Tri Ta: Andrew Do broke trust in government. Elected officials must rebuild trust by rooting out corruption.

• October 25, 2024

As an elected official, I am entrusted with the public’s confidence to act as their representative in the state government — a solemn responsibility I hold in the highest regard.

The recent news of former Supervisor Andrew Do’s guilty plea and resignation is extremely troubling, not only for the severity of the charges but the audacity of the behavior that was brought to light.

No level of punishment will fully restore the public’s trust in government following this alarming news.

Public corruption is the absolute worst breach of trust by elected officials and it erodes the confidence between political leaders and their constituents.

When officials act with impunity, exploiting their positions for personal gain, it undermines the integrity of the entire political system.

I am so grateful to the staff at the US Attorney’s Office, the Orange County District Attorney, and all of the law enforcement involved that brought this matter to justice.

Corruption needs to be rooted out and exposed regardless of the perpetrator.  Anyone who uses their office for personal gain for themselves or their family members must face serious consequences.

Unfortunately, former Supervisor Do’s case is not an isolated one. Recent reporting by the Orange County Register also brought to light a pair of cases in which two candidates misrepresented nomination papers to get on the ballot.

These recent news stories seem to suggest a culture of corruption in Orange County that cannot go ignored.  While each case is serious in its own right, these developments, viewed collectively, paint a hugely unsettling picture of governance in Orange County — one that raises significant concerns about the guardrails meant to protect the public.

This pattern forces us to ask serious questions about the effectiveness of these guardrails we currently have in place. Are there enough checks in place to hold leaders to account?  For my part, I will always advocate for more transparency and accountability from our elected leaders and my fellow legislators.

In the Legislature, I supported several bills that would enhance transparency in local government.

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Among the bills signed by the governor last month, I voted for one that prohibits government contracts to nonprofits where a family member is employed and another bill that requires contracts to be voted on at public board meetings.

These reforms are critical to bring sunlight into the work of debating public policy in government.

I am cognizant that more work must be done.  These initial bills are a first step into bringing about accountability in government and restoring faith in our processes.  I look forward to putting forward meaningful, bipartisan legislation to prevent future corruption of this scale.

We must continue to demand a government that is responsive, accountable, and transparent at every level.  Only then can we rebuild the trust that has been damaged and ensure that our government serves the public interest, not personal gain.

Tri Ta serves in the California Assembly representing the 70th Assembly District. 

​ Orange County Register 

Timing of DA Gascón’s decision on Menendez case raises questions for some

• October 25, 2024

When Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said earlier this month that he would revisit the famous murder case of Erik and Lyle Menendez and decide whether to ask a judge to consider resentencing the brothers, some people – including his political rival – questioned the timing of his announcement.

Gascón, a Democrat who swept into office in 2020 thanks to a progressive voter base made up of criminal justice reform advocates, is trailing by double digits in the polls in his bid for reelection this November.

And on Thursday, Oct. 24, his opponent in the D.A. race, former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman, accused the incumbent of using the Menendez brothers’ high-profile case to score political points. In a statement, Hochman said the D.A.’s office received a petition back in May 2023 and a request to resentence them in February of this year.

The Menendez brothers are serving life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole. But Gascón said Thursday he will ask a judge to consider reducing the brothers’ sentences down to life with the possibility of parole. Because the murders were committed when the brothers were younger than 26 years old, it effectively would allow them to be released from prison immediately.

Hochman said Gascón waited until “days before the Nov. 5 election, 30 points down in the polls” to release his recommendation for resentencing the Menendez brothers.

“By releasing it now, Gascón has cast a cloud over the fairness and impartiality of his decision, allowing Angelenos to question whether the decision was correct and just — or just another desperate political move by a D.A. running a losing campaign scrambling to grab headlines through a made-for-TV decision,” Hochman said.

Gascón rejected claims that his decision was politically motivated.

“There’s nothing political about this,” Gascón said during a Thursday news conference about his plans to ask a court to consider resentencing the Menendez brothers.

“We have re-sentenced over 300 people, including 28 for murder. And we will continue to re-sentence people in the future,” he said about the D.A.’s office under his tenure.

The Democrat was swept into office in 2020 thanks to a progressive voter base made up of criminal justice reform advocates. Hochman has criticized the incumbent as being too soft on criminals.

