| The people v. the district attorney Our family would like to thank the jurors who found our brother, son and father, Chula Vista City Councilman Steve Castaneda, not guilty given the completely unsubstantiated charges leveled at him by District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. The outpouring of support that Steve has received from friends and family here in the greater San Diego area has been heartwarming. reasons. Prior to the trial, Steve called and met with our father concerning a deal the DA offered to drop all the felony accounts of perjury and reduce the charge(s) to a single minor misdemeanor. Steve asked our father, “Dad, what should I do?” His father replied, “Well, if you take that deal, I guess you'll be fine with the district attorney, but you won't be fine with me. Never admit to something you did not do!” Steve turned the offer down with simple words uttered to prosecutor Patrick O'Toole: “We'll see you in court.” That part of this nearly two-year saga that has cost Steve and the taxpayers well over $1 million seems to be over, but not really. Steve has always said these charges were politically motivated by a former campaign rival, Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox, and her husband, county Supervisor Greg Cox. You see, Steve had the temerity to oppose a Cox for mayor of Chula Vista. Soon after Steve announced his intent to seek that office, Cox's long-held political allies, lobbyists and legal special interests began to come out of the campaign woodwork. Today there is no doubt the Coxes would vehemently deny that allegation or any assertion they were connected at all to this public calamity that targeted Castaneda. Yet, this case has cost our family and the taxpayers of Chula Vista and county of San Diego dearly, and all of us deserve answers. However, there need not be an impasse on the relevant unanswered question of complicity by Cheryl and Greg Cox; there is a simple fix. In at least three articles the Union-Tribune reported a “tip” that the DA received of wrongdoing by Castaneda that started this entire legal debacle. Will the DA reveal who this tipster is? What is the relationship and credibility that this individual tipster has with the DA? Dumanis must surely know that people in this country have a right to face their accusers, doesn't she? Once this individual comes out of the shadows and is identified, we will then see if there is a relationship between this tipster, Cheryl and Gregg Cox and the DA. If there is no connection, all of us, including the Castaneda family, will sleep better at night. But if there is, then this political and legal nightmare may have a new destination. BOB CASTANEDA San Diego http://www.signonsandiego. com/news/op- ed/letters/20080426-9999- lz1e26letters.html |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Supervisor Cox responds over letter In an April 26 letter letter (“The people vs. the district attorney”) on the trial of Chula Vista City Councilman Steve Castaneda, the allegation was made that I, along with Cheryl Cox, my wife and mayor of Chula Vista, conspired to influence the district attorney to file charges against Castaneda. It was also alleged by the brother of Councilman Castaneda in his letter that I reported the tip that led to charges being filed. I want to state for the record that neither Cheryl Cox nor I provided a tip to the district attorney. Furthermore, in my position as San Diego County supervisor I have never attempted to influence or guide any criminal investigation or prosecution. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approves the budgets of the departments overseen by the elected sheriff and district attorney in public meetings, but we have no role in the administration or operations of those public safety departments. Serving the public in my proper role of supervisor is my only goal and will remain my only goal. Investigations must be left to investigators and prosecutions to prosecutors. GREG COX Board of Supervisors http://www.signonsandiego. com/news/op- ed/letters/20080506-9999- lz1e6letters.html |
San Diego Supervisor Greg Cox
San Diego Supervisor Greg Cox responds to a
letter from Bob Castaneda
letter from Bob Castaneda
| Allegation by Greg Cox |
| "...the allegation was made that I, along with Cheryl Cox, my wife and mayor of Chula Vista, conspired to influence the district attorney to file charges against Castaneda." |
| What Bob Castaneda wrote |
San Diego Supervisor Greg Cox has a history of helping to cover up wrongdoing in
Chula Vista, starting well before his wife became mayor of Chula Vista.
Mr. Cox's May 6, 2008 letter to the San Diego Union Tribune claims innocence, but this
is not surprising. We have seen for a long time that the Cox duo is very good at
spouting claims of virtue. The problem is that so many of the claims are untrue.
Chula Vista, starting well before his wife became mayor of Chula Vista.
Mr. Cox's May 6, 2008 letter to the San Diego Union Tribune claims innocence, but this
is not surprising. We have seen for a long time that the Cox duo is very good at
spouting claims of virtue. The problem is that so many of the claims are untrue.
| Greg Cox's May 6, 2008 letter |
| Bob Castaneda's April 26, 2008 letter |
| "Soon after Steve announced his intent to seek that office, Cox's long-held political allies, lobbyists and legal special interests began to come out of the campaign woodwork ...If there is no connection, all of us, including the Castaneda family, will sleep better at night. But if there is, then this political and legal nightmare may have a new destination. |
| [Mr. Cox did not address this issue.] |
| In at least three articles the Union-Tribune reported a “tip” that the DA received of wrongdoing by Castaneda that started this entire legal debacle. Will the DA reveal who this tipster is? What is the relationship and credibility that this individual tipster has with the DA? Dumanis must surely know that people in this country have a right to face their accusers, doesn't she? Once this individual comes out of the shadows and is identified, we will then see if there is a relationship between this tipster, Cheryl and Gregg Cox and the DA. |
Mr. Cox, why don't you address the question of how the two shameful prosecutions of
your wife's political opponents were initiated by our District Attorney? The integrity of
our justice system is at stake. How about an independent investigation of the Public
Integrity Unit?
your wife's political opponents were initiated by our District Attorney? The integrity of
our justice system is at stake. How about an independent investigation of the Public
Integrity Unit?
| Greg Cox never mentioned the tipster. |
Bob Castaneda never mentioned a conspiracy:
| CVESD's Cheryl Cox and the Jason Moore case |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The question remains: was the Public Integrity Unit tipster a friend of Cheryl and Greg Cox?
