?
Just because you cannot prove "bribery" does not mean Gallegos is "innocent".
Actually, it does as a matter of law, but I'll let that one slide.
rose - There's more to the Penny O'Gara story. We represented the family of the 17 year old boy who was killed. Her car didn't just hit a patch of hail. She drove all the way from the 6th Street Bridge to the point of impact driving at close to normal speed while blind as a bat by a wall of hail. All the other vehicles pulled over to park but she just kept flying. She was charged with negligent manslaughter, which is normal when your negligence results in a death. Doesn't make you an evil person to be that careless, but the law is there to remind us that we are moving around chunks of metal that weight one or two tons and that carries responsibility.
I have just lost all respect for you Eric.
responsibility, interesting concept eric.
Eric - "Actually, it does as a matter of law" really? innocent and not-guilty do not mean the same thing. You know that...
Tell us how that case ended up, Eric - as well as how it started out.
Eric and Rose,
I don't know much about the situation but I do know Penny O'Gara as a mother and parent. I went to school with her daughter and son and she is a fantastic parent who raised two great kids.
Accidents happen and people are negligent in accidents but criminal charges of manslaughter seem a stretch to me without the presence of alcohol, drugs, or willful neglect for traffic laws.
Driving in hail (like you see in the south or midwest) are not common in Humboldt.
Mike Harvey
Rose - I don't know what happened with the criminal case. We settled the civil case against her for a considerable amount, although not nearly as much as we believed we could get at trial. However, the family very understandably did not want to relive the event at trial and came to realize that all the money in the world wasn't going to bring their son/brother back. The child was just about to graduate high school and was on the way to college. It was one of the most heartbreaking cases I've ever had to litigate. It actually brings me to tears to think about it. I didn't know the kid very well, but the parents were old clients and friends of my partner. The family was in our office in tears on numerous occasions.
I'm sure Ms. Ogara is a nice woman, and maybe it's the type of mental slip that any of us can make. But it wasn't the conditions alone because none of the other drivers on the road did what she did. As to whether negligent manslaughter charges should have been filed, well, I can't say. But on our side we were all very angry at the denials, some of which admittedly may have been insurance adjustor arguments more than Ms. Ogara's. We were associated in the case with an attorney from the Bay Area, and there were several defense attorneys involved. It became very intense between certain attorneys with very dynamic personalities, and it's a miracle we settled.
This wasn't just hail. It was a "wall" of hail by all accounts. She testified that she couldn't see. But when you can't see, you stop moving the car. Anyway, it's done. No point in arguing the case now.
anon 933 - you are innocent until proven guilty, not merely not-guilty until proven innocent. Might seem like semantics, but it's a defining aspect of our criminal justice system.
Lawyers..two tragedies to capitalize on, two tragedies to exploit, two tragedies to make your living off making the tragedies ten times worse.
Steve - put a sock in it, will you? You really don't know what you're talking about.
You're right, I don't know the case. I just trust my friends to speak the truth and so I commented out of turn based on what I saw posted.
Sorry to snap at you Steve. It's just that this case was very, very hard.
I've said too much about it already, and on the off chance that somebody involved will happen onto this thread I'm going to stop talking about it right now.
I think you were quite right to snap at Steve. He can be such a pompous windbag. He just loves to hear himself talk, whether he's right or wrong, and truth is of secondary importance to him.
"I just trust my friends to speak the truth". Well Steve, just because people are your friends doesn't guarantee they are going to tell the truth.
tell that to david cobb and his toadies you little robot!
Well this shuts down the conspiracy theory. Apologies in order for Erik. Will we hear them in the morning? Rose? Steve? All you others?
Bowman story not accurate
by Max S. Cardoza, 9/27/2006
As the deputy district attorney who handled the various criminal cases against Derek Bowman, I was appalled by your Sept. 26 article suggesting improprieties regarding the handling of the matters.
First of all, District Attorney Paul Gallegos had no input whatsoever in the handling or disposition of these matters. The files landed on my desk because, by the luck of the draw, the local court system assigned the matters to Department Seven of the Superior Court, the department to which I have been assigned for several years.
After receiving the cases, I handled them as I would any others and I received no contact, pressure or input, direct or indirect, from Mr. Gallegos or Mr. Keat, nor, for that matter, from Mr. Dikeman. My decision regarding the plea agreement in the matters was based solely on my evaluation of the cases, their provability to a jury, and the interests of justice as I view them.
