Blog note:
This article refers to a related 2014-15 grand jury report, now available in
Spanish.
Dear Judge Anderson:
First, thank you for your long
and distinguished public service to the people of Monterey County and the State
of California.
Judge, you may not recall, but
back in 2013 the City of Salinas filed a lawsuit against one of its own council
members, Jose Castañeda.
The city prevailed in that
action involving Castañeda’s failure to vacate his position on the Alisal Union
School District board of trustees after becoming elected to the Salinas City
Council in 2012.
At the time, your former
colleague (now retired) Judge Kay T. Kingsley ruled that Mr. Castañeda be
stripped of his school board seat and that he be assessed a $5,000 fine,
payable to the state.
Now, I’m no lawyer nor do I
play one on TV, but when a Superior Court judge imposes a fine I think there is
a general expectation that it be paid in a timely fashion.
I think if you’ll check your
records you will find that it has not yet been paid, leaving many of us here in
Salinas wondering where this case might stand and how it is that someone (let
alone a serving public official) can ignore such a fine for so long a time. In
any event I thought I would bring this matter to your and the court’s attention.
Most respectfully,
Jeff Mitchell
Looking down the barrel at big
FPPC fines
By the close of business on
Wednesday (July 29) Salinas District 1 Councilman Jose Castañeda will be
looking at state-imposed Fair Political Practices Commission fines of at least
$15,000 for failing to file his election and finance disclosure paperwork.
How much do you want to bet
that like everything else he’ll blow it off?
Not wanting to take that bet? I
can’t say I blame you.
But, hey, maybe he’ll file his
papers and let the world know what he spent on his election, who his backers
are and what does he actually do to make a living.
It’s possible, and I’ll buy
everyone a round at Winchell’s if he comes through.
By the way, I checked with City
Hall late last week and found out that the Finance Department now has amassed
six council stipend checks written to Castañeda valued at $3,252.96 through
July 15.
Castañeda’s council pay is
being withheld because he is violating the city’s City Council Rules of Decorum
ordinance passed earlier this year by not filing his campaign and personal
finance disclosure paperwork. Oh, and Castañeda is also, ironically, on the
hook to complete a two-hour online ethics class. Imagine that.
Where is Dean Flippo in all
this?
My question is at what point will
our hard-working District Attorney weigh in on all the Jose Castañeda legal
misbehavior?
At what point will Castañeda’s
actions in thumbing his nose at the law amount to something Flippo and his
staff take action on?
And it’s not like Flippo hasn’t
been in Castañeda’s face before on the famed domestic violence incident and on
the elections perjury case in which he pleaded no contest to prior to running
for City Council.
Castañeda Grand Jury report now
available in Spanish
And just when you didn’t think
you could take another bite of Jose Castañeda news, I have more.
Officials with the 2014-2015
Monterey County Civil Grand Jury said Monday said that a Spanish-language
version of a damning report on Salinas City Councilman Jose Castaneda is now
available. It was previously released in English.
The report that has been
translated is “Salinas City Council Member José Castañeda” or “Miembro Del
Concejo Municipal José Castañeda.”
This report
is available on the County of Monterey web site (www.co.monterey.ca.us).
July 27, 2015
The
Salinas Californian
By
Jeff Mitchell
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