The news that the county has spent another $284,000 on outside
lawyers since April to protect itself from lawsuits is alarming.
The total bill for outside lawyers is approaching $3 million since
April 2000. That type of spending makes it clear that supervisors
must change their spending practices immediately.
The news that the county has spent another $284,000 on outside lawyers since April to protect itself from lawsuits is alarming. The total bill for outside lawyers is approaching $3 million since April 2000. That type of spending makes it clear that supervisors must change their spending practices immediately.
The county has hired legal guns for a number of cases including a case against Supervisor Richard Scagliotti alleging political corruption, a hostile work environment lawsuit against District Attorney John Sarsfield and the lengthy Sandman mining suit.
What’s dismaying is the county’s stark contrast in priorities. The county – which has its own legal office with four lawyers – has spent this kind of cash while slashing $17,000 from the University of California Cooperative Extension, which put 4-H programs in a pinch, as well as cutting funding from libraries and the marshal’s office to balance the budget.
“I think we really, seriously need to look at the hemorrhage of funding that’s going on,” said Supervisor Reb Monaco.
No kidding. The mounting expenses, and the fact that officials in similar-size Tuolomne and Yuba counties say they don’t spend that much on legal fees, should tip the board off that something is wrong. A Yuba County auditor has estimated they spent “probably $20,000” on outside lawyers in a year.
In fact, San Benito County’s civil grand jury should investigate the county’s spending. The civil grand jury, composed of county residents, should determine whether the county is doing the people’s business in these cases. Could these matters be resolved through negotiation? Is the county making poor decisions that opens it up to lawsuits?
Supervisors and the civil grand jury should:
Call for an hourly breakdown of lawyer fees. The devil’s in the details, what’s in these charges?
Ask whether the county counsel should be handling some of these cases
Ask whether it is necessary to take on all the cases
Review the county’s system of checks and balances when it comes to bringing in outside lawyers
Officials say they need to hire experts when it comes to some of these cases. That’s undoubtedly true, but when a county our size with a tight budget is racking up this kind legal expense, it’s time to overhaul the system.
Remember, this is not the supervisors’ $3 million that’s lining the pockets of big-time attorneys. It belongs to the taxpayers of San Benito County. It’s money that could otherwise go to services for those taxpayers. Residents have the right to know whether it is being well spent.