Lest you think I am some toady who did the boss’s implicit bidding with a “wink and a nod,” allow me to be so bold as to tell you a bit of my background.
I have been a deputy district attorney for Humboldt County for nearly 25 years, having been hired in early 1982 by Terry Farmer’s predecessor, Bernard DePaoli. During the course of my employment, I have prosecuted every type of criminal case imaginable, including literally dozens of criminal homicides.
During the 2002 district attorney’s election, I was a strong supporter of Mr. Farmer and during the 2004 recall election and this year’s DA race I took no position, public or private.
During the past four years, Mr. Gallegos has never asked or directed me to do anything which I felt was illegal, unethical or unprofessional, in the Bowman matter or any other. Had he done so, my resignation would have been on his desk that very day.
Furthermore, I have no connection whatsoever to Leonard Bowman or the tribe of which he is chairman. Indeed, I clashed with him and his wife on several occasions when I was prosecuting their son Derek in juvenile court.
Derek Bowman now stands convicted of several felonies as a result of the plea agreement in these cases. That fact is buried so deep in your article that it is almost indiscernible. He has been and will in the future be treated the same as any other defendant in my courtroom; no worse, but certainly no better.
I don’t feel it necessary to discuss all the factors which went into the plea agreement in these cases. However, I do feel the need to address the most inflammatory charge that was dismissed as part of the agreement, namely the “statutory rape” ( a term which has no legal meaning in California).
The allegation was not that the sexual relationship was nonconsensual, but rather that the teenager involved was too young under state law to give informed consent. What your article fails to mention is that the teenager in question is the defendant’s wife, with whom he has two children. To prosecute any defendant for that offense under these circumstances would be unjust and a misuse of executive power and I would make that decision again in a heartbeat.
I find it rather telling that, to my knowledge, no one from your newspaper attempted to contact me regarding the facts of this matter prior to the publication of the article, despite the fact that the court documents in the matter clearly list me as the prosecutor at the time of the entry of the plea and at the time of sentencing. Furthermore, the lines of communication between myself and your staff (particularly Ms. Benson, who appears to be the only one in your newsroom who didn’t contribute to the piece) have always been open.
As a final point, neither Mr. Gallegos nor anyone else had any input whatsoever in this letter. As always, my words and my feelings are my own.
(Editor’s note: Max Cardoza’s response misses the point of the article. The question was not whether Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos and his deputies did anything improper in their handling of Derek Bowman’s criminal charges. Rather, it was whether they should have been handling the charges in the first place because of the potential for a conflict of interest. We asked Gallegos the question, and he refused to answer in detail. Gallegos could have told our reporter to speak with Cardoza instead, but he didn’t.)
Who posts this at Who posts this at 4:47 and 4:50 AM?
It's not from the TS, or the ER at least not as of 7:00 AM.
Apologies? Huh. This is merely more damage control.
If this were the case, Gallegos would have said he had nothing to do with it when first contacted, would have said that he recused himself, and the matter would have been ended. Doesn't add up.
So now we are supposed to believe that Max Cardoza is saying he does this sort of thing all the time, it is no big deal to dismiss 9 felonies in a single day without any input from Paul or Wes.
I don't know which is worse, it being because of a bribe, or being a matter of course. I sure don't feel any safer if it is a matter of course.
Incredible. You guys are good.
Thank you, Anon 4:50.
What is the matter with you people? You look like fools. Get a grip, and get the facts before you start ranting and foaming at the mouth.
Is it really any wonder that the EPD officers you speak to on the streets have a problem arresting felons when it is a revolving door to get them convicted at the DAs office?
If you guys are going to continue with trying to discredit those who see Paul and crew and their relationship with the Bowmans as disreputable, I will start posting my views again.
The facts in the case demand far more explanation than what's been given. The appearance of bribery is high. $13,000 donation in total from Bear River led by the man who son gets all his felony charges dropped in one fell swoop not very long after the donations were received by Paul's campaign. The Bowmans went way out of their way to trash Gallegos' opponent thus helping secure Gallegos election victory. These are facts that are guaranteed to raise questions of the handling of this case by the DA's office.
So, if you want me to keep posting on this subject, go ahead, keep putting me down to make me shut up but you Progressive idiots at political manipulation should know by now that has the opposite effect.