And Hochman isn’t the only one who’s accused Gascón of using the Menendez case to promote his profile.

Some believe Gascón chose this moment – just weeks out from Election Day – to bring up the Menendez case in hopes that the media attention will stir up publicity for himself.

“When you are running a campaign, when you’re a candidate who’s also an elected official … you use the office to make news,” said longtime Democratic strategist Mike Trujillo.

Although Trujillo acknowledged that the intense public interest in the Menendez brothers will bring attention to Gascón, he cast doubt that the attention could sway the outcome of the D.A. race.

“It’s a high-profile case. I just don’t know that Angelenos are on the side of the Menendez brothers,” Trujillo said.

The Menendez brothers made national headlines for the murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989. They were 21 and 18 years old at the time. Their attorneys claimed they were victims of sexual abuse by their father and had acted out of fear that their parents would kill them to prevent them from disclosing their father’s behavior.

The brothers, now 56 and 53, are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Some relatives of the Menendez brothers spoke in favor of a resentencing during Thursday’s press conference. One of the brothers’ cousins thanked Gascón for putting “justice over politics” and said his decision was “a recognition of the abuse my cousins endured.”

But at least one member of the Menendez family disagreed with the D.A.

The attorney for Kitty Menendez’s brother, Milton Andersen, who opposes a resentencing for his nephews, slammed Gascón, claiming that his decision to revisit the case at this moment is politically motivated.

“With Gascón trailing by 30 points in the polls, his desperation is palpable,” Andersen’s attorney, Kathy Cady, said in a statement Thursday.

“The upcoming election is less than two weeks away, and it seems Gascón is willing to manipulate the facts for a fleeting chance to salvage his political career. But justice should never be sacrificed for political gain,” Cady said. “His decisions must be grounded in truth and law, not a last-ditch effort to sway voters. Gascón’s failure to uphold his ethical responsibilities is a disgrace, and the victims of this horrific crime, including Mr. Andersen, deserve far better than being pawns in a politician’s game.”

Gascón previously said he chose to reexamine the case because of recent new evidence – a letter that Erik Menendez reportedly wrote to a cousin years ago, which his attorneys say corroborates allegations that their father was sexually abusive, plus claims by a former member of the Latin pop group Menudo who recently came forward and said he was raped by Jose Menendez in the 1980s when he was a teenager.

Public interest in the case was renewed because of two documentaries about the Menendez brothers released this year.

Gascón said his office was “flooded” with requests for information but didn’t have the resources to handle the volume. That, he said, is why he decided to take action now, though it had already been scheduled to be heard in late November.

Bill Przylucki is director emeritus of Ground Game LA, an organization that tries to get progressive leaders elected and has endorsed Gascón for reelection. For his organization, it is a “non-issue” that some question the motive behind the timing of Gascón’s resentencing decision, he said.

He said Ground Game LA hasn’t taken a position on whether the Menendez brothers should be resentenced. Przylucki said he was speaking for himself when he said: “I have no specific reason to believe or not believe that the election had any influence on his thinking, or the timing of his decision on the Menendez case. And frankly, I’m not that interested in it.”

“When is the wrong time to reexamine a case that should potentially be reexamined?” he asked.

Michele Hanisee, president of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys, the union representing nearly 900 deputy district attorneys in L.A., had a different take. The union has endorsed Hochman in the upcoming election.

In a post on the union’s website, Hanisee criticized the D.A.’s decision, saying “Gascón’s actions make it clear that he is more interested in using his office for free media attention than in actual justice. His self-serving agenda has left victims and their families neglected while he chases the next headline.”

Gascón’s campaign declined to comment for this article.

​ Orange County Register 

Letter: George Gascón knows he’s about to lose, so he tries to free the Menendez brothers

• October 25, 2024

George Gascón is a joke. He can’t be booted out from office fast enough, and he knows it.

So what’s the biggest nose-thumbing he can come up with as he’s clearing out his office?

To release the Menendez brothers. These two lovely individuals murdered their parents in cold blood, as adult men. They were sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole. But we all know that means nothing in California. The best part is that TikTok and Netflix influenced this turn of events for Gascón. God help us all.

Get out of California while you can, for your own sanity, and more importantly, for your safety.

