Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/orange-county-district-attorney/)
Orange County’s Sheriff Sandra Hutchens’ credibility has been destroyed by Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals. Meanwhile, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas stands accused of political corruption by his own senior investigators. Regional fire service also is in full crisis mode after executives at the Orange County Fire Authority apparently ousted Fire Chief Jeff Bowman against the will of rank and file firefighters.
Former Brea Mayor Brett Murdock, a Democrat, has joined the 2018 race for District Attorney, making him the third candidate.
Chapman University Law Professor and former Orange County supervisor chief of staff Mario Mainero discusses the controversies enveloping the county District Attorney’s office. The discord has fueled an election challenge to incumbent Tony Rackauckas from Supervisor Todd Spitzer. But many observers are pushing for an “outsider” to enter the race. Is Mainero the answer? He discusses the state of justice in OC and whether he’ll run for DA.
In an official response to the Orange County Grand Jury’s June report, which called the jailhouse informant scandal a “myth,” District Attorney Tony Rackauckas agreed with most of the report’s findings, except for those which criticized his department for a lack of training protocols and procedure.
County Counsel Leon Page said the conflict of interest claims were “simply not true.”
Tom Conklin, an investigator for the Orange County District Attorney who filed a complaint in May claiming he has faced retaliation for whistleblowing, was placed on administrative leave July 13.
The move, which had been expected for years, set the stage for what is anticipated to be an intense election campaign.
The donations were made in 2016 at Rackauckas’ request to the office’s nonprofit, the Orange County Gang Reduction and Intervention Partnership (OC GRIP). He filed the reports more than six months after the deadline.
With many insiders scratching their heads about the recent grand jury report on jailhouse snitches, focus is increasingly on the upcoming race for DA in 2018. Amidst lingering questions about current DA Tony Rackauckas’ leadership and the judgment of his challenger, Supervisor Todd Spitzer, a third option has arisen out of Chapman University’s law school, Professor Mario Mainero.
Orange County’s civil grand jury said ongoing court hearing about possible misuse of jailhouse informants have turned into a “witch-hunt,” and should stop after the grand jury determined there is no “systemic, widespread informant program.”