The State - News from June 28, 1989

Claiming that his management style has created poor employee morale, the Stanislaus County Grand Jury has called for Dist. Atty. Donald Stahl’s resignation. A 46-page report accuses Stahl of causing a high turnover rate and employee burnout in his office. “The district attorney’s management style is the most significant reason for low morale, high turnover and faulty communication within the district attorney’s office,” the panel charged. The report said employees are “intimidated, helpless, fearful, suffering emotionally and felt victimized and hopeless.” Stahl was unavailable for comment. The report said people who were interviewed claimed that Stahl is unpredictable, unable to draw a line between criminals he prosecutes and employees he supervises and demeaning toward workers. The report concluded that the resulting turmoil “is negatively affecting the Stanislaus County criminal justice system.”