Rose, the ER's home page has not yet been updated, but the opinions page has. Cardoza's letter is posted there.
Yes, I believe apologies are in order.
And Steven, no one is trying to shut you up. It's foollish for any of us to believe that we are so important that others would try to silence us. Rant away, Steven.
So the TS runs an article today in which Paul denies having anything to do with the case and Keat says he contacted the attorney general's office. Why didn't he say that to the ER and who did he talk to?
all this talk about the guy having sex with his 14 year old WIFE!??!
But nobody talks about bush and his own personal faggot whore gannon.
And his daddy's penchant for young male sexwhores during latenight wh visits
I guess right wingers are against sex... hetero sex that is.
That's why they jumped all over Clinton... hetero sex.
And embrace the tactics at abu ghraib.
Not that there's anything wrong with being gay.... just with being a bush loving right winger.
And why are there so many right-wingers posting to this blog?
I thought humboldt LIB blog might be a place for people with OPEN minds, but all we got here are the arkley-hugging pro-bush logger-heads.
All war... no brains.
nobody HAS to talk to the E.R.
who would???
It's a fake newspaper....
It's paid propaganda from the bush administration to get out all the talking points of the gop and try to put a "positive spin" on a most dismal administration.
Look at the 911 debunking editorial. what a JOKE!!!!
The Eureka Reporter is a political weapon in the war against America.
Wake up!
yes, dude....emphasis on two little details.....Age (14) & WIFE, though they were not married at the time, I believe...
Of course. Another conspiracy. Thanks for the heads up.
Hi Richard
I will tell steven lewis to shut up.
shut up steven lewis.
Progressive??? Yeah.... progress is bad!
Maybe steve lewis prefers de-evolution... like Devo.
Jocko Homo???? Sounds kinda Bush-like...
except that bush was a CHEERLEADER... and not an athelete.
rah rah
8:19,he probably told the ER,remember he who owns the paper owns the info that gets printed.We'll wait and see.
What is this "richard" crap?
As if there's only one person who disagrees with the minority viewpoint?
Sounds like you are obsessed about DICK.
Who would have guessed?
Rah rah sis boom bah...
And the beat goes on...
I didn't know that the Eureka Reporter was a "political weapon in the war agianst American.
This must an educational blog.
8:29, you certainly have an interesting point of view. Do you know there are medications out there that can help you? See your doctor.
Calling the DA "Gags" because you don't like him is a stupid little trick you picked up in the third grade, right?
Well, it is very old now. Only an emotionally or mentally stunted individual would still be using such a stale approach to public dialogue.
In other words, with all the respect that may be due you, Grow Up.
8:07 - no apologies. The ER pointed out the facts. GAG's chose not to respond to the only paper asking questions and sent his employees to give statements to the TS. Evidently, the ER wanted questions answered and not just print GAG's press release.
Either the guy gave Bowman special treatment OR this is done all the time. Whichever, it stinks and GAG's should be apologizing to the public.
anon 8:07 - nice try anyway. Your loyalty to your cause shows character - especially after most of your buddies have cut and run.
"all this talk about the guy having sex with his 14 year old WIFE!??!
But nobody talks about bush and his own personal faggot whore gannon.
And his daddy's penchant for young male sexwhores during latenight wh visits"
--> Now we know who populates YOUR dreams.
Well, let's find out how Derek Bowman passed the background check that all Casino employees must pass.
An after the fact note from Paul recusing himself from the case, the Attorney General saying, "Oh, sure, go right ahead..." It's not adding up.
The ER should have contacted the attorney behind the case, the man who made the decisions, Max Cardoza. The fact that they didn't shows a lack of journalistic integrity. It wasn't a deadline story, there was no hard reason it had to run that day, and Cardoza's name was all over the documents. The story, and the questions, were justified, but instead of balancing the story, they bungled it. They're too intent on making the case for Gags' political enemies, the Allison Jackson and Rose Welsh types, to see clearly. And the real person to blame is editor Glenn Franco Simmons, who should never have let the story run without balancing it. Isn't he the guy who spouts on about balance?
Lots of things don't add up. But this is nothing new with the politics of the DA's office and he progressive supporters.
