Comments on: Allison Jackson – Rebuild The Broken DA’s Office – October 15, 2010

By: DA race heats up at the Arcata Eye « Sohum Parlance II

DA race heats up at the Arcata Eye « Sohum Parlance II — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:29:53 +0000

[...] Allison Jackson submitted her op ed piece. [...]

By: Robert Benson

Robert Benson — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:51:29 +0000

Al,
Your advisement is well received. I am concerned with the allegations that Ms. Jackson is tough; even, maybe, vindictive. If she could reserve her tenacity for violent criminals, I would consider it a win for the People. Child abuse, domestic violence, and street violence are epidemics in Humboldt that produce real victims that suffer physically and emotionally. Mr. Gallegos is, either, negligent or incompetent in prosecuting these crimes and criminals know this. I pray that, when Ms. Jackson assumes the Office, she will prioritize according to damages; and recognize that Cannabis is a liberty interest that is a very attractive nuisance in Humboldt. My biggest fear is that she will begin prosecuting more Cannabis cases, which I deem unconscionable, in order to appease local law enforcement and their zeal for claiming the People’s property. I may not make any friends with this statement, yet, if I had to choose protection for children or protection for growers; I would choose protection for the children. Cannabis farmers can afford good attorneys; abuse victims, generally, can not.

By: Al

Al — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:49:04 +0000

Mr. Benson,

Don’t worry, with Allison in charge, you’ll be arrested, thrown in jail, and have to go through trial to prove your “innocence”. Be careful what you ask for, you might just get it.

By: Robert Benson

Robert Benson — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:15:11 +0000

While protesting Mazzotti’s in Arcata, my life was threatened twice; Gallegos did nothing, Mazzotti’s supports him. During a civil suit, my life was threatened by a minion of the Petitioner. Again, Gallegos did nothing. Instead, he admitted a perjured declaration which covered up, and assisted, the Petitioner’s criminal act of practicing law without a license; violating Cal Prof Rules of Conduct Rule 1-300 and Bus and Prof Code 6125 (CP100272). I had admitted several complaints to the Board of Trustees of the Law Library, of which Gallegos is a member, describing the Petitioner’s illegal behavior. Due to Gallegos failure to address the crime and his perjured declaration to cover it up, my right to access the county law library to research redressing my grievances against Gallegos’, and others’, misconduct was abrogated, as a result. I have admitted seven plus personnel complaints against Gallegos and his staff, receiving nil response, though required by law. DA is for District Attorney, not Defense Attorney.

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 03:04:18 +0000

Garth. It is the DA that makes those calls Your point is that Farmer made a bad call on a guy with no prior record? Ok. I guess you can blame all of Paul’s employees for his really bad decisions which have been consistent for eight years. Go Jackson. Time for a change.

By: Garth

Garth — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 02:28:26 +0000

Firefly, make a search of the Cases cited. It’s all in the public record.

By: firefly

firefly — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 21:53:25 +0000

The Pauliticos are continuing to make stuff up, treating speculation as fact, just as they do on all the blogs. Re Isaac: “wants to be ADA?” “bad blood?” Not. “what the lawyers…are saying…”? sez you. If Allison’s not perfect, she’s still miles ahead of Gallegos. He is a joke, a liar, and keeps on putting his politics and ambitions ahead of his duties as the DA. Allison will do a professional job, will treat the victims and the defendants fairly and will try cases based on their merit, not on their politically correct symbolism. Allison has matured. Gallegos has not.

By: Garth

Garth — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 21:04:41 +0000

If Ms. Jackson wants to talk about plea deals that go wrong, she need not go further than one of her own.

Back in ’97, when she was a Deputy DA, she pled out the case: CR972027M (People v. Yohan Lopez). Lopez a few months previously copped a prior for having a concealed weapon. That should have been a red flag to Jackson, that he can be armed and dangerous.

In the case before Jackson, Lopez was caught with pot by the Eureka Police. During his arrest, Lopez fought back violently, injuring Officer Ron Harpham. The case included charges of felony violation of 243(c) (Battery on a Peace Officer) which carries a sentence of up to 3 years, 8 months in State Prison. Alison Jackson negotiated a plea agreement with Lopez on September 19, 1997 which dismissed that count.

Jackson also reduced the felony violation of Resisting an Executive Officer 69PC, which also is punishable by up to 3 years in State Prison. She plead it out for a violation of 14B of the Penal Code, Obstructing or Resisting a Public Officer, a misdemeanor. The result was that Lopez served 8 days in the county jail for this and was not given any more jail time.

Lopez also plead guilty to a violation of 11357(b) Health and Safety Code (Misdemeanor violation of Possession of Marijuana -Less than an Ounce), punishable by a $100 fine. He was sentenced to 100 hours of community service as part of the deal.

So, in September of ’97, Alison Jackson puts back on the streets a person who is violent, known to illegally carry a concealed weapon, and who has violently assaulted a police officer. He could have been sent away for 6 or more years.

But just a few months later, on January 5, 1998, Lopez encounters 18 year old Ryan Dunn in a Eureka Figueiredo’s. Lopez had had a previous dispute with Dunn. As the Times-Standard reported, Lopez saw Dunn at Figueiredo’s, left the video store and retrieved his firearm. He then lay in wait for Dunn to emerge from the store and gunned him down.

Lopez fled before he could be prosecuted and was only apprehended in 2007, when DA Gallegos’ investigators hauled him in from Stanislaus County. Gallegos put veteran prosecutor Arnie Klein on the case (CR980099) and the conviction was obtained. Lopez was sentenced to life without possibility of parole. He will never menace society again.

Alison Jackson’s botched plea deal of Lopez resulted in the murder of Ryan Dunn just 3 months after she dismissed a serious felony charge against him and lowered a second serious offence. She left it for Paul Gallegos’ team to put him away for life.

By: Al

Al — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 19:24:16 +0000

Andrew Isaac is backing Allison Jackson. That would be a surprise considering that is who Allison Jackson dumped most her hard cases upon but not a surprise given the bad blood between Paul Gallegos and Andrew Isaac. Perhaps Mr. Isaac’s looking for the ADA position. If Andrew Isaac were a candidate, he would probably have my vote. But not Allison. Not ever.

By: Andrew Isaac

Andrew Isaac — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 19:07:55 +0000

I am a former Humboldt County Deputy D.A. I support Ms. Jackson in the coming election. Every single one of my former Humboldt colleagues with whom I have spoken about this election supports Ms. Jackson. I have been practicing since 1979. I have served as Army JAG officer, a civilian criminal defense lawyer, a plaintiff’s civil rights lawyer specializing in police misconduct, and as a prosecutor of sex crimes and homicides. I am currently supervisor of the sex crimes unit in the Santa Cruz District Attorney’s Office, and my caseload includes gang homicides and domestic violence homicides. I have personally, over a period of years, watched Ms. Jackson prepare, present and win numerous complex and difficult cases. I have seen how witnesses and victims come to trust her and depend on her. I respect her empathy, energy, intelligence and ethics. I do not think she is perfect. She does not walk on water. She is the better candidate for
Humboldt District Attorney. There’s an endorsement for you, Al, whoever you are.