Bamieh Ad Criticized by Rival in D.A. Race

An early campaign controversy erupted Monday over a television ad by district attorney candidate Ron Bamieh that says he is “Ventura County’s most experienced prosecutor.”

The 30-second spot narrated by former state Sen. Cathie Wright of Simi Valley drew an immediate response from Bamieh’s rival in the race, 47-year-old Chief Assistant Dist. Atty. Greg Totten.

“I was trying cases when Bamieh was still a kid,” Totten said.

Pete Kossoris, a semiretired prosecutor with 35 years experience who has endorsed Totten, called the ad “patently misleading and false.”

“I can’t think of any criteria under which Ron Bamieh would qualify as Ventura County’s most experienced prosecutor,” Kossoris said.

Bamieh, 35, has successfully prosecuted more than 60 felony cases, including four murder trials. But at least four Ventura County prosecutors have each handled 90 or more jury trials, officials said.

In addition, at least six current full-time prosecutors in the office have tried more murder cases than Bamieh, and the record number of murder trials handled by a prosecutor in the office is 27, said Richard Holmes, who heads the office’s homicide unit.

Bamieh said Wright’s comments were meant to be taken only in the context of how his experience compares with Totten’s, who as incumbent Dist. Atty. Michael Bradbury’s chief administrator spends little time in the courtroom.

“If the Totten campaign wants to run an ad saying, ‘Greg Totten is the most experienced bureaucrat,’ I won’t have a problem with that,” Bamieh said. “Between the two of us, I am the more experienced trial prosecutor.”

Totten acknowledged Monday that he has handled only one murder case, but said in nearly two decades as a prosecutor he has handled many jury trials.

“There is more to being district attorney than simply being a prosecutor in a courtroom,” he added. “I have a full spectrum of experience he does not.”

Totten also spent three years as executive director of the California District Attorneys Assn., and in his current post he oversees 300 employees.

Bamieh’s ad featuring Wright began running last week on five cable TV channels and will be shown to Ventura County cable subscribers hundreds of times during prime-time rotations through mid-November. The spots are being aired during political shows, including Chris Matthews’ “Hardball” and the Fox News program “The O’Reilly Factor.”

Meanwhile, 60-second radio spots will begin airing today on four Ventura County stations and on a Los Angeles station that carries Rush Limbaugh’s program.

The $50,000 media blitz four months before the March 5 primary election bolstered speculation that the son of longtime GOP contributor Sam Bamieh is prepared to spend an unparalleled amount of money in his bid.

Totten is Bradbury’s choice for a successor and has been endorsed by most of the county’s law enforcement establishment, including all of the county’s police chiefs and Sheriff Bob Brooks.

“We’re going to be doing everything possible to get Ron’s name out,” said Bamieh’s campaign manager, Brian Nestande. “Then it’s up to the candidate having the right message and being able to connect with the voters.”

The radio ads feature Bamieh talking about his commitment to protecting children and locking away criminals. One spot includes an endorsement from Bruce Herschensohn, a former Republican Senate candidate and assistant to President Nixon. But it is the Wright ad that has drawn criticism.

Jacquie Canfield, voter service director for the League of Women Voters of California, said voters need to do their own research to verify candidates’ claims. “I think ‘most experienced’ is a matter of each individual’s opinion,” she said.

Jim Knox, executive director of California Common Cause, said the law allows candidates and their backers to make essentially any ad claims they wish.

“There’s nothing you can do to prevent a candidate from misrepresenting himself,” Knox said. “It’s up to the other side to respond. Voters make their decisions depending on who they believe.”