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Letters
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- Written by: Doyle Awtrey and Steven Sartori
We have a perfect opportunity on June 5 to vote for only the second woman to join the bench in Lake County’s long history – after a 30-year absence.
Your vote for Shanda Harry, who is running for Superior Court judge, Department 4, will not only be a vote to bring diversity back to the court but will also be a vote for the most experienced candidate with the best judicial temperament.
Diversity is important. Composition of the judiciary should be reflective of society, in much the same way defendants expect to be tried before a jury of their peers. More than 50 percent of Lake County’s “society” is female. Why, for 30 years, have we not had a woman judge in Lake County? It is a well-known fact that judiciaries that are reflective of the populace are considered more legitimate and generate greater confidence and trust from the public.
Shanda Harry is a graduate of UCLA and UCLA Law School. Her family has lived in Lake County for three generations. During her 18 years of legal practice, she has built a broad base of civil, criminal and governmental experience. This is important because our Lake County Courts are approximately 50/50 criminal and civil and a judge who will be ready to be effective on Day 1 needs to have expertise in all areas of the law.
She has promised to focus on procedural justice – ensuring impartiality, consistency and transparency, and unbiased and even-handed sentencing and respect for all in her courtroom.
Studies show that it is easier for people to accept outcomes they do not like if they feel the process was fair and they were treated with dignity and respect.
To learn more about Shanda Harry, visit her Web site www.electshandaharryjudge.com to see her full background and take note of her impressive and diverse endorsements covering all geographic locations in Lake County and all political affiliations.
Vote for Shanda Harry June 5 for Superior Court judge Department 4.
Doyle Awtrey and Steven Sartori live in Lakeport, Calif.
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- Written by: Deb Baumann
This year, the California Clean Money Campaign is back with a new bill, AB 2188, the Social Media DISCLOSE ACT.
AB 2188 will require online platforms like Facebook, Google and Twitter to put a disclosure link on every ad about California ballot measures or candidates, a link to a page listing the ad's top three funders. Additionally, social media platforms will be required to keep a database of all political ads, so everyone can see who has been trying to buy our votes.
Like last year's print-and-tv DISCLOSE ACT, this year's bill does not allow fabricated names of so-called "action groups" – the ad must reveal real names.
For example, instead of "Paid for by the Patriotic Citizens Who Love Freedom, Apple Pie and the Constitution PAC," you would know that the ad was "Paid for by Big Oil Inc., Global Fracking Industrial Inc. and Fossil Fuel Conglomerate Inc."
Last week, the new social media bill successfully passed out of the Assembly Elections Committee with a 5-2 vote in favor. The room was packed with citizens who demand greater transparency in our political process. (There was an audible gasp from committee members when almost the entire room rose to express support for AB 2188!)
It took years to pass the first DISCLOSE ACT, and it only passed after the pernicious influence of dark money on our election process made headlines in 2016. We cannot afford to spend as much time waiting for the Social Media DISCLOSE ACT – we need our elected representatives to sign this year's bill into law as soon as possible.
Knowing who is trying to buy our votes is a vital piece of information. We must end the ability of giant corporations or other entities to hide behind deviously named "action groups." This is why I support the California Clean Money Campaign.
Deb Baumann lives in Upper Lake, Calif.
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- Written by: Steve Buchholz
In the last few years the District Attorney’s Office has engaged in the practice of sentence bargaining. This has occurred in many cases where the defendant is clearly a risk to our community.
The district attorney has regularly agreed to admit offenders to probation (community supervision) with limited or no jail time.
This often occurs when a reasonable application of the rules of court clearly indicate that probation should be denied and or a prison sentence should be imposed.
Sentence bargaining is even occurring after some of these offenders violate their probation!
Steve Brown has pledged to use sentence bargaining only when public safety is not at risk, and not for those individuals who could never reasonably be expected to successfully complete probation.
His opponent has made it clear that she is not running to make these types of necessary policy changes and will instead maintain the status quo that is contrary to public safety.
I urge you to vote for public safety and justice! On June 5, 2018, vote Steve Brown for district attorney.
Steve Buchholz is the retired chief probation officer for Lake County, Calif.
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- Written by: Deb Baumann
Case in point: claims made by Marc Meuser (candidate for secretary of state) at the Lake County Republican Women's April 11 lunch meeting.
Quoting Meuser from the Leona Butts piece published in LCN on April 18: “I heard a news story that there are currently 11 counties in the state that have more than 100 percent voter registration."
There's your first red flag: "I heard a news story."
People who deal in facts (as opposed to "alternative facts") are usually less vague.
If Meuser were credible, here's what his next statement should have been: "Then I looked into it, and learned that this claim was made by a group that has never produced a shred of evidence."
But no, that isn't what Meuser went on to tell his audience... perhaps because he shares the same motivations as the group making that false claim.
Here's the truth:
Judicial Watch, the right-wing group that (in 2017) made the false claim of 11 California counties having more than 100 percent voter registration, was motivated by the desire to validate Donald Trump's false claim of millions of ineligible voters in California.
When challenged, Judicial Watch refused to share the methodology that resulted in that figure (refused to share any evidence to substantiate their claim, in other words).
The moment I saw Meuser's quote "I heard a news story …," I knew he did not pass the smell test. It only took 30 seconds to do an Internet search, wherein I found genuine news articles that provided the full background and facts behind Judicial Watch's false claims.
The moral of the story is... do your homework. It is important to vote, but even more important to inform yourself before voting.
Use your powers of critical thinking (and a healthy scepticism) to learn the truth behind claims you hear from candidates.
One thing you should always know is how candidates finance their campaigns. Open Secrets (www.opensecrets.org) is a good source.
Deb Baumann lives in Upper Lake, Calif.