Eric is once again his smug self. He sure was spinning yesterday. Bottom line is that the relationship between the DA and the parents of a convicted murderer and his criminal brother is .......... questionable, inappropriate, just wrong. One person wrote something about being angry because the DA was giving favored status to the son of his high dollar campaign contributors OR .... this kind of thing happens all the time! This kind of thing happens more than anyone outside the courts or law enforcement knows. The career prosecutors of the DA's office are all but gone, three left (and one of those basically worthless) and they are being replaced by career defense attorneys!
No 11:24 - you are very wrong.
Since when did Humboldt elect Max Cardoza as DA? The only person to “ask” was Gallegos who refused comment and then sent his at will employee to take the fall for him. Gallegos is the elected official and he answers to the public and the press - NOT his employees.
All Gallegos had to do was to answer the questions. He didn’t and he looks like he is hiding something really stinky.
Eric is once again his smug self. He sure was spinning yesterday.
Actually, my posts are still there to read. Yesterday, I was simply suggesting that you wait for the whole story. And when so many of you were convinced that Gallegos had let a rapist walk for a political donation, I suggested that you complain formally about it, which maybe some of you did. I never claimed to have facts to support Gallegos' innocence. I merely stated that I know him and do not believe he possessed the requisite level of depravity to let a rapist go for a political donation. I said there had to be more to the story. I was right.
You really should have read Ms. Muller's article carefully, because she took great care to avoid making the conclusions you were jumping to. Hence her whole section about the appearance of conflict. And she may as yet have an argument that maybe he should have brought someone in from out of the office entirely.
Personally, I think he didn't respond to her because he now regards Muller as a hostile reporter. Considering that her story about Dikeman probably won the election for him, he should reconsider. Be that it may, TS won this round in the paper wars.
But most importantly what is clear this morning is that I was right and you were wrong. Say it after me - three times...
I still say something is wrong in DA land. And it sounds like his buddies have found this blog.
11:47am, you claim to know what is in Max Cordoza's mind and you claim he was made to write that letter? That is all very interesting. I somehow don't think Mr. Cordoza would take to kindly to your accusation that he is corrupt or controlled by his boss to compromise his professional integrity. This guy has worked as a prosecutor for a very long time, but you think he just rolled over for Gallegos?
So bottom line in all of this is the claim that Max Cordoza is corrupt. Anyone prepared to prove this?
Oh yea, you don't need to prove it, just put a question mark after the headline, Fox News style!
12:17 evidently you are making this up as you go along. No one said that this Cardoza guy was corrupt, just that he took a bullet for his boss. You evidently have corrupt on the brain. Are you part of Gallegos's corrupt handlers? Oh yeah thats the explanation.
If Cardoza "took a bullet" in order to help his boss cover up a bribery, then he is by all definitions "corrupt."
Well, the thing is, he has a good reason NOT to roll over on his boss, his ass would be on the unemployment line if he didn't cover his boss' ass.
My take on this at http://samoasoftball.blogspot.com/
He's probably just signed his own pink slip as Jamie Flower would say. Paul can now can him and say he has finally gotten rid of all the Farmer hold-outs because they cut all these deals and let all these felons off, and HE was elected to fix that problem. Poor Max.
This is a bit late, but here it is anyways.
Remember The Oxbow Incident. The appearance that something happened doesn't mean it happened.
And as for appearances of impropriety, the Eureka Reporter, owned by Rob Arkley who appears to be opposed to D.A. Gallegos, runs a story showing that shows an appearance of money buying influence. Is that irony, or is there another name for it?
Disclosure: I voted for Gallegos 3 times, but only because Fred wasn't running.
Jeff writes, "the Eureka Reporter, owned by Rob Arkley who appears to be opposed to D.A. Gallegos,".
Yep, it's a conspiracy. Just like Arkley getting fined by the FPPC for that improper donation to the Friends of Paul Gallegos. I'm sure there's some connection there. Problem is, it's such a VAST right wing conspiracy, it's hard to fit all the pieces together.
It is a conspiracy. It's called life. God is the conspirator. And she's laughing her holy ass off at us while drinking imported beer.
Jeff, I like that. Let's end this thread on that note. Wha'd'y'all say?
OK, good idea
Well, the thing is, he has a good reason NOT to roll over on his boss, his ass would be on the unemployment line if he didn't cover his boss' ass.
His ass could be in Soledad if he helped cover up racketeering.
"Be that it may, TS won this round in the paper wars.
But most importantly what is clear this morning is that I was right and you were wrong. Say it after me - three times..."
