Sheriff’s Request for Legal Fees Turned Down

Ventura County supervisors Wednesday rejected Sheriff Bob Brooks’ request to hire a private law firm to represent him in a budget dispute with the board, deciding the sheriff has no grounds to take them to court.

Brooks asked the board to pay for the services of an Oxnard firm, maintaining that the county’s lawyers have a conflict of interest because they provide legal advice to the Board of Supervisors. Meeting in closed session Wednesday, the board unanimously rejected the sheriff’s argument and sent a letter to William Hair, a senior partner at Nordman, Cormany, Hair & Compton, stating that the county would not pay Brooks’ legal fees.

Afterward, several of the supervisors scolded the sheriff for signing a contract with the law firm without their knowledge.

“There is a process that has to be honored for outside counsel, and that process was not honored,” Supervisor Kathy Long said. “We have rules, and he must follow the rules.”

Brooks said he will proceed with the lawsuit anyway. The question of who pays will be settled after a judge rules on whether he is correct in alleging a conflict of interest, the sheriff said.

Brooks and Dist. Atty. Greg Totten contend that the Board of Supervisors illegally altered a public safety funding law two years ago. Although the sheriff and district attorney and two other public safety departments still receive protected funding and guaranteed increases each year, the board decided in 2001 to cap their inflationary hikes.

The standoff comes as the county faces a budget gap of $15 million for the coming fiscal year. Brooks says he needs $11 million more than county administrators are recommending; Totten says his shortfall is about $2.8 million.

Supervisors say they don’t want a costly, drawn-out legal fight with the popular sheriff. They have urged Brooks and Totten to sit down and negotiate with County Executive Officer Johnny Johnston.

“The whole thing really bothers me,” Supervisor John Flynn said. “It shows that one of the basic elements of county government, the sheriff himself, doesn’t seem to see that he has any responsibility during this horrible budgetary time we are going through.”