Is Tony Rackauckas Fit to Be Reelected D.A.?

Re “Wade: Right Choice for D.A.,” Editorial, Feb. 3:

Congratulations to The Times. At last, after 17 months of internally generated warnings, we have a public voice for what is an extremely important issue for the hard-working citizens of Orange County. Up to now, this has been a scandal below the radar screen of most citizens.

For most people, their only contact with the D.A. is when called to serve jury duty. Yet the elected prosecutor is the most important official in county government. He or she wields awesome, yet well-established, powers. The prosecutor must fairly ensure prosecution of the guilty and defense of the innocent. That duty to prosecute fairly requires the uniform application of justice. But that fundamental obligation has escaped our incumbent first-term district attorney.

Whether we’re talking about badges for political supporters at $5,000 a pop, or personally circumventing the assigned senior trial deputy in the case of a major political campaign supporter, the net result is the creation of a two-tiered system of justice in Orange County. Every newly hired deputy prosecutor knows that when there is a close connection to a subject, the potential conflict-of-interest requires recusal.

Everyone I know would like to have a Rackauckas badge to flash at the CHP officer if we’re pulled over for speeding on the freeway. But everybody doesn’t get one, do they? And not only is that obviously unfair, but of longer-term significance, what does that law enforcement officer think as he or she walks back to the patrol car about the stature and credibility of the district attorney’s office?

Do you know someone who is an Orange County deputy district attorney? We are very committed to representing our client, the people of California. Did Rackauckas think we would all just close our eyes or roll over while he whittled away the integrity of an office that so many of us have committed our professional lives to build and continue? Just so an ambitious politician could build a springboard to the next political office? That’s not what you pay your taxes for.

Joseph P. Smith

Senior Deputy District Attorney

Anaheim

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I am a senior assistant district attorney. I have been appointed to the Superior Court bench and will soon be leaving the district attorney’s office. But before I leave, I would like to set the record straight on my boss, Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas. Let’s not forget the man we elected by 63% of the vote in 1998.

Our district attorney was a prosecutor for 16 years; several of those years he spent handling homicides and was well-respected. He took a year off without pay to unseat a state Supreme Court justice who was overturning all death penalty cases. He was successful and well-respected for that. After that, Rackauckas was a judge in Orange County for nine years. Again, he was well-respected for those years of public service.

Rackauckas has done an excellent job of setting priorities. He has given our prosecutors much-needed resources to combat crime and secure convictions in the thousands of cases we see every year. He created our felony charging unit and expanded our gang and environmental crime units. He has rewarded our hard-working and underpaid clerical staff with additional benefits. He has put his trust in our prosecutors and allowed them to do the right thing on criminal cases. He has created community outreach to minority groups in order to instill trust in our justice system. He has created and honored programs geared toward guiding youth to stay out of gangs and crime. Rackauckas is an honest, efficient and ethical district attorney who cares about the safety of our county.

It’s too bad that Rackauckas’ opponent has dredged up baseless allegations in a smear campaign. Let’s stick to the facts and look at the qualifications of each candidate. Remember, those who have no substantial qualifications often resort to attacking their opponent to disguise their own shortcomings.

Claudia Silbar

Senior Assistant

District Attorney

Santa Ana

#S#

O.C. Sanitation District

Is Shirking Its Duties

Re “Stirring Up the Water,” Editorial, Feb. 3:

I agree that the Orange County Sanitation District should not be taking on urban runoff when it is not fulfilling its original mandate to clean the sewage produced from toilets. The district has a waiver that excuses it from full treatment of sewage. It should give up the waiver and treat all sewage to full secondary standards before adding urban runoff. We would like to be able to swim in the ocean knowing it’s free of sewage.

J.L. Denison

Long Beach

Throwing away data and monitoring equipment that indicate a problem seems to be the best way for the Sanitation District to hold on to its $550-million reserve.

The turbidity analyzer may have not been required, but that’s not a good excuse to throw it away.

It’s not uncommon for the district to throw out “anomalously high values” from their data so that their statistical mean will look better on paper.

It’s obvious that the turbidity meter wasn’t the first thing to be thrown out just because it didn’t show what the district wanted. Thrown-out data and equipment are just ways to avoid using reserves for the intended purpose: treating the sewage.

Curtis Zavodny

Long Beach

The fact that the Orange County Sanitation District removed a turbidity meter that measures clearness of the water, and opposes reinstalling it, means they are not doing all they can to assure clean, clear water in the ocean.

In what condition are we leaving the ocean for our children’s children?

Diana Mann

Long Beach