Bobbie Carey, San Clemente

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​ Orange County Register 

Swanson: SoCal exports Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton are World Series power players

• October 25, 2024

LOS ANGELES — Well, I’ll say. Sometimes the Ghosts of Christmas Future can run a good gambit, every so often blindside us with a beyond-our-wildest-dreams plot twist.

Other times, fate ain’t fooling anybody.

So, yes, they knew. Of course they knew!

Everybody in Orange County knew. Everyone in the Valley knew.

Gerrit Cole was going places. Giancarlo – or Mike, then – Stanton was going far.

And if you knew them then, you too might have guessed that their road might point to this – a Southern California showcase of a World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees, starting Friday at Dodger Stadium.

It’s got managers from UCLA and USC in Dave Roberts and Aaron Boone. Dodgers contributors from Burbank and Fountain Valley, in Jack Flaherty and Freddie Freeman.

And, in the clubhouse across the way, reliever Tim Hill, of Granada Hills Charter High School. And Stanton and Cole – just a couple of supremely talented Southern California dudes paying a visit home, hoping to rain on their friends’ parade plans.

Stanton storming in as the American League Championship Series MVP after hitting four home runs to vanquish the Cleveland Guardians. Cole – also a former Bruin – taking the mound to start Game 1: “A dream come true,” the lifelong Yankees fan called it Thursday.

What could have possibly given it away about those two back in the 2000s?

Obviously, the power. The power!!

Now the New Yankees’ ace, Cole was once Orange Lutheran’s big arm, blowing away scouts with his upper-90s fastball that could touch 101 and would leave catchers’ hands stinging so much they can just about feel it today. “That’s what I think about most often: ‘How did our catchers catch him?’” said Willie Shaw, a Nashville-based singer who was a sophomore shortstop when Cole was a senior.

Now a bona fide Bronx bomber and one of five batters who have hit a ball out of Dodger Stadium, Stanton started as a Tujunga Little Leaguer hitting home runs clear over the fence and the wash at Babe Herman Field in Glendale.

Once a three-sport stud called by his middle name at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Stanton used to mash moon shots over the fence and the 30 feet of extra netting at Loyola High School’s field. Or through a headwind, off future big leaguer John Lamb in a CIF playoff game against higher-seeded Laguna Hills.

Over the hills and through the woods, the tale of the tape tells its story, but it’s the sound off the bat that’s echoing still really drives it home.

“It sounded,” said Trevor Gee, a Baltimore attorney who once was a third baseman on Stanton’s Notre Dame team, “like a gunshot.”

“Like when a plane breaks the sound barrier,” texted Hayden Hunter, a former Knights catcher. “Like thunder.”

Nick Rodarte, who pitched, is surprised that Stanton, wielding a metal bat in high school, never killed anyone: “Nobody was playing even with the bag at third,” the Sherman Oaks-based general contractor said. “No way.”

We all played with good athletes growing up. Guys or gals who went off to play in college. Perhaps one even went pro, maybe even made a real career out of it.

But how many of us can say we hit behind or caught bullpens for future stars? All-Star shoo-ins? Potential Hall of Famers? Superstars?

What I learned this week talking to these former Lancers and Knights is that we’d know if we had.

“We had a lot of really special players,” said Chase Harrison, a Concordia University Irvine baseball coach who was the catcher for a Lancers’ pitching staff that produced three big-league draft picks. “… and it was pretty obvious at that point how special Gerrit was. The type of guy that really, a goal that he set, he’s going to hit, he’s gonna reach. So nothing’s gotten in his way, from being a first-rounder to a big leaguer, to a Cy Young winner, to an All-Star to a strikeout king.”

Said Stanton’s former teammate Rodarte: “We knew he was different, the way he hit balls – and then he made the jump from junior year to senior year, just in his approach to the game. It was more advanced … he just went about his business like he knew this was what he was going to do for a living.”

He, like Cole, put in the work. The study. The time, the effort, all the invisible but imperative behind-the-scenes stuff that can net historical results.

In Cole’s case: the No. 1 overall pick in 2011, the unanimous Cy Young Award in 2023, the record for strikeouts in a season for two franchises, the Yankees (257) and Houston Astros (326). And six All-Star bids.

