Loan Offered to Aid Calligan in Lawsuit

An attorney representing Orange County sheriff candidate Linda Lea Calligan has offered to loan her the $71,000 needed to place an insert in the June 3 primary voters’ handbook if a federal judge will order the county to publish material deleted from Calligan’s candidate’s statement.

Calligan’s attorney, William Yacobozzi Jr., agreed to lend Calligan the money because he believes it would help her win a lawsuit against Sheriff Brad Gates and Al Olson, county registrar of voters, according to Yacobozzi’s law partner, Leland D. Sterling.

Calligan sued Gates and Olson last week in Los Angeles federal court, alleging that her constitutional rights were violated when an Orange County Superior Court judge deleted part of her candidate’s statement at the request of incumbent Sheriff Brad Gates.

Judge Judith M. Ryan had ruled that the section was “false and misleading” and, citing a 3-year-old state law, ordered the material deleted from the voters’ handbook.

Calligan’s statement accused Gates of being convicted of a federal crime for not eradicating overcrowding in the Orange County Jail, of covering up a felony drunk-driving arrest and owning an interest in a bar, among other things.

Attorneys for Gates have publicly refuted Calligan’s allegations.

U.S. District Judge William M. Byrne Jr. ruled last week that although constitutional issues were raised by Calligan’s suit, it would be inappropriate to order the county, before the suit was resolved, to insert Calligan’s candidate statement.

Sterling said Tuesday that there is not enough time to raise the money for the insert from Calligan’s supporters, but “a few campaign fund-raisers would repay (Yacobozzi).” Sterling said time is critical because the ballot handbooks are scheduled to be mailed to voters beginning May 24.