Eric, I've been running errands today and thought I'd check the blogs to see what's been posted and I see your posts all over the place with your smug Paul can do no wrong cheerleading song and dance, e.g. like the above. Very corrupt or very infantile of you as this issue is way bigger than you or me being right or wrong.
Richard and you guys may think you can spin this story into oblivion but it won't happen. Why? Because the appearance of wrong-doing by the DA's office is too strong. And whatever is said by the DA's office, Paul is the man ultimately responsible for all the cases handled by his office.
For Paul and Bowman to duck answering questions is to tell Humboldt citizens that their DA doesn't have to tell them anything about cases if it looks like telling citizens might be politically damaging. The same is true of Bowman. Having close Bear River tribal friends enables me to relay the information that tribal members outside the Tribal Council had no idea of the $10,000 donation to Paul's campaign until they read about it the paper like the rest of us. With Bowmans chocking up gambling debts and taking out big loans while no other tribal members are getting a cent from casino profits insures that Bowman's contribution from the B.R. T.C. was purposely withheld. The contribution also broke the tribal law forbidding tribes to contribute to political candidates because of it setting a precedent. The U.S.A. doesn't allow other nations to contribute to political candidates, therefore neither can tribal nations. Tribes can and do contribute to political measures affecting the tribe's welfare but tribes are not supposed to support political candidates running for office.
With Bear River's and Blue Lake's contributions, the political field is drastically tilted in their favor due to the amounts of money they have thrown into the political races. And this is a good thing we all should look the other way from because it might make Paul look bad?
You bet it makes Paul look bad as it does all of the Paul supporters bending over backwards to make excuses for Paul's and his Progressive Political Machine so they can continue to make the DA's office hold a double standard: a school teacher who makes a mistake during a hail storm and slides into someone killing them gets a manslaughter charge against her while Bowman's son gets his serious felonies dropped after his dad gets B.R. to pony up Paul's biggest campaign contribution by far. Debi August gets her life ruined by Paul's man, Stoen, for absolutely petty b.s reasons that were dismissed by the court and here we have Paul taking what looks like a huge bribe and we're supposed to grin and bear it? Like it's some kind of joke that means nothing?
Paul's whole campaign rap has been about his integrity in office and not being beholding to anyone no matter how rich or who they are. Well, what we see now is that this stated ideal too is so much political b.s.
It may be that there is no way to get Paul to answer to the charge of bribery since Paul's friendships run all the way up to Bill Lockyer, head of the A.G. office. But truth will out one way or another.
Progs might consider what would have happened if this story had come out right before the election like the Bowmans story came out to smear Dikeman and contribute to his loss to Paul.
If Humboldt citizens had to choose which candidate they would want to see in the District Attorney's office at this point after seeing evidence of the kind of character Paul shows as head District Attorney, I think Worth Dikeman might well win by a landslide.
Steve, Steve, Steve. It's over. Move on.
Never.
Rose would have to go back to her miserable life before her current obsession and she would lose the love of Ms. Jackson.
Incidently Steve, the part about me always being right - that was a joke.
steve makes several good points.
and richard you can knock off the comments about Rose.
eric is right on one thing, it's over. time to move on, until the next PG "issue" . and we all know there will be more.
God, I get so sick of people saying that Debi August was brought up on "petty bs charges"...
She was a sitting council person who was pushing a housing subdivision through the planning commission, acting as a private citizen AND a councilperson, while at the same time being listed as the Agent of record when those lots were going to be sold. Trust me on this steve, just as you have inside information on bear river, i have a ton of info on this...a close friend was in her office and Ms August showed her the map (before it had even been presented before the planning commission) and said that she was "going to make a killing" selling those lots.
Somebody very close to her told ME that their whole strategy was to delay, delay, delay until it got thrown out of court and then claim her innocence...She has a very long history of unethical behavior in real estate. She called the employer of a friend of mine, (right after she was elected) and demanded that he fire her, because she didnt list her house with debi when she sold it...Please dont take this as any kind of defense of Paul, because it isnt, I just hate when people try and say that Debi got a raw deal because of her involvement in the DA recall (not a smart move, imo, because it entrenched Paul in the position, and I believe that he wouldve been defeated after one term if he had to run soley on his record, and not portray himself as a victim of PALCO.) Make no mistake, Debi August should have been removed from office, and a good investigative journalist could uncover more damning evidence based other actions she undertook while in office....
