Pappas Legal Challenge to Return? Wha!?!

The Santa Barbara News-Press covered the actual final day of former-Supervisor candidate Steve Pappas legal case against Supervisor Doreen Farr. Although I felt it was a little long on supportive statements from the Pappas camp -- there was a key set of quotes from Pappas fan and Santa Ynez Valley Journal 's Nancy Crawford-Hall:

In her newspaper column on Thursday, Mrs. Crawford-Hall essentially said, "It's not over."

"I can't say that anyone was terribly surprised at the outcome of this first phase of the pursuit of legitimacy," wrote Mrs. Crawford-Hall, who attended almost every day of the proceedings. "It seemed fairly evident even before the trial began that the court was not inclined to give much credence to the Pappas attorneys, while all manner of latitude was afforded the opposition.

It was a bit mind-boggling to see the group of people whose names you knew but weren't aware of, just how cozy they all were. I guess it should not be a surprise as this election effort has been perfected probably by the same group over many years."

She added that it was good to see that the "same script has been followed and now that that has been discovered, future litigation will have an easier time to expose it."

Does this mean this spurious litigation is not settled? or does it mean we should assume any election that involves UCSB and Isla Vista will be targeted by Ms. Crawfor-Hall? Did she think she set some sort of precedent? What a waste of money on her part. It's nice some people have money to burn in a recession but the public suffers too as there are definitely costs associated with the defense.

Pappas Legal Challenge All But Over

Saying “It’s over” to the Santa Ynez Valley News -- County Supervisor Doreen Farr's attorney Phil Seymour pointed out that Steve Pappas wasn't able to disqualify a single vote in the last supervisorial race. The judge in the case denied a last challenge yesterday by Pappas to prove that voter fraud occurred in the 3rd District race. A formal judgement is expected in the coming days but it looks like the weight-challenged opera singer sang -- ergo the opera is over.

The Santa Barbara Independent has an article about the case as well and quotes Farr's attorney other attorney Fred Woocher referencing Shakespeare's Macbeth -- "saying the election contest from the beginning had been “a tale… of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

I wonder if Nancy Crawford-Hall, rancher and owner of the Santa Ynez Valley Journal, might feel like she had wasted her money. Even Pappas' attorney at one point strangely stated that he didn't think it was up to him to bring cases of fraud before the judge. Excuse me? Sounds like a legal stimulus package paid for by Crawford-Hall.

Pappas Now Faces Uphill Battle

Last night I was craving coverage of the Pappas-Farr court case -- there were finally articles about it today. One of them was at The Daily Nexus who actually serves the people whose votes could be stolen by Pappa's lawyers.

Superior Court Justice William McLafferty ruled that he would not consider much of the evidence that Pappas’ llawyers planned to use against first-time voters in Isla Vista and UCSB from the last election. Lucky for voters, evidence related to late registration cards or without help signatures will not be allowed in next week's trial.

I know it ain't over until it's over but to think of all the ways this money could have been spent.

No Word on Pappas/Farr Court Case

The Daily Nexus had an article this morning, but there isn't any word in the mainstream print and internet media as to the results of today's court hearing. Although I missed KEYT News tonight -- it looks as though The Palm filed a report that will hopefully be shown on the KEYT website later.

Santa Barbara County 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr Comments on Challenge to her Election

Community News from Friends of Doreen Farr

Today Santa Barbara County 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr issued the following statement about the lawsuit Steve Pappas has brought against her:

"In response to numerous calls and emails that I have received about this lawsuit, I would like to clear up any possible confusion about what has happened, and why I am confident that the will of the voters will not be overturned by this suit.

In November 2008 3rd District Supervisor's race, I won by more than 800 votes, about 52% to Steve Pappas' 48%. Rather than concede, Mr. Pappas has so far paid over $11,000 for a recount of only the votes cast in all 18 UCSB and Isla Vista precincts. The recount resulted in his gaining one vote. On January 6, I was sworn in and seated as the 3rd District Supervisor.

On January 7th, Mr. Pappas filed an amended suit against me personally, seeking to invalidate the majority of more than 9,700 votes cast solely in UCSB and Isla Vista precincts and seeking to declare him the winner. Mr. Pappas has publicly stated that my campaign did nothing wrong, but that election laws require him to file against me, even for actions he alleges were done by others.

I'm committed to ensuring that this suit does not disenfranchise legitimate voters nor create divisiveness among 3rd District residents. At the same time I'm determined that Mr. Pappas' lawsuit will not distract me from addressing the issues and challenges facing all the residents of the 3rd District and Santa Barbara County.

I also want to express my confidence in Joe Holland, Clerk-Recorder, Assessor and Elections Chief as well as the integrity of the voter registration and elections process. Mr. Holland was elected by the voters, and has demonstrated the high degree of professionalism and independence that voters have a right to expect. It's most unfortunate that in these difficult economic times, substantial Santa Barbara County staff time and resources must be spent on Mr. Pappas' lawsuit.

