Lewis Requests $200,000 More for Bankruptcy Defense

Auditor-Controller Steve E. Lewis, one of three top county officials facing misconduct charges related to the bankruptcy, is asking the Board of Supervisors to increase his legal defense funding from $300,000 to $500,000.

Lewis’ attorneys recently informed the county that he already has accumulated $425,000 in legal bills, exceeding the $300,000 cap the Board of Supervisors reluctantly granted in May.

In recent weeks, some supervisors have expressed concerns about the escalating costs of defending officials accused of misdeeds and indicated they might not approve all future funding requests.

Lewis and Supervisors William G. Steiner and Roger R. Stanton face civil misconduct charges for allegedly failing to prevent the 1994 bankruptcy. If convicted, they could be removed from office.

Earlier this year, the board established a $250,000 legal cap for each of the three men. Lewis received a $50,000 increase in May, far less than he requested. Steiner and Stanton have not sought increases, but both are slowly approaching the cap.

The board also allocated $500,000 toward the defense of former Budget Director Ronald S. Rubino, who faces criminal charges stemming from the bankruptcy.

Jury selection will continue today in Rubino’s trial.

On Wednesday, Rubino’s hearing began with both sides agreeing to reject certain jurors remaining in the 190-person pool and Los Angeles Superior Court Judge J. Stephen Czuleger indicating he wanted to question others himself to determine whether they could be impartial.

At one point, the judge expressed surprise, after reviewing written juror responses to a questionnaire, “at the number of persons here who said they’ve seen no publicity about this.”

Assistant Dist. Atty. Jan J. Nolan told Czuleger she was concerned from comments made by Rubino’s lawyer, Rodney Perlman, that he might create confusion during the trial by bringing up irrelevant bankruptcy issues.

“We’re not doing the bankruptcy case here,” she said, adding that from comments Perlman has made, one might get the impression that “I’m trying a robbery and he’s saying [his client] didn’t commit a murder.”

Perlman responded that positions taken by the county in its civil lawsuit against Merrill Lynch & Co. are among the “interwoven theories” of what transpired that eventually led to criminal charges that Rubino aided and abetted a diversion of interest from the investment pool.