In Stanton’s: 429 career home runs, the Miami Marlins’ franchise home run record, the 2017 National League MVP and, twice, the NL Hank Aaron Award and Silver Slugger Award. And five All-Star bids, though not in 2016, when he participated in the Home Run Derby and homered a record 61 times.

Their commitment has net record compensation too: In 2014, Stanton’s 13-year $325 million extension with the Marlins was the most lucrative contract in sports history. In 2019, the Yankees signed Cole to a franchise-record nine-year $324 million deal, the richest ever for a pitcher.

And, again, none of this is remotely surprising to the men who knew them when they were kids, one-time teammates who all wanted to stress what nice guys these superstars still are – “just with a lot more money,” as Stanton’s buddy Rodarte put it.

The 6-foot-6 slugger – whose social media handles, @Giancarlo818, harken back to his hometown area code – would come by and talk to the kids in the under-14 feeder program Rodarte coached. “Everybody loved it, all the kids were going nuts, and you’d see them standing next to him, the size one of his legs,” Rodarte said.

Cole? “He was a confident guy,” Harrison said. “But at the same time, he was always humble, a good teammate. It’s just the energy he had, it was infectious. It made the team believe.”

So Harrison can’t help it. Normally a Dodgers supporter, he’s pulling for the Yankees in this series.

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So too is Stanton’s former teammate Gee – though if it was Yankees vs. Cubs, it might be a different calculation for the Chicago native.

Shaw, the one-time Orange Lutheran infielder, is splitting his rooting interests: “I hope Gerrit has a stellar performance and bolsters his Hall of Fame chances and the Dodgers win the series.”

But Rodarte, the Notre Dame pitcher who grew up a Dodger fan, just like Stanton? He believes his talented former teammate would understand: “I hope he does not do well during the World Series against the Dodgers. Honestly, I hope he goes oh-for-the-series.”

Now, Rodarte knows – of course he does – how unlikely that is. In 25 games at Dodger Stadium, Stanton is hitting .309 and 10 home runs and 26 runs batting in.

“That Cali air, man,” Stanton said Thursday. “Grew up with it.”

​ Orange County Register 

Alex Vesia ready to return to Dodgers’ roster for World Series

• October 25, 2024

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers’ bullpen will be getting reinforcements for the World Series.

Left-hander Alex Vesia is expected to be back on the active roster after missing the National League Championship Series with a rib injury suffered during Game 5 of the Division Series against the San Diego Padres.

Vesia threw 15 pitches in a simulated inning against Dodgers’ hitters during the team’s workout on Wednesday. He said he had “no issues” with his injured side and hasn’t been bothered by it for over a week now.

“I definitely feel I will be active for Friday,” Vesia said Thursday.

“I’m going to give it everything I got. I feel very confident that I’ll be able to go out and perform exactly how I’ve been for the majority of the season.”

Vesia had a 1.76 ERA in a team-leading 67 appearances during the regular season then pitched three scoreless innings during the NLDS. He put the “simulated” in Wednesday’s simulated game, going through his gameday routine.

“Played catch at 5 o’clock, sat down for a little bit,” he said. “Tony Gonsolin was pitching as well. So I was mimicking that I got a phone call and was getting hot. Once his inning ended, I was good to go. Everything felt good. On the mound, getting my five to seven (warmup) throws usually. Hitter stepped in. From hitter No. 1, I was good.

“I was a little wild, but I hadn’t pitched in a couple days so that’s to be expected. Had no issues with anything. Landed sliders, threw the fastball well. And as I got more and more throws in, the better it got.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said right-hander Brusdar Graterol is “trending in the right direction” but he seems less likely to be added when the Dodgers submit their World Series roster Friday morning. Right-hander Joe Kelly is not an option to be on that roster but could be an option as an injury replacement if needed later in the Series. Both have been out with shoulder injuries.

ROJAS RETURN

Shortstop Miguel Rojas could also return to the active roster for the World Series against the Yankees.

He has been playing with a strained adductor muscle for weeks. He aggravated it during the NLDS and was left off the roster for the NLCS against the Mets. But Roberts said Rojas has made enough progress that “there’s a really good possibility we’ll see him on the roster” for the World Series.

Rojas participated in the full workout Wednesday and was “running well, taking at-bats, catching grounders. Everything looks really good,” Roberts said.