I'm confident that the court will uphold the actions of our county's elections officials, the rights of the voters, and the results of the 2008 election."

Note to Steve Pappas: Nothing Changes on New Year's Day.

First of all, Happy New Year to you all. I was thinking of taking a BlogaHoliday today but this news is too rich to pass up.

In an end of the year move sure to rankle taxpayer advocates, Steve Pappas is asking Superior Court to contest the November 4th Third District election. Interestingly enough, the only place the story seems to be available is over at the Santa Ynez Journal -- home of his uber-supporter Nancy Crawford Hall. A relatively even piece written by SYVJ Staff writer Leah Etling tells us the story, including a quote from Doreen Farr, but also strangely includes a full copy of Pappas' press release afterwards. Objective enough?

Pappas has already cost the Elections Office a good amount of time and money in asking for a recount for which he only gained one vote.

What's different this time? In this action, he is saying that a very specific group of voters were improperly registered and therefore their votes should not be counted. If you know anything about 3rd District politics, you are probably shaking your head right now in understanding as it is often "those damned students" who take the brunt of the losing side's ire in 3rd District contests. According to Pappas, some registration cards were turned in late, improperly filled out and represented re-registrations. There are also rules around turning in registration cards within a certain amount of days and not holding on to the cards. He also points to a Help America Vote Act (“HAVA”) which requires that a person's ID be cleared through something called the Calvalidator system -- I'll have to do some research on that as I've never heard of it.

Not being a constitutional lawyer, I'm not sure what the opposing side arguments will be other than despite any timing issues with registration cards, for instance, voters registered to vote expect to be able to vote on election day. I'm not clear a court would take that right away from them on a technicality. This effort also seems so student-centered when there were plenty of registrations accepted in Goleta and the Santa Ynez Valley during a major election as well.

Why Pappas would invest so much in a losing battle seems only centered on the fact he has a financial backer willing to spend the money. Although it seems that he has convinced himself that he is championing democracy, it's hard to think that this effort will get very far.

Farr Names Planning Commissioner and Staff

While Pappas spent $10,000 to gain one vote yesterday, Doreen Farr named her commissioner and staff

SOLVANG—Today, Supervisor-elect Doreen Farr announced her Planning Commissioner-designate, Marell Brooks and her 3rd District staff, Chris Henson, Stephanie Langsdorf, Esther Aguilera, and Elizabeth Farnum.

Chris Henson will serve as Chief of Staff, and Stephanie Langsdorf, Esther Agiulera and Eizabeth Farnum will serve as district representatives throughout the 3rd District. "One of the main tenants of my campaign was that I would be accessible and responsive to the residents of the 3rd District and County. These experienced individuals will help me in this endeavor", said Farr.

Marell Brooks, 3rd District Planning Commissioner-designate

Marell Brooks is a 30-year resident Santa Barbara County. She currently serves as a Vice President on the board of the Citizens Planning Association, a local non-profit promoting responsible land use planning and environmental protection in Santa Barbara County. Brooks also serves on the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women and as a board member of the Vandenberg Village Association.

Chris Henson

Chris Henson has served as a Senior District Representative to a member of Congress, and as coalition organizer for national non-profit organizations. Henson worked locally for Congresswoman Lois Capps for over 5 years in both Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. His work for Congresswoman Capps ranged from environmental, offshore oil and military issues to telecommunications and healthcare. Additionally, Henson's work for several non-profit organizations included the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a national non-profit based in Washington, DC that serves to reduce tobacco use and its devastating consequences in the United States and around the world.

Stephanie Langsdorf

Stephanie Langsdorf has worked locally for many years on environmental and habitat restoration issues. As the former Executive Director of Growing Solutions, a local non-profit organization focused on watershed restoration and environmental science education, Langsdorf was involved with many restoration projects from Lake Cachuma to the Santa Barbara Airport.

Esther Aguilera

Esther Aguilera brings her experience as a community organizer and social and mental health advocate to Supervisor-elect Farr's office. Aguliera has been involved with numerous local organizations including People United for Economic Justice Building Leadership Through Organizing (PUEBLO) as a Co-Chair, and The Phoenix of Santa Barbara, a local non-profit, as a counselor and case Manager to those with developmental disabilities.

Elizabeth Farnum

Elizabeth Farnum, a resident of Los Olivos, has served Santa Barbara County previously as a 3rd District Planning Commissioner and Deputy County Counsel. Farnum is a Board member for the Fund for Santa Barbara and the Land Trust of Santa Barbara County. She has vast experience on environmental, land use, and housing issues throughout the area. Farnum's work on behalf of Supervisor-elect Farr will be based in the Santa Ynez Valley, Buellton and Vandenberg Village.