Sources confirmed that a second major report alleging corruption
in San Benito County government is being assembled
– and this time will include numerous potential criminal charges
as well as unethical political behavior.
It was also confirmed Thursday by Michael Pekin, the Salinas
lawyer for the group of residents who initially commissioned the
report.
Sources confirmed that a second major report alleging corruption in San Benito County government is being assembled – and this time will include numerous potential criminal charges as well as unethical political behavior.
It was also confirmed Thursday by Michael Pekin, the Salinas lawyer for the group of residents who initially commissioned the report.
“It does explore areas of conduct and violations of law which have not been mentioned in either of the first two volumes that have been published,” Pekin said.
While the investigation’s first report mostly focused on allegations of profiteering by Supervisor Richard Scagliotti, the second chapter will divulge a broader cast of allegedly corrupt public officials, Pekin said.
It will include “equally serious and extensive” allegations compared to the first report, according to a source who asked to remain unidentified.
A timeline has not been established for completion of the second part, though Pekin said, “We’re talking shortly.”
The dissection of county government began about six months ago when a group of anonymous residents calling themselves Los Valientes, “Brave Ones” in Spanish, commissioned Salinas private investigator Dave Henderson. A copy of the first resulting report was released to the Free Lance in mid-October.
After reviewing the first set of allegations, District Attorney John Sarsfield announced his office would not pursue criminal prosecution on any of the items.
The state’s Federal Political Practices Commission, however, recently assigned its own investigator and attorney to the issue, according to a source linked to the Commission. The FPPC does not confirm or deny the existence of its investigations.
Sarsfield on Thursday expressed confidence in his conclusion about the first report. He said he read it four or five times and found no criminal offenses.
“Oh, I have no doubt about that,” he said. “I went through it in great detail.”
Regarding the upcoming Part 2, he said: “I don’t want to comment on that. If someone sends me something, then I’ll look at it.”
The second report of the investigation will include allegations – with documents intended for substantiation – that include “financial payoffs, side deals, tax reporting and paying issues, property acquisition issues, political favoritism and pandering and fraternization,” according to a source close to the investigation, who mentioned the likelihood for a third investigative report after completion of the second.
For the security of the ongoing investigation, Pekin said they are not divulging details of who or what is under examination.
“Concern for absolute accuracy prevents us from making further disclosure until further steps are completed,” Pekin said.
While many public officials declined comment Thursday on the controversial matter, others vented frustration at the ongoing inquest and current mood in local politics.
Supervisor Bob Cruz, who is up for re-election in November 2004, expressed a harsh resentment toward the situation. He said the investigator has inspected the lives of all five supervisors.
“How does anybody feel when somebody looks into your closet or dirty laundry bag looking for dirt, and can’t find anything,” Cruz said.
He acknowledged that a certain degree of scrutiny comes with being an elected official. But the private investigation has gone beyond public documents or information, he said.
“Are we going back to the KKK days when everything they did was legal?” Cruz said.
Hollister Mayor Brian Conroy, part of a city jurisdiction not included in the extensive probe, also voiced irritation Thursday. He called the situation negative and counterproductive.
“The DA found nothing to the allegations of the brave ones,” Conroy said. “I don’t think they’re very brave.”
Henderson has requested and viewed reams of public documents while conducting his investigation, according to those involved. In the past week, he asked for about 600 pages on one matter, said William Owen, an outside attorney hired by the county for Los Valientes issues. County Counsel Karen Forcum referred all comments on the matter to him.
Pekin said his group became perturbed when the county denied a verbal request for those documents and asked Henderson to submit it in writing. The county staff, according to Owen, needed clarification on precisely what he wanted.
“He has this sort of thing, like he can just show up and ask for something in a big way,” Owen said.
Los Valientes also recently joined a legal battle over the pending Growth Control Initiative – citing allegations from the initial investigative report asserting the Board of Supervisors violated the state’s open meetings law during its drafting.
A hearing on the matter scheduled for Oct. 29 was moved to Nov. 6 because the presiding judge, former county counsel Steven Sanders, felt the public could perceive him as being biased. A visiting judge will hear the case.
Pekin, meanwhile, who has spent considerable time in Hollister in recent weeks, said the upcoming report could cause more shock than the first.
“This dwarfs San Benito County 1,” he said.
Scagliotti did not return phone calls Thursday. Supervisors Ruth Kesler and Pat Loe declined comment. And Supervisor Reb Monaco could not be reached for comment.
More details are expected to be released to the Free Lance on Monday.