STILL NO

Roberts was asked again Thursday if there was any possibility that Shohei Ohtani might pitch during the World Series.

“There’s no possibility, none whatsoever,” Roberts said, then added the finishing touch he has adopted when answering questions about Ohtani pitching.

“Thank you for asking.”

Ohtani has not pitched since undergoing major elbow surgery last September while with the Angels. The two-way star was strictly a designated hitter for the Dodgers this season (while rehabbing his elbow) and is a virtual lock to win NL MVP after posting the first 50/50 season in MLB history.

Ohtani does not seem disappointed with the decision.

“I’ve never said to them that I wanted to pitch in the postseason,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.

TROJAN WAR

Yankees manager Aaron Boone (USC) and Roberts (UCLA) faced each other as players on opposite sides of that rivalry. Boone revisited the rivalry and poked at Roberts on Thursday.

“I’m a Trojan. So as we all know in here – you’re a Trojan for life, you’re a Bruin for four years,” Boone joked.

Roberts was asked for his response.

“Ouch. Ouch, that hurts,” he said. “We go way back. We’ve got a lot of history, but it’s all in fun. I’ve got nothing but love and respect for Aaron.”

Boone said he texted Roberts a Yankees logo when the team landed in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

“There was another emoji I thought about sending him with one finger, but I didn’t,” Roberts joked. “I just gave a laughing emoji back.”

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The Yankees’ Game 1 starter, Gerrit Cole, pitched for UCLA and was caught in the crossfire.

“You know, Aaron and I don’t always agree on everything,” Cole said when Boone’s jibe was relayed to him.

R.I.P. FERNANDO

A number of players were asked about the death of Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela this week and offered “thoughts and prayers” for both the Valenzuela family and his extended family with the Dodgers.

“I was really sad to read about it the other day,” Cole said.

“He’s one of the great Dodgers of all time, one of the great Mexican players of all time, and he’s a legend. It’s sad he won’t be here for this Series, but he’s probably got a great seat for it upstairs.”

​ Orange County Register 

Israeli strike on Gaza shelter kills 17 as Blinken says cease-fire talks will resume

• October 25, 2024

By WAFAA SHURAFA, FARNOUSH AMIRI and FATMA KHALED

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli strike on a school where displaced people were sheltering in the central Gaza Strip killed at least 17 people on Thursday, nearly all women and children, Palestinian medical officials said.

The strike came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel had accomplished its objective of “effectively dismantling” Hamas, and that negotiations over a cease-fire and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages would resume “in the coming days.”

Another 42 people were wounded in the strike in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. Among the dead were 13 children under the age of 18 and three women, according to the hospital’s records.

The Israeli military said it targeted Hamas militants inside the school, without providing evidence. Israel has carried out strikes on several schools-turned-shelters in recent months, saying it precisely targets militants hiding out among civilians. The strikes often kill women and children.

New talks in Qatar planned

Blinken, speaking to reporters in Qatar, which has served as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, said negotiators would return to Doha to renew the talks.

“What we really have to determine is whether Hamas is prepared to engage,” Blinken said on his 11th visit to the region since the start of the war.

Hamas’s political representatives have not so far signaled a softer stance.

“There is no change in our position,” senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Mayadeen, a Lebanese broadcaster seen as closely aligned with Iran and its allies.

Hamdan said Hamas delegates heard from mediators in Cairo about the potential to revive cease-fire negotiations but reiterated that the group still insists on an end to Israel’s offensive in Gaza, as well as its complete withdrawal from the territory.

The Israeli prime minister’s office said the head of the Mossad, the country’s spy agency, would travel to Qatar on Sunday to meet with CIA director Bill Burns and the Qatari prime minister.

The United States hoped to revive the negotiations after Israeli forces killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza last week, but neither side has shown signs of moderating its demands from months of negotiations that sputtered to a halt over the summer.

Blinken also announced an additional $135 million in U.S. aid to the Palestinians, while again urging Israel to allow more assistance to enter the territory.

Supplies run low in northern Gaza

Health workers in besieged northern Gaza meanwhile warned of a catastrophic situation there, where Israel has been waging an air and ground offensive for over two weeks.

Hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands have fled their homes in northern Gaza in recent days. The military says it is battling Hamas fighters who regrouped in the north, which was one of the first targets of the ground offensive at the start of the war.

Dr. Hossam Abu Safiyeh, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north, said in a video message released Wednesday that some 150 wounded people were being treated there, including 14 children in intensive care or the neonatal department.

“There is a very large number of wounded people, and we lose at least one person every hour because of the lack of medical supplies and medical staff,” he said.

“Our ambulances can’t transfer wounded people,” he said. “Those who can arrive by themselves to the hospital receive care, but those who don’t just die in the streets.”

Footage shared with The Associated Press shows medical staff tending to premature babies and several older children in hospital beds, some with severe burns. One child is seen attached to a breathing machine, with bandages on her face and flies hovering over her.

“We are providing the bare minimum to patients. Everyone is paying the price of what is happening now in northern Gaza,” Abu Safiyeh said.

Kamal Adwan is one of three hospitals in the north left largely inaccessible because of the fighting. The war has gutted the health system across Gaza, with only 16 of 39 hospitals even partially functioning, according to the World Health Organization.

In another one of the besieged hospitals in Gaza’s northernmost end, the Indonesian Hospital, patients say they’re struggling to stay alive in the face of power outages and shortages of food, water and medical supplies.

“The pain is horrible, but there are no painkillers here, no antibiotics,” said 39-year-old Nidal al-Darini, whose foot, wounded in an Israeli airstrike, has become infected. “It’s becoming unbearable.”

First responders halt operations after saying Israel fired on them

The Civil Defense, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government, said they had suspended operations in the north. They said Israeli forces fired on one of their teams in the town of Beit Lahiya after ordering them to relocate to the Indonesian Hospital, where troops are stationed.

Three Civil Defense members were wounded in the strike, and a firetruck was destroyed, it said. It said another five of its personnel were detained by Israeli forces at the hospital.

“As a result, we declare that Civil Defense operations in the northern Gaza Strip have been completely halted, leaving these areas without any firefighting, rescue, or emergency medical services,” it said in a statement.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the allegations.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.

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The war has displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, often multiple times. Hundreds of thousands of people are crammed into tent camps along the coast after entire neighborhoods in many areas were pounded to rubble.

Meanwhile the Israeli campaign has expanded to Lebanon, where Israel launched a ground invasion over three weeks ago after trading fire with the Hezbollah militant group for much of the past year.

Lebanese health officials reported another day of intense airstrikes and shelling Thursday, which they said killed 19 people over the last 24 hours and raised the overall Lebanese death toll to 2,593 since the conflict started in October 2023.

The Israeli military on Thursday announced the deaths of four reservists who were killed the day before in combat in southern Lebanon, making Wednesday one of the deadliest days for Israel in Lebanon since it launched its ground invasion on Sept. 30.

Amiri reported from Doha, Qatar, and Khaled reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo and Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, contributed.

​ Orange County Register 

OC district attorney wants charges dismissed against fired Santa Ana jailer

• October 25, 2024

Orange County prosecutors will ask a judge next week to dismiss felony charges against a fired Santa Ana Jail officer accused of doctoring computer logs after an inmate died by suicide on his watch.

New evidence from a review of the case and an interview of the accused jailer has prompted the district attorney’s office to conclude it can no longer meet its burden of proof.

“The presumption of innocence until proven guilty is a cornerstone of our criminal justice system and it is one that must never be forgotten,” said District Attorney Todd Spitzer, in a prepared statement.

No one involved with the case would elaborate on the new evidence. Judge William Scott Zidbeck is expected to consider the dismissal request Oct. 31, according to the district attorney’s office.

Former correctional officer Esteban Gonzalez, 39, of Chino was charged in September with three felony counts of altering public documents while working at the Santa Ana City Jail. Gonzalez faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison if convicted on all charges.

He was accused of falsifying computer logs to make it appear that he had conducted required safety checks on inmate Darryle Samuel, who was found hanging by a bedsheet in his cell in June 2021. Entries made by Gonzalez in the log of safety checks did not correspond with video footage from jail security cameras, prosecutors said in a September news release announcing the charges.

At least one computer entry was changed by Gonzalez at the same time paramedics were trying to resuscitate Samuel, the release said.

