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Paul Gallegos does a fine job, despite all his detractors

Dear Editor,

Paul Gallegos has done a fine job as district attorney, in spite of the unprecedented attack upon him by the reigning powers of the past in the form of a recall attempt, which the voters here soundly beat.

With almost the same staff of attorneys as the previous DA, and despite budget cuts, he has led them to a better record of prosecutions of the usual crimes, and has put the corporate powers in the form of MAXXAM on notice that they are not outside the reach of the law — something that his predecessor was loath to do. He deserves our support and our vote, so he and we can continue forward.

Dikeman being propped up again as a local hero

Dear Editor,

Evidently Humboldt County’s ruling class was all aflutter when Paul Gallegos was elected DA. Fearful that our county would plunge into a state of lawlessness, they decided to engage in a little South American politics — a junta. We rubes here on the home front were told it was a recall election.

Worth Dikeman was propped up as the people’s choice to replace Gallegos if the recall succeeded. Election time has rolled around again and Dikeman is back, reprising his role as the local hero who can stem the insidious crime wave that has gripped our county.

I, for one, am grateful. It’s just not safe around here anymore. Oh, how I long for halcyon days when the Ingomar set ran things and we all knew our role.

DA race Q&A

Worth Dikeman responds

Challenger; deputy district attorney

Q: What is the single most damaging law enforcement problem facing Humboldt County right now?

A: Methamphetamine

Q: What could be done to help insulate the District Attorney's Office from lapses in grant funding, considering the levels at which the department is currently grant dependent?

A: The DA should communicate fully with the board on the financial needs of the office. The DA should work closely with all other department heads with an eye towards partnering with them on common issues. However, grant funding is a necessary reality and to maximize the available funding, application deadlines should be closely monitored and applications carefully reviewed to ensure that they meet all required criteria. I will aggressively seek new sources of funding including seeking grants for financial elder abuse, as well as animal cruelty, which the incumbent has not thought to explore.

Setting the record straight on Dikeman's "dirty dozen"

At his first press conference in January, which I attended, Worth Dikeman pledged he’d run a positive campaign. He then played a four-year-old phone message from Paul Gallegos to some unknown person. The KINS reporter asked, “Is your playing of this ‘secret’ tape the kick-off to your positive campaign?”

We all laughed, but clearly Dikeman was launching what political observers are calling one of the most negative and dishonest campaigns this county has seen.

Now, four months later, I must set the record straight on what I term “Dikeman’s Dirty Dozen,” the 12 worst misrepresentations by Mr. Dikeman’s campaign.

Wish me luck; it’s a long list.

1. Dikeman alleges an “unprecedented mass exodus” from the DA’s office. Wrong. Nearly twice as many left when Terry Farmer started his 20-year reign. Change is harder for some than others.
   
   
2. Dikeman claims, “Violent Crime is up.” Wrong again. According to the California Department of Justice, since Gallegos took office, Humboldt has experienced its lowest rate of violent crime in 15 years. A little bounce in 2004 made it the second lowest rate in 15 years - nearly half the state rate. We have safer streets. Live with it.
   
   
3. Dikeman complained, “Democrats can’t endorse one Democrat over another.” Well, it happens all the time - even in Humboldt County. Following precedent, the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee endorsed Gallegos voting 20-1.
   
   
4. They claim, “Paul lost a Victim Witness grant.” In fact, that grant, intended for minority communities, went to Hoopa, establishing the first Native American Women’s Shelter in California. Hoopa is still in Humboldt County last time I checked. No loss of jobs, but an expansion of services.
   
   
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Electoral process gives the power to the people

You elected me to serve as your district attorney because you wanted a working DA who would bring new management and problem-solving skills to the DA’s Office and our justice system. I have done that.

The District Attorney’s Office is more responsive, accountable and effective today than it has ever been. Not only are our families safer today, but I am committed to further increasing public safety, public confidence in our system of government and justice throughout this county.I have done that by personally trying cases, and also by introducing modern technology, filing systems, record-keeping and retrieval systems, and by streamlining decision-making and accountability processes. As a result of these changes, and despite the loss of more than half a million dollars and of more than one out of every six people due to budget cuts, Humboldt County is experiencing its lowest rate of violent crime in more than 15 years.

