The political pot in San Benito County has once again boiled
over, and the vitriol spewing forth in the community and our
courtrooms between government officials and those without faces or
names has extended far beyond simple name calling and politics.
The political pot in San Benito County has once again boiled over, and the vitriol spewing forth in the community and our courtrooms between government officials and those without faces or names has extended far beyond simple name calling and politics.
It’s costing San Benito County taxpayers money and all parties involved are creating a political climate reminiscent of the McCarthy-era witch hunts.
District Attorney John Sarsfield has promised to unmask the anonymous and elusive group Los Valientes, and has spent thousands of dollars and an incalculable amount of time and energy in his attempt to do find out who they are through the courts. He claims the group has cost county residents upwards of $300,000 and currently is trying to get a judge to award nearly $1 million in damages to the county and the eight plaintiffs in his civil rights lawsuit filed against the group.
But his crusade against the Brave Ones, as they call themselves, is misguided. As the District Attorney of our county, Sarsfield needs to focus his attention on gang crimes, child molesters, gun offenses and everything else he has promised to be tough on. But while he closed his office down for a week because he says he doesn’t have the resources to keep it open, important cases are falling through the cracks while he charges full-steam ahead with the case against Los Valientes.
And while Sarsfield needs to reprioritize, it is time for Los Valientes to show their faces and put this tiresome game to rest. The group has every legal right to remain anonymous to bring grievances against government, but in a good-faith effort and in the spirit of getting county politics back to a semblance of normalcy, they should reveal themselves. To do so would place this matter in the court of public opinion, where residents can decide whether the expense of pursuing allegations of corruption is worth the effort or if the whole matter is just an ongoing fight between political opponents and a waste of taxpayer money.
There is nothing more courageous than fighting for what one believes is right, and if Los Valientes truly believe government officials have corrupted the local system, stand up and say so, loud and clear.
Put your John Hancock on the suit, Los Valientes, and give the District Attorney a reason to get back to the business of prosecuting criminals – the reason why San Benito County residents elected him to his position in the first place.
