Salinas attorney Michael Pekin is back in action in San Benito
County and we feel residents might just benefit from the latest
lawsuit compared to a similar one he filed a few months ago.
This time, lifelong county resident Juan Monteon is the
plaintiff in the civil suit, instead of the anonymous Los
Valientes.
Another difference is that the thrust of this suit is to bring
money back to the county, if it is proved that County Supervisor
Chairman Richard Scagliotti or any of his fellow supervisors
illegally or unethically profited from being an elected
official.
Salinas attorney Michael Pekin is back in action in San Benito County and we feel residents might just benefit from the latest lawsuit compared to a similar one he filed a few months ago.
This time, lifelong county resident Juan Monteon is the plaintiff in the civil suit, instead of the anonymous Los Valientes.
Another difference is that the thrust of this suit is to bring money back to the county, if it is proved that County Supervisor Chairman Richard Scagliotti or any of his fellow supervisors illegally or unethically profited from being an elected official.
Monteon appears to have no ties with big-money developers, which hurt the Los Valientes’ cause along with its nameless base.
Plus, this action isn’t intended to join into an ongoing case, the ridiculous and harmful Rebecca McGovern/Earthjustice suit to remove Measure G from the March ballot, which wasn’t allowed.
Again, we’re not judging Scagliotti or any of the others named in this latest action. And we remind county residents that the filing is public record at the Superior Court.
But most or all of the allegations are the result of an ongoing and exhaustive report provided by reputable investigator Dave Henderson, which certainly makes it worth looking into.
The Fair Political Practices Commission is doing just that and county residents have the right to know if their elected officials have acted in an illegal or unethical manner – especially when it comes to our hard-earned tax dollars.
“Good old boy” politics is no excuse for any shenanigans that stray from the duties and expectations of those holding public office.
At the very least, this latest courtroom action – along with the impending arrival of Henderson’s second part of his lengthy look into county officials’ behavior – doesn’t let the allegations be swept under the convenient county carpet.
And we salute Monteon for his courage to stand up in the county and demand to be heard.
We also can’t help but admire Pekin’s tenacity, especially if it works in the long run to bring the truth to light in San Benito County.
