DA candidates trade barbs in KHSU debate
from the Times-Standard | News Articles | by James Faulk | Jun 2, 2006
Topics range the spectrum of campaign
ARCATA -- As the last few days of a busy and bitter election season wind down, the two candidates for Humboldt County District Attorney found time to blast each other once more on the public air waves.
Gallegos again trumpeted the drop in violent crime statistics and prison commitments, while Dikeman challenged the accuracy of those statistics and said the law enforcement community had given Gallegos a vote of “no confidence.”
In the special edition of Thursday Night Talk, Elizabeth Hans McCrone served as the moderator.
The candidates addressed issues from child abuse prosecution to domestic violence programs and prosecutors.
The topic of endorsements, and what they mean, led off the night, starting with Dikeman's sweeping of law enforcement unions.
”The endorsements ... speak of the rest of the law enforcement community having trust and confidence in my ability to do the job,” Dikeman said.
Gallegos spoke of his own endorsements, consisting of a large swath of elected officials, the Democratic Party and Attorney General Bill Lockyer. He said he did not seek the endorsements of law enforcement groups.
”It is essential that there is independence in my office,” he said. “I am endorsed by the number one law enforcement officer in the state -- the attorney general.”
They also quibbled over statistics -- the much-advertised drop in violent crime numbers -- and what they mean.
Gallegos said the decline was in response to his sticking to the priority of addressing violent crime, while Dikeman said the rate dropped in 2003 but rose in 2004. There are not statistics available for 2005 and 2006, he said.
”I don't think we're a safer community,” Dikeman said.
”He's calling the attorney general a liar,” Gallegos said. “The fact is, this community is safer since I've taken office.”
On the matter of child abuse -- and the repeated accusation that Gallegos has mismanaged the Child Abuse Services Team -- both men had strong things to say.
Gallegos said he has reorganized the office
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and made it more efficient without detracting from the program' s service to the community.
The children are well represented, Gallegos said.
”They are better represented than they've ever been,” he said.
Dikeman maintained that Gallegos has stripped the program of its staffing and has had a detrimental impact on the program. Currently only one attorney is dedicated to the program when before there was two, he said.
”There are limitations to what one person can do,” she said.
The two candidates also addressed questions from individual callers on their particular cases and on their views of technical aspects of court proceedings.
Why did they run?
In response to one caller's question, Gallegos said he decided to run for office after moving here in 1994 and starting a family and a successful business.
”I felt it was time to give back to the community,” he said. “It's been a real pleasure to do that.”
Dikeman said he decided to run after Gallegos failed to live up to what he'd promised in his original campaign.
The last straw was the firing of former Deputy District Attorney Allison Jackson, which was detrimental to the office, he said.
Gallegos said he has a job to do and if a deputy is going to do it with him, they're welcome. If they're not, then they can hit the road, he said.
Jackson later called in to challenge him to reveal the cause of her termination, which Gallegos has refused to comment on. Her vehement question was cut off in midstream.
Gallegos maintained his silence on the question, stating that he could not comment on personnel matters, despite Jackson having given her permission to do so.
