In response to a letter to the editor in The Pinnacle, one would
think that anybody running for the Board of Supervisors would at
least get his or her facts straight before making any statement
regarding the Public Defenders Office. Research, integrity, honesty
and brains, Mr. Brians, are the key to a smart politician, not
being a political crony of your current District Attorney.
Sarsfield’s
”
proposal
”
would do nothing more than bring in his buddies from Monterey
County that he can bully around in and out of court, thereby
defecting any criticism by the public and media on his lack of
prosecutorial skills and bumbling of high profile cases.
In response to a letter to the editor in The Pinnacle, one would think that anybody running for the Board of Supervisors would at least get his or her facts straight before making any statement regarding the Public Defenders Office. Research, integrity, honesty and brains, Mr. Brians, are the key to a smart politician, not being a political crony of your current District Attorney. Sarsfield’s “proposal” would do nothing more than bring in his buddies from Monterey County that he can bully around in and out of court, thereby defecting any criticism by the public and media on his lack of prosecutorial skills and bumbling of high profile cases.
If you had even bothered to look at the Public Defender contract for this county, instead of listening to your “special friend” the District Attorney, you would realize that:
1. I do not handle a “portion of the cases. I handle roughly 80 to 85 percent of all criminal cases filed in San Benito County, almost all of the juvenile cases filed in San Benito County, as well as all conservatorships and dependency cases filed in San Benito County. (For a definition of conservatorships and dependencies, ask your special friend.) P.S. Ask your friend how he will address the fact that the Monterey County Public Defender does not defend dependency or conservatorship cases, so would the DA manage those cases on behalf of the county or would another attorney have to be hired for those cases?
2. I am the appointed Public Defender of San Benito County and I have a contract; if I exceed spending, I get no more money from the county. Unlike the Sheriff, I can’t go over budget and then ask the county to bail my department out. So your statement that the current arrangement has no cap is false, my arrangement is memorialized in a written contract (for which you probably could get a copy of.)
3. Your statement that “unfortunately, the courts are obligated to appoint attorneys for any cases where there is a conflict of interest” is the same in Monterey County as San Benito County. If there are two of more codefendants, whoever the Public Defender is, that public defender can only handle one defendant.
4. Your statement that the court is obligated to appoint additional attorneys if I am busy is laughable at best. Go ask Judge Tobias or Judge Sanders if I am relieved as counsel if I am “too busy” and you will get your answer. Mr. Brians, in this business, that excuse just doesn’t fly.
It is inaccurate to state that due to conflicts of interest, additional fees have added up to many hundreds of thousand dollars over the last few years. The District Attorney has a budget of around $1 million. The Public Defender’s budget is but a fraction of the District Attorney’s budget. There is no cost savings to bringing in Monterey County and it is impossible to save $150,000 a year on my contract. The Monterey County Public Defender’s Office is in a state of turmoil and distress over their own budget problems and can’t fill their own positions. They can’t handle what they have in their own county, what makes you think they can handle our county as well?
Mr. Brians, obviously a little research is in order and if you wish to discuss the real facts, not Sarsfield’s fiction, feel free to give me a call and we can discuss your and Sarsfield’s “misproposal.” Remember this, the only jobs your proposal saves are those in Monterey County, NOT San Benito County. Maybe you should be running for Monterey County Board of Supervisors. Merry Christmas to all.
Gregory M. LaForge,
San Benito County Public Defender