Decline in CAST numbers unrelated to District Attorney

My name is Kay Rackauckas. For 12 years, I proudly served as a deputy district attorney in Orange County. For several of those years, I was a sexual assault/CAST prosecutor. I am also the mother of a 5-year-old son.

Over the Memorial Day weekend I was vacationing in Trinidad and became intrigued by the District Attorney’s race. I have never met either candidate. After hearing Mr. Dikeman’s allegations regarding District Attorney Paul Gallegos’ handling of the CAST unit’s performance, I did some research and felt compelled to write to your paper.

Mr. Dikemans’ allegations are baseless and without merit. They are obviously politically motivated and designed to mislead voters, who are unaware of how such units actually operate.Orange County was among the first counties in California to implement the CAST protocol. CAST is an acronym for Child Abuse Services Team. When a child claims to have been molested, he or she is not interviewed like an adult but is questioned by an expert. The child is placed in a room with the interviewer, while the police and deputy district attorney simply observe from behind one-way glass. Often the interview is taped so the child does not need to repeat the same subject matter to multiple questioners.

Native Americans, use voting clout to keep Dikeman out of DA office

Dear Editor,

Draconian theories that Native American’s may not be suitable for the jury pool because of cultural beliefs are just nonsense.

Yes, there’s a history here. Yes, there are incidents of racism where Indians were excluded from the jury pool based on the court records. And yes, Dikeman is not as forthcoming as he should have been on his statements to the media regarding this issue.

The Indian vote is growing stronger in Humboldt County. That’s good, and it positions reservation communities to demand more from the District Attorney’s office and other political leaders. More Native Americans voting will serve to increase the momentum, pride and power of the Indian voice in Humboldt County.

Bear River Band claims Dikeman a racist

Rancheria asks tribes of California to oppose candidate

EUREKA -- The Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria has sent a letter to the tribes of California asking them to oppose Worth Dikeman in the race for Humboldt County district attorney.

"We may not be capable of serving on a jury but we are darn well capable of using our voting clout to keep him out of the DA's office."
--Howard McConnell, Yurok TribeDikeman has been roundly criticized by some members of the American Indian community for seeking to remove jurors of American Indian descent in a past case after saying that employees of tribes were resistant of the criminal justice system.

Expert witness says words were 'twisted'

Although the statement was made more than a decade ago, Royal Alsup, a licensed family and marriage therapist and Ph.D. said he was unaware that Humboldt County Deputy District Attorney and District Attorney candidate Worth Dikeman had attributed certain quotes to him in court until he read it in an article in The Eureka Reporter last week.

“(Dikeman) twisted what I’ve been saying for so many years in court..."
--Dr. Royal AlsupIn an article that ran May 25, court documents cite Dikeman as making the following statement, “In this county we’ve had (expert witness) Dr. Roy Alsop (sic) come in here and explain to the courts, and I’ve seen this on the criminal calendar, child molesting is OK in certain Native American cultures, and we can’t treat Native American child molesters the same way we treat other child molesters, and have to treat them through the Indian culture center, and there are a whole bunch of people that violate our laws that are Native Americans and they go much more often through the Native American system than the criminal system, and to say that does not exist is frankly incorrect.”

With same resources as previous DA, Gallegos has done a better job

Dear Editor,

Paul Gallegos has done a fine job as district attorney, in spite of the unprecedented attack upon him by the reigning powers of the past in the form of a recall attempt, which the voters here soundly beat.

He deserves our support and our vote, so he and we can continue forward.With almost the same staff of attorneys as the previous DA, and despite budget cuts, he has led them to a better record of prosecutions of the usual crimes, and has put the corporate powers in the form of Maxxam on notice that they are not outside the reach of the law — something that his predecessor was loath to do. He deserves our support and our vote, so he and we can continue forward.