The answer seems sort of obvious, doesn't it?
The answer seems sort of obvious, doesn't it?
| What kind of investigation is needed to find out if the District Attorney's office is being used for political ends? |
| Here is one possibility: Federal Agents Raid Office of Special Counsel By Carrie Johnson and Christopher Lee Washington Post May 7, 2008 Nearly two dozen federal agents yesterday raided the Washington headquarters of the agency that protects government whistle-blowers, as part of an intensifying criminal investigation of its leader, who is fighting allegations of improper political bias and obstruction of justice. Agents fanned out yesterday morning in the agency's building on M Street, where they sequestered Office of Special Counsel chief Scott J. Bloch for questioning, served grand-jury subpoenas on 17 employees and shut down access to computer networks in a search lasting more than five hours. Bloch, who was nominated to his post by President Bush in 2003 , is the principal official responsible for protecting federal employees from reprisals for complaints about waste and fraud. He also polices violations of Hatch Act prohibitions on political activities in federal offices. Bloch has long been a target of criticism, some of it by his agency's career officials, but the FBI's abrupt seizure of computers and records marked a substantial escalation of the executive branch's probe of his conduct. Retired FBI agents and former prosecutors called the raid an unusual, if not unprecedented, intrusion on the work of a federal agency. Agents from the Office of Personnel Management's inspector general's office, who have been investigating Bloch for more than two years, visited his home on Stockade Drive in Alexandria yesterday. They left carrying boxes of files. A Kansas lawyer who previously worked at the Justice Department's Task Force on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, Bloch repeatedly clashed with his own workforce and with other Bush administration officials he targeted for improper behavior. By his own account, the White House twice asked him to resign. Yesterday, a spokesman for President Bush declined to address Bloch's status. Roscoe C. Howard, the former U.S. attorney in the District who represents Bloch, declined to comment. The agents from the FBI's Washington Field Office arrived around 10:30 a.m., just as senior staff members had begun their weekly management meeting. Deputy Special Counsel James Byrne later told employees that they were not the targets of criminal investigators, who were interested in Bloch's conduct, according to two witnesses. Byrne instructed workers to notify him if Bloch attempted to contact them for any reason, said the witnesses, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared becoming ensnared in the case. "The subpoena is very broad, and it covers a lot of territory," special counsel spokesman James P. Mitchell told reporters outside the agency's locked offices. "We're all just standing back and watching the agents do their work." Since Bloch's confirmation 4 1/2 years ago, he has been fighting calls for his ouster by independent watchdog groups. He drew fire quickly for removing from the OSC Web site references to the agency's authority to hear complaints by federal employees who alleged discrimination based on their sexual orientation, said Debra S. Katz, a lawyer representing OSC whistle-blowers. Complaints from Katz's clients and others ultimately prompted the inspector general at the Office of Personnel Management to begin examining Bloch's treatment of workers and his handling of cases involving whistle-blowers at other agencies. During the probe, Bloch hired the technology service Geeks on Call to erase his computer hard drive and those of two aides, giving rise to new allegations that he was obstructing justice. Bloch told lawmakers that he employed the consultants to wipe out a computer virus and erect firewalls so hackers could not gain access to sensitive information. The files the FBI asked to view yesterday include documents relating to Bloch's recent investigation of Lurita A. Doan, who resigned last week as General Services Administration chief at the White House's request. Agents also asked for files from a now-closed investigation into the travel of then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice before the 2004 election, according to a person who saw the search warrants and subpoenas. Agency employees and independent groups have criticized Bloch for not fully investigating older claims that he inherited when he took office in early 2004, and for allegedly blocking or instigating probes for political reasons. Bloch previously has defended his work. "Five earlier investigations revealed no wrongdoing by me," Bloch wrote The Washington Post in December. An official present during the raid said yesterday federal agents asked for access to computers and e-mail messages from Bloch and from the mid-level workers who received subpoenas. Investigators also sought credit card receipts, an agency employee said. Some staff members had complained that Bloch used agency funds to buy for his office restroom $400 hand towels decorated with a special OSC seal, according to another person familiar with the raid. The head of the office of special counsel is appointed for a five-year term, and unlike the leaders of other federal agencies can be removed by the president only for a cause such as inefficiency or abuse of power. Those protections were designed to insulate the OSC from political pressure by officials it investigates. Staff writers Stephen Barr and Daniela Deane and research editor Alice Crites contributed to this report. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/06/AR2008050601539.html ?hpid=moreheadlines |
| San Diego Education Report |
| SDER |
San Diego
Education Report
Education Report
| SDER |
| SDER |
| SDER |
| San Diego Education Report |
| SDER |
San Diego
Education Report
Education Report
| SDER |
| SDER |
| SDER |