Fortuna's not all that big. If Debi was so notorious as a real estate agent, how did she get elected to the Fortuna City Council? Surely, others would have spread your detrimental views of her if she was the scondrel you say she is.
The point that I make and you miss is that Debi's "crime" of conflict of interest was miniscule in ethical comparison to Gallegos taking a bribe to win an election that bound him and all of us to freeing someone who otherwise would be serving a significant sentence. One of the dropped charges evidently was a "strike" one meaning if convicted on it would have sent Bowman's son away on the three strikes law.
Unable to access Heather Muller's E.R.'s recent story on Gallegos and Bowman I did find this little tidbid of news from another story showing Derek's been helping the DA's office before as well as showing character traits.
"Derek Bowman, 23, testified that he was in a vehicle behind Suarez’s vehicle when the shooting occurred and left Justin D. Anderson dead.
Suarez, 20, an alleged member of the Nortenos gang, who is being represented by Humboldt County Alternate Conflict Chief Counselor Kevin Robinson, is accused of killing Anderson during the drive-by shooting.
He is charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances.
Deputy District Attorney Maggie Fleming is prosecuting the case.
Bowman, a convicted criminal who has served time in the California Youth Authority, said he is associated with the Nortenos gang. He confirmed that he was granted immunity by the District Attorney’s Office in the trial, so that none of the information he provides in his testimony against Suarez can be used against him."
I can't access Heather's E.R. report now as its off the front page and doesn't seem to be posted in E.R. archives but if memory serves there were several serious felony charges involved with Bowman's son Derek.
We, the people of Humboldt County deserve to have answers from the man at the top in the DA's office about the clear appearance of inpropriety at least and possibly flat out bribery as the final result of independent investigation of this incident.
Again, all you who try to whitewash Paul and trivilize this incident aren't doing Humboldt citizens any favor. We need to know what the truth is and when leaders at the top refuse to answer questions about their questionable conduct in office we all lose responsible government.
anon 7:46
the deal on Debi August is that Tim Stoen went after her because of her public statements against him, Paul, and the PL law suit. This incident was well documented in the local press and even better in California Lawyer magazine.
Stoen appeared at a Fortuna City Council meeting when they were going to decide whether or not to endorse the recall effort. Stoen asked the council not to endorse the recall, Debi August spoke out against he and Paul. The retaliation is the issue. Using your official government position to retaliate against someone for not doing what you wanted them to do or for publicly opposing them. Of course Stoen is super slimey but he was Paul's hand picked #2 dude.
And Steve is right. Fortuna is a small town and if some realtor was such a bad person the word would spread and they wouldn't get a lot of loca busniess.
just a thought
Steve, try this link:
http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=15398
A search on the ER's website, using the name Gallegos, locates it.
Thyis all sounds like , Peter Lavalle . He is being funded by the r.c.a.a. The Government wants him to win because he is the Director of the r.c.a.a. and they want more shelters here . Droz , is opposed to them so , Lavalle is relying on all his political signs to win the election .
Read what Gallegos and Stoen did...
From the least day of the Debi August persecution er, I mean "trial."
Steve said...
"With Bear River's and Blue Lake's contributions, the political field is drastically tilted in their favor due to the amounts of money they have thrown into the political races."
Rob Arkley and MAXXAM/PL have a lot of money too, and they drastically tilt the political field in their favor when they throw money into the political races.
But that's okay with Steve Lewis. Whatever conservatives do is right. Whatever "progs" and "enviros" do is wrong. At last he has become a true son of his conservative father and logger-grandfather.
10:48pm-Droz at it again.
10:48 writes like someone with a bad hiccup. Just as he's about to type a comma or a period... *hiccup* , damn *hiccup* , he hits the space bar instead *hiccup* . Happens every time *hiccup* .
Exactly the opposite of mresquan,who seems,oddly,to have a space bar which,for some reason,doesn't function at all after commas and periods.Go figure.
Boy, anon 12:38, you sure are keeping track of me. What, do you have a "Steve Lewis" fact sheet and how to respond to his talking points in front of you?
And everyone, compare the donation amounts to candidates made by PL in the last elections to that of Bear River. When PL contributes, at least its representing hundreds of PL workers and thousands of people economically effected by the running of Palco. And please, no hogwash about Palco not representing the best interests of their workers. When it comes to saving their jobs by backing the candidate who isn't in the pocket of enviros and Progs Palco has a perfectly legitimate right to do what it does to protect its workers and its economic life in the face of continuous litigation from enviros trying to take away this economic support mechanism for thousands of Humboldt people.
