Decision Due Friday on Daly-Pickler Case
A Municipal Court judge is expected to decide Friday whether Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly and former Councilman Irv Pickler should face misdemeanor charges of violating campaign-finance laws during the 1996 council election.
Judge Gregg L. Prickett took the case under consideration Tuesday. He also granted a request by William J. Kopeny, Daly’s attorney, to submit a court brief within 48 hours challenging an argument made by Anaheim’s special prosecutor, Derek G. Johnson.
The special prosecutor contends the city has the authority and obligation to prosecute the alleged campaign law violations, and that the City Council had a right to hire a special prosecutor.
The defendants contend the special prosecutor lacks the legal authority to prosecute such matters and that the statute of limitations has expired on the charges.
Ravi Mehta, the city’s previous special attorney, filed misdemeanor charges in January against Daly, his treasurer, Debra Daly, and Pickler in connection with a $10,000 telephone bank to support Councilwoman Shirley McCracken and former Councilman Frank Feldhaus in their bids for council seats.
The council fired Mehta in March and voted to hire Johnson, an attorney with an Irvine firm.
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