Wary that county supervisors want his authority over elections
stripped, Registrar John Hodges will request funding today
– from the Board of Supervisors – to hire his own outside
lawyer.
Hollister – Wary that county supervisors want his authority over elections stripped, Registrar John Hodges will request funding today – from the Board of Supervisors – to hire his own outside lawyer.
Hodges said he’s not planning to sue the county or the board, but he wants to obtain a lawyer as a form of “insurance for possible litigation against the county.” His request is for an amount not to exceed $10,000.
“I want the insurance because when something happens, time is of the essence,” Hodges said.
He mentioned how he needed a lawyer in March to defend his office when, despite resistance from the board, he wanted to certify the latest election. Hodges hired attorney David Pipal and later requested funding for his services. That upset supervisors because Hodges didn’t ask first.
County Counsel Karen Forcum, who also represents supervisors, informed Hodges she couldn’t act as his lawyer because it would present a conflict of interest, he said.
Hodges’ request on today’s meeting agenda comes two weeks after the board agreed to pursue state legislation that would change the registrar position from an elected to an appointed role. As an elected official, Hodges also carries the titles of clerk, auditor and recorder.
Supervisors also will vote on the resolution at an upcoming meeting to ask the area’s two state lawmakers – Assemblyman Simon Salinas, D-Salinas, and State Sen. Jeff Denham, R–Merced – to pursue legislation.
They want to remove Hodges’ authority after several missteps during and after the March election.
Hodges’ office gave improper advice to residents returning absentee ballots for other voters. In May, the federal government sued his office for lacking Spanish language resources. And most recently, an office staffer lost track of an e-mail from state investigators requesting records to finish an audit of the March election.
Hodges thinks the board will reject his request, he said. But at least one supervisor, Reb Monaco, said he likely would vote for its approval.
“We’ve established a precedence that that’s what we do,” Monaco said.
Kollin Kosmicki covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach him at 637-5566, ext. 331., or kk*******@fr***********.com.
