Arraignment postponed in Steel criminal case

Deepa Bharath

SANTA ANA -- Councilman Chris Steel, who was expected to plead not

guilty to felony perjury charges Tuesday morning, asked that his

arraignment be continued.

The hearing has been postponed to July 31 -- less than two weeks after

his civil trial, which begins Monday and will address the same issues.

The Orange County district attorney has accused Steel of allowing a

resident to sign nomination papers for his wife during the 2000 City

Council election and signing himself for a legally blind woman in 1998.

Steel has consistently denied wrongdoing and said he will fight the legal

battle.

Steel’s attorney, Ron Cordova, said his client asked that the criminal

trial be continued to the end of the month “to have the ability to

address the [civil and criminal] matters separately.”

If Steel were convicted of the criminal felony charges, he could face

three years in prison, lose his council seat and the ability to ever run

again for any public office. If found liable in the civil case, he will

still lose his council seat and likely be replaced by runner-up Heather

Somers.

Last week, Steel said he was confused as whether to proceed with the

criminal trial or to take the district attorney’s plea bargain -- plead

guilty to misdemeanor charges and give up his seat -- a deal he rejected

twice.

However, it’s possible Steel will change his plea to the felony

charges depending on the outcome of the civil lawsuit, Cordova said.

“But if the plea were entered today, I’d be certain it would’ve been

not guilty,” he said.

Steel had said he knew it was not the “sensible thing to do” but that

he was determined to proceed with the trial “on principle.” He declined

comment Tuesday.

Michael Szkaradek, the Costa Mesa resident who filed the civil lawsuit

against Steel, is also an attorney and will represent himself in the

case. On Tuesday, Szkaradek said he is “confident” about Monday’s

proceedings.

Cordova said his only concern about the civil trial is whether the

judge will understand that state law allows a person to sign for another

as long as there is no fraudulent intent. He said Szkaradek was merely

obsessed with the election code.

But Szkaradek says Steel has changed his story far too often.

“In the beginning he said I was making phony charges,” he said. “But

now he is admitting to those very charges.”

Szkaradek said he is not obsessed with Steel or the election code.

“Yes, I’m determined,” he said. “But obsessed is a ridiculous word.”