Hollister
– Former District Attorney John Sarsfield may have moved on from
San Benito County, but that hasn’t brought a halt to his
litigation.
Hollister – Former District Attorney John Sarsfield may have moved on from San Benito County, but that hasn’t brought a halt to his litigation.
Sarsfield filed two lawsuits against the county Board of Supervisors last year. The suits alleged that the board was stripping away his office’s independence and trying to block his investigation of the anonymous group Los Valientes. Sarsfield also filed a $5 million claim related to the county’s handling of a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against him in 2004.
A lawsuit addressing the supervisors’ travel policy has been dismissed, but a second, budget-related lawsuit is still on the table. That suit is being overseen by District Attorney Candice Hooper, Sarsfield’s successor.
Sarsfield’s claim has also been rejected, according to County Administrative Officer Susan Thompson. Sarsfield said he has six months to file a full-blown lawsuit, which he intends to do.
“I’ll file it when it’s convenient for me,” he said.
Sarsfield declined to comment further on the claim, which alleged that the Board of Supervisors forced him to settle the 2004 sexual harassment suit. The claim also alleged that Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz and unknown county employees illegally leaked details of the settlement agreement to the press.
“If Mr. Sarsfield wants to file a lawsuit – and I hope he doesn’t – it’s up to him now,” Thompson said.
One of the existing suits, which contested a new policy requiring board approval for all out-of-state travel, was dismissed in November.
The other suit objected to budget controls imposed on the DA’s office. These controls require the DA to seek board approval before hiring outside attorneys or going over budgets in a specific area. Hooper will be meeting with a county attorney to discuss the suit on March 5. She declined to comment on the lawsuit until after the conference.
Sarsfield said he doesn’t care what happens with the lawsuit now that he is out of office.
“If (Hooper) wants to surrender the independence of the office to the Board of Supervisors, she can do that,” Sarsfield said. “I filed the suit to protect the office and protect myself.”
Sarsfield recently ended a contentious four-year term as San Benito County’s District Attorney. Much of the controversy stemmed from Sarsfield’s efforts to prosecute Los Valientes, an anonymous group that filed several suits alleging corruption in the county government. Hooper defeated Sarsfield’s June re-election bid by substantial margin, and he has since taken a position with the state inspector general’s office.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
