Deputy D.A. Announces Bid for Top Job

As Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury awaits a decision on his possible appointment as a federal prosecutor, the battle has already begun over who might replace Ventura County’s top law enforcement official.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Ron S. Bamieh announced Tuesday that he will seek the office if Bradbury is appointed U.S. attorney in Los Angeles. President Bush could name his preferred candidate for the job this month.

“I love this county . . . and the way I can best serve the county would be as district attorney,” Bamieh said. “When the voters get to know me and the people get to know me, they’re going to realize the right guy is Ron Bamieh.”

But Bradbury, who has served as district attorney since 1979, said Greg Totten, his chief assistant for the past three years, is the best person to succeed him.

“Mr. Bamieh is a good deputy district attorney, he’s a good trial lawyer,” Bradbury said. “But you need much more than that to lead an office such as ours. It requires someone with the breadth of experience and proven judgment, and that’s Greg Totten.”

Totten, 47, could not be reached for comment, but has said he is ready to “assume the responsibility” of the office if Bradbury leaves.

Any decision about a Bradbury successor would begin with the Board of Supervisors, which could appoint a temporary successor or call a special election.

Board Chairman Frank Schillo said a special election makes sense because there would be more than a year left in Bradbury’s term, which is up at the end of 2002.

“That’s a long time to go without an elected person in office,” Schillo said.

Bamieh, 35, said he would push hard for a special election because he believes it would be the fairest way to determine who should take Bradbury’s place.

“No one should be given the job,” he said. “They should earn it from the people.”

Bamieh, who recently won a conviction in a high-profile murder case, said his experience as an aggressive trial lawyer and a natural gift for leadership make him the strongest candidate.

“I have respect for Mr. Totten. I think he’s very honorable,” he said. “But what I’m selling is Ron Bamieh. . . . No one’s ever gotten rich betting against me.”

Since he arrived in the district attorney’s office in 1993, Bamieh has worked his way up through the ranks and is now a top prosecutor handling many of the county’s major crimes. He has never lost a felony case.

In March, he won a death-penalty conviction against skinhead gang member Justin Merriman in the slaying of Santa Monica College student Katrina Montgomery--a murder case that had gone unsolved for nearly a decade.

“We made that case through determination and effort,” Bamieh said. “That’s the kind of example a D.A. should set.”

A graduate of USC and Loyola University of Chicago law school, Bamieh began his career working for then-President George Bush in the Department of Justice as assistant to the chief deputy.

Totten started his career in the district attorney’s office as a special assistant to Bradbury after graduating from Pepperdine University Law School in 1982. Before heading the child-support division of the office in 1996, he left to serve as executive director of the California District Attorneys Assn., lobbying on behalf of 2,500 prosecutors statewide.

Totten and Bamieh will have to wait until a decision is made on Bradbury’s appointment before they begin seriously campaigning.

Bradbury was in Washington last week for interviews about the federal prosecutor’s job, which represents the state’s Central District, extending from Orange County to San Luis Obispo.

He is one of nine candidates, including Assemblyman Rod Pacheco (R-Riverside) and Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Debra Yang. President Bush’s nominee must be confirmed by the Senate, which reconvenes Sept. 4.

Bradbury has indicated he will seek another term if he is not appointed. He is also being considered for a new U.S. District Court judgeship expected to be created in Santa Barbara.

Bamieh said that, for now, he does not plan to run for district attorney if Bradbury seeks reelection, but did not rule out challenging his boss. “I play the cards that are dealt,” he said. “When the time comes to answer that question, then I’ll answer it.”