What, do you have a "Steve Lewis" fact sheet and how to respond to his talking points in front of you?
Of course. Doesn't everybody? They're issued by EnviroProg Central Command Headquarters.
5:56 pm - or should I say Michael Twombly. Leave our Rosie alone you cross eyed geek.
5:56 pm - or should I say Michael Twombly. Leave our Rosie alone you cross eyed geek.
omigosh, I think I'm going cross-eyed too! I'm starting to see two of every comment!
omigosh, I think I'm going cross-eyed too! I'm starting to see two of every comment!
Hey what's the status of the infamous animal abuse case? With all this plagiarism and cmapaign donation scandal the poor animals seem to have been forgotten?
What's up with that?
anon 12:38, and Jeff:Rob Arkley and Charles Hurwitz are both white.They are not Native Americans,therefore their influence could never possibly be as bad as a tribes.It's pure bigotry.The Arkley family has given almost $800,000 for the statewide races in the upcoming election and not a peep said about that on this blog.But damnit all hell's gonna break loose if tribes donate whatever they want.
anon 12:38, and Jeff:Rob Arkley and Charles Hurwitz are both white.They are not Native Americans,therefore their influence could never possibly be as bad as a tribes.It's pure bigotry.The Arkley family has given almost $800,000 for the statewide races in the upcoming election and not a peep said about that on this blog.But damnit all hell's gonna break loose if tribes donate whatever they want.
One additional thought, Arkely makes his money in a competative business world. The Indian Gaming Casinos have a free pass to operate gambling casinos when nobody else, no non Native American, can. The Indian casinos have a local monopoly on gambling. What kind of income tax do the casinos pay?? Answer me that!?
How much crime do you think goes on at the casino's or because of gambling? Not that it's the casino's fault but they are open 24 hours a day and that alone attracts the local underworld druggie type people.
"The Arkley family has given almost $800,000 for the statewide races in the upcoming election and not a peep said about that on this blog."
Yeah, I guess Fred doesn't think that's newsworthy.
What was I supposed to say about Arkley's political donations? Hardly seems like news to me. Everyone knows he donates to all kinds of causes, including some pretty right wing ones.
Arkley is a private citizen. He just has more money than most. It would be a whole lot different if Arkley was an elected official or appointee.
I might add I didn't mention anything about that lefty producer type dude donating $40 million to the gas tax initiative campaign, either.
Sometimes I find things worthy of comment. Sometimes I don't.
What kind of income tax do the casinos pay??
None really. If they have over 349 machines, they pay to the states "non-gaming tribes" fund, which goes to, as you guessed it, non-gaming tribes.
Here is a fun fact for you. It takes about 15 days for a slot machine to pay for itself.
Fred: The question that I have about all this is that Gallegos continues to refuse to answer questions from the ER. Why, if this is innocent conduct, why not sit down and explain it to the reporter instead of going to another newspaper and giving them a speech which they just printed instead of asking questions themselves. It is very fishy and our elected official OWES the community an answer instead of saying butt out. But....didn't he tell Shannon Miranda and the rest of the public to butt out when they questioned him about the animal abuse case?
If he doesn't sit down and answer these questions then he is guilty.
And as for the Acosta letter I read today and the statements in the Times Standard, I never read any conclusions made by the reporter, just facts that continue to be unanswered. Could it be that Acosta reads the piece as accusing him and the council as bribing Gallegos, because in fact they did to get favors down the road?
If the public sits by and lets this guy off without grilling him on what he did and why, then they get what they deserve. Either this is favoritism or it is what happens all the time. This looks really bad.
good points 1:03, I get the impression that this kind of stuff is not that unusual these days in Humboldt County.
Oh no, not these days! But before these days, there was no such thing as corruption!
LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT - BASS , LAVALLE , GEIST , NEELY , RODINI , WOLFORD . THEY ARE ALL PAID MEMBERS OF THE R.C.A.A. TO BRING IN SHELTERS TO HOUSE LOW - LIFE DERALICS INTO , EUREKA.
Yeah, but it is the property owners that make it happen. Tooooo greedy.
and the real estate agents
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