D.A. Candidate’s Fund-Raising
Greg Totten’s response to the controversy surrounding Community Memorial Hospital’s letter soliciting contributions for his campaign is interesting, considering Mr. Totten is campaigning to be the top law enforcement official of Ventura County.
The district attorney must evenhandedly support enforcement of the law, regardless of a person’s race, religion, or in this case, political endorsement.
Dr. Bakst’s letter appears to violate the law prohibiting tax-exempt organizations from intervening in any political campaign in support of any candidate.
Mr. Totten’s response that his opponent has “motivated a number of our supporters, such as Dr. Bakst, to independently ask others to help Greg get his message out” is inconsistent with the dignity of the position he seeks. A district attorney candidate with integrity would at least wait for an independent review before blindly excusing Dr. Bakst’s questionable actions.
Instead, Mr. Totten tacitly condones them.
The fact that Michael D. Bradbury, the current district attorney and co-chairman of Mr. Totten’s campaign, also serves on the board of directors of CMH is likewise disturbing and warrants further examination.
Adam L. Pearlman
Ventura
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