A standard death investigation by the district attorney’s officer found that Samuel died hours after learning his girlfriend was pregnant by another man. The inquiry found no crimes committed in the death, but that Gonzalez allegedly doctored the computer log.

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However, a later review by Deputy District Attorney Deborah Einhorn of the Special Prosecutions Unit found discrepancies in the evidence compiled by the Santa Ana Police Department, enough to request the case be dropped.

Neither district attorney officials nor Gonzalez’s attorney would disclose details about the discrepancies. The Santa Ana Police Department declined comment because the case remains pending.

“Esteban and myself have disputed the case from the very beginning. He didn’t need to be charged for this,” said Gonzalez’s attorney, Brett Rutkowski. “We’re glad he can get his name back and his reputation back.”

It was unclear Thursday whether Gonzalez would get his job back. Gonzalez made $173,364 in pay and benefits in 2022, according to the public pay database Transparent California.

​ Orange County Register 

Former Clippers staffer sues, says he was fired over Kawhi Leonard concerns

• October 25, 2024

A former Clippers trainer is claiming in a lawsuit that he was wrongfully terminated for raising concerns that star forward Kawhi Leonard was receiving “unsafe and illegal treatment” for his injuries.

The lawsuit was filed on Thursday in Los Angeles County.

Randy Shelton, a former strength and conditioning coach at San Diego State, first met Leonard while the six-time All-Star played for the Aztecs. Given his close relationship with Leonard, the Clippers hired Shelton in 2019 as a strength and conditioning coach.

He is seeking significant but unspecified damages, his attorneys told ESPN.

On Thursday, the Clippers denied the allegations, saying “Mr. Shelton’s claims were investigated and found to be without merit. We honored Mr. Shelton’s employment contract and paid him in full.  This lawsuit is a belated attempt to shake down the Clippers based on accusations that Mr. Shelton should know are false.”

Shelton alleges that he was targeted and subjected to discrimination and harassment after his complaints despite the team’s assurances he would be protected. He was terminated shortly thereafter; no explanation was given, according to the lawsuit.

The trainer also alleges the Clippers engaged in tampering while recruiting Leonard to Los Angeles from the San Antonio Spurs, actions that “leapt well beyond the bounds of the NBA constitution,” according to the suit obtained by ESPN.

In the lawsuit, Shelton claims the Clippers first contacted him in 2017 after Leonard, who was then with the Spurs, suffered a postseason-ending ankle injury in Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference finals. Leonard missed the first 27 games of the next season because of a right quadriceps injury leading to an ongoing rift with the Spurs over the rehab treatment.

According to the lawsuit, Shelton claimed a Clippers executive sought health information about Leonard, a Finals MVP, emphasizing the need for discretion as the player became increasingly disgruntled with the Spurs’ organization.

Leonard eventually was traded to the Toronto Raptors, leading them to their first NBA championship in 2019. He became an unrestricted free agent after that season and signed with the Clippers, giving the team immediate championship credentials.

Shelton was hired by the Clippers that year, but saw his role diminished and any information about Leonard’s health was withheld shortly thereafter.

In the lawsuit, Shelton alleged that the Clippers violated Article 35 of the NBA’s constitution, which prohibits teams from directly or indirectly attempting to entice players under contract with one team to join another team.

Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations, said in 2019 that the Clippers operated under the league’s rules in pursuit of Leonard.

Frank said during an introductory news conference, “We never had a conversation with Kawhi or with any of his people. We always felt by doing it out in front that we were being very, very transparent.”

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“We hope that our client’s lawsuit will serve as a wakeup call to the Clippers organization that their players are not just dollar values but are humans requiring proper – and not hastened – health and recovery treatment for the careers and lives afterwards,” John David, one of Shelton’s attorneys, said in a written statement to ESPN and NBA Insider Chris Haynes.

Last season, Leonard played in 68 regular-season games – his most since 2016-17 – and averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals while earning his sixth All-Star selection before his knee cost him games at the end of the season and limited him to two games in a first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Problems with his knee also led to him being replaced on the U.S. Olympic roster this summer and remains a significant issue.

Leonard has missed 179 of a possible 435 games since joining the Clippers in 2019, and he remains sidelined “indefinitely” to start this season while rehabbing inflammation in his right knee.

​ Orange County Register