Dikeman supporters stage satirical protest

Drivers honked their horns and yelled out to the four girls who danced around in bathing suit tops in front of the Humboldt County Courthouse with signs that said “Surfing Divas for Gallegos.”

Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos is running for re- election against Deputy District Attorney Worth Dikeman.

The girls, who are all seniors at Eureka High School and declined to give their last names, said the purpose of their spectacle was satirical.

Gallegos opponents refer to an incident that occurred during the DA recall when Gallegos got into a surfing accident during a work day, as a sign that he did not care about his job and would go surfing on county time.

As previously reported in The Eureka Reporter, Gallegos said he had appointments later that day and would have made them if he hadn’t had his accident.

“I’m an elected official; I have no vacation time or holiday time,” he said. “I squeeze time in when I get it. I don’t have a 40-hour work week. I don’t get overtime either.”

Gallegos said, contradictory to other accusations made by recall proponents, he was surfing with a male friend who was the person that called 911.

Officers from the Trinidad Police Department were some of the first to arrive on the scene after Gallegos’ accident. Trinidad Chief of Police Ken Thrailkill told The Eureka Reporter Gallegos was surfing with a male at the time.

Local attorney David Prendergast, who was with another man protesting on behalf of Veterans for Dikeman, said the girls, who are children of some of his friends, were honor students who were using their lunch break to become active in politics.

“It’s the political activism of this century,” he said.

Sara, 17, one of the four bathing-suit-clad girls, said her parents work at the courthouse and are not happy with the way Gallegos is handling things.

“We think Dikeman is more experienced,” she said. “For the people who get the joke and the sarcasm of it; vote for Dikeman.”

Meanwhile, approximately 15 other people were in front of the courthouse protesting against Dikeman and what they are calling “racist” comments he has made against Native Americans.

Ellie Bowman, who lives on the Rohnerville Rancheria in Loleta and started protesting against Dikeman almost two weeks ago, said she thought the girls were there in support of Gallegos.

“They’re on Gallegos’ (side),” she said.

When informed that they were in support of Dikeman, Bowman said, “To me this was a serious protest. It’s probably bringing more attention to our side if that’s the case.”

Gallegos’ campaign manager Alison Sterling Nichols said she did not know what people would think of the girls protesting, or whether it would hurt or help Gallegos’ effort for re-election.

“I don’t know that it’s significant, but it’s their right,” she said.

Suzie Owsley, assistant campaign manager for Dikeman’s campaign, said neither she nor Dikeman’s campaign manager Dave Parris had seen the protest and could not comment.

“We weren’t privy to what they were going to do at the courthouse,” she said.