Audra Strickland's Chief of Staff Finally Charged for Battery in Protest Incident

Comments are running hot over at fellow blogger Marie Lakin's (Ventura County Star) blog who writes that Assembly Member Audra Strickland's Chief of Staff is finally going to court over the fracas with anti-tobacco protestors which left a 67-year old man sprawled on the ground with his hearing aid knocked out. Joel Angeles will be in court on February 6th for several counts of battery and interfering in protester civil rights.

Why did it take so long? Lakin says the "seemingly languished on Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten's desk for an eternity before he recused himself and passed it up to the State Attorney General's office". Totten, who is a major Strickland supporter, did the right thing on a rather political timetable considering it is now months past election day.

The wheels of justice are on a different schedule than I would have them to be and sometimes I wonder what difference they make. Craig Smith, for instance, pointed out recently that it has been a year since the News-Press reporters were awarded victory from an administrative law judge yet they have seen no relief from Wendy McCaw for winning that case fair and square. Let's hope this case in Ventura gets the respect and review it deserves.