PUBLIC SAFETY IS TOP PRIORITY, SAYS DA GALLEGOS AT GARBERVILLE
GATHERING

Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos made a reelection
campaign stop in Southern Humboldt with an informal conversation with
community members at the Civic Club in Garberville on Tuesday
evening, April 13.

Although the group was small, the participants were well-informed and
the discussion was wide-ranging and lively.

"My first priority is public safety," Gallegos declared at the
beginning of the evening. He reiterated this point several times as
he described what he has done in his previous seven-plus years in
office and what he hopes to do if he is elected for another four-year
term.

"I feel confident we've done a great job," Gallegos said. He cited a
decrease of violent crime - "always our first goal" - and
modernization of office systems as two of his major
accomplishments.

For six of the last eight fiscal years, the DA's office has had to
contend with budget cuts of 10 to 15%, and cuts are expected for the
coming year as well.

Approximately 40% of the DA's budget comes from the county's general
fund, and the other 60% from grants, so in addition to his other
duties, the DA also must be a fundraiser and grant writer.

Gallegos talked about his approach to various categories of crime,
considering both the seriousness of the offense and the feasibility
of prosecution.

For example, drug possession and transportation cases are easy to
prosecute because law enforcement officers often find the evidence at
the scene with the accused person.

Gallegos believes such cases should be handled by referring the
offenders for treatment. On the other hand, if a situation involving
drugs escalates into a crime against people, such as burglary,
robbery, or assault, then it should be prosecuted aggressively and
more severe penalties applied.

By contrast, although the offense is more serious, domestic violence
cases are difficult to prosecute because the victims often only want
the violent behavior to stop, not to send the perpetrator to prison.

Another key issue, Gallegos said, is environmental enforcement. Until
recently the Humboldt County DA's office has not had an environmental
law attorney on staff. Such cases were handled for the county by
specialists from the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA).

Attorney Christa McKimmy recently joined the DA's staff to prosecute
environmental and consumer cases exclusively. Action has begun on
several cases involving local businesses who "feel the laws are only
for other people," Gallegos said.

Additionally, the Humboldt County DA's office joins other counties in
prosecuting environmental and consumer violations spanning
multi-county areas with the assistance of CDAA and the state attorney
general.

One participant in the discussion said that law is essentially
"kindergarten stuff - no hitting, clean up after yourself."

Gallegos described his political philosophy as, "We are free, but
when we join society we give up some of that freedom. Government's
first responsibility is to protect public safety and property. Then
it should stay out of your way unless there is a compelling reason."

The question-and-answer session began with inquiries about his
feelings about the other candidates. Gallegos declined to give
specific comments about each candidate, but he admitted that running
against three other people increased the likelihood of a run-off
election.

Extending the campaign through November means he'll be able to spend
less time working. He said he particularly dislikes having to raise
money, emphasizing that everyone, rich or poor, deserves equal
protection under the law.

Asked why he is running for a third term, Gallegos replied that he
wants to finish what he started. In particular, he wants to help
train the new generation of attorneys coming up through the DA's
office and he would like to continue the technological upgrades that
are making it easier to capture, access, and share data with the
courts and other law enforcement agencies.

All Gallegos's opponents have criticized him for trying cases
himself. He explained, "The first reason I try cases is that I'm an
attorney. That's why you elected me - to be district attorney, not
district office manager."

His office reviews over 12,000 cases a year with a reduced staff, so
he needs to do his share of the work, he said. Furthermore, he
believes that when the staff sees him in court, they know he's not
asking them to do anything he wouldn't do himself.

Furthermore, when he's in court, the public can measure his
performance. "Some people don't want to try cases because they could
lose," he said. "They want to insulate themselves from criticism."

As expected in Southern Humboldt, there was an extended discussion of
marijuana prosecution, medical marijuana issues, and how legalization
might affect the DA's office.

Gallegos declared he is solidly in favor of legalization and
regulation similar to regulation of tobacco and alcohol. "Marijuana
is a public health and public education issue, not a public safety
issue," he said.

"Since taking office I've gotten lots of criticism from law
enforcement about my [marijuana] policy," he admitted.

If pot were legalized tomorrow, the likelihood of someone being
killed because of involvement with marijuana would be gone, Gallegos
said. Kids would be more motivated to go to college and get
meaningful work because they would be unable to make more money
growing pot.

Legalization would reduce hypocrisy and "make the community upfront,
honest, and stable," he concluded.

Regarding the effects of Proposition 215 legalizing marijuana for
medical use in California, Gallegos said pot production has to some
extent migrated from rural areas to urban areas, resulting in
different kinds of crime.

On the one hand, urbanizing marijuana grows has resulted in fewer
mysterious deaths and disappearances in the hills, but has increased
the likelihood that innocent persons will get caught in the crossfire
when violent disputes occur in towns.

Some auxiliary crimes, such as passing counterfeit money, have
increased recently, possibly related to the proliferation of medical
marijuana.

One participant asked about prosecuting timber companies that violate
the California Forest Practices Act and which pollute with herbicide
spraying. Complaints to county officials have gone nowhere because
the companies have approved permits.

"Bring it to me," Gallegos said. "We may conclude there's nothing we
can do but if you don't bring it, we sure can't do anything about
it." He sees such pollution as a public safety issue.

Another participant asked which candidate Gallegos supports for
Humboldt County Sheriff.

Gallegos replied that he likes Mike Downey, but that because Mike
Hislop works in his office as chief investigator, "I know he's a hard
worker, smart, a problem solver, and he can work within a budget."

Finally he expressed his openness to new ideas from citizens. For
example, he would be glad to hear from the community on how to find
positive work for people on probation, such as river cleanup.

Gallegos and other candidates for District Attorney, Kathleen Bryson,
Paul Hagen, and Alison Jackson, will meet at a public forum sponsored
by the League of Women Voters and the Civil Liberties Monitoring
project on Tuesday, April 27, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Vets Hall
in Garberville.