A political dispute erupted Friday with the Chairman of the San
Benito County Board of Supervisors Reb Monaco saying he has no
confidence in the district attorney, and the prosecutor firing back
by calling for the other supervisors to oust Monaco from his
leadership role.
Hollister – A political dispute erupted Friday with the Chairman of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors Reb Monaco saying he has no confidence in the district attorney, and the prosecutor firing back by calling for the other supervisors to oust Monaco from his leadership role.
The dispute began when Monaco stated in the June 14 edition of the Los Angeles Daily Law Journal that he has no confidence in District Attorney John Sarsfield and he believes the prosecutor has lost his support base. The article focused on the recall effort against Sarsfield after supporters turned in more than 7,000 signatures in an attempt to force a recall onto the ballot.
“I said it, I’m not going to hide it,” Monaco said. “I’ve had it with him. He’s made accusations that I’m in Los Valientes and threatened me with a subpoena so that I’ve had to get outside counsel.”
But Sarsfield is determined to fight to the end, even if it means going head to head with the chairman of the county board.
“Since Mr. Monaco has taken over leadership, this county has been hit with a flood of litigation. Prompted by his cronies in the private bar it is no coincidence that he is attempting to cut law enforcement jobs and funds so he can line the pockets of his trial lawyer friends,” Sarsfield said. “I would call on Mr. Marcus, Mr. Botelho and Mrs. Loe to get the situation under control and relieve him of his leadership. He is exposing the county to liability every time he opens his mouth and attacks another county employee as he has done in the past, and I will not sit by silent.”
The majority of the board is steering clear of the contentious situation.
Both Supervisor Pat Loe and Anthony Botelho said they still have confidence in Sarsfield’s abilities and believe he should be able to finish out his term. Supervisor Don Marcus did not return phone calls Friday, but Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz, who has had a contentious relationship with Sarsfield since the March 2004 election, agrees with Monaco.
“Seven thousand people did sign petitions (to recall Sarsfield), so there’s got to be some merit to the credibility and performance of the district attorney’s office,” De La Cruz said. “It really shows the instability of the department.”
While Monaco stated his opinion was purely in his capacity as a citizen of San Benito County, not as a supervisor, he said Sarsfield’s actions toward him spurred his comments.
Sarsfield had Monaco questioned whether he is involved in Los Valientes – the anonymous group represented by Salinas attorney Michael Pekin that originally filed a lawsuit against the county and former Supervisor Richard Scagliotti. Monaco asked the board to allocate $10,000 for an attorney to represent him if need be in conjunction with Sarsfield’s questioning over Los Valientes and the criminal grand jury investigation into Pekin – which culminated several months ago with the grand jury indicting Pekin on five felony counts.
While Monaco said he’s not involved with the recall and never signed a petition, he believes Sarsfield has created much of the chaos surrounding him by his own actions and decisions.
“I feel sorry for him,” Monaco said. “He’s created situations and I’m not sure he realized the implications when he did it.”
Although both Loe and Botelho disagreed with Monaco’s opinion, neither board member took issue with his conduct – saying Monaco has a right to express his views however he please.
But Loe said she is staunchly against the recall and thinks Sarsfield should at least be able to finish out the job the people elected him to do. Sarsfield is up for reelection in 2006.
“I don’t think, no matter what, that a recall is the way to go. It’s too costly,” Loe said. “I certainly have confidence that he should be allowed to fill out his term. The people can make that decision in a year from now.”
In order to oust Sarsfield early, at least 5,296 valid signatures are needed to add a recall to the November special election, according to county Registrar John Hodges.
Hodges has until mid-July to check every name on the 685 pages of petitions. Currently, Hodges and his staff are in the middle of numbering each signature but haven’t started validating them yet. He expects the process to take at least two more weeks, he said.
But in the meantime, keeping the peace between the county’s top elected officials amidst the mounting tension is proving harder to do by the day, according to Botelho.
“He’s an elected official and the people elected me, and my job is to work with other elected officials and make sure needs are met,” Botelho said. “Some people are easier to work with than others, but I’m up for the challenge. As long as he’s in that office, I want to work with him.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected].
