There is no racial angle on this.

I agree with Katie. There is no racial angle in this dispute. Greg Totten has a very valid issue with Judge Gutierrez's sentencing policies (i.e., his refusal to assign probation to these thugs he's sentencing). LULAC and these other ultra-liberal organizations are all of a sudden coming out of the woodwork to try and validate their reason for existing by stirring things up.

It's not going to work, despite the Ventura County Star's best efforts to cast it as a racial issue in their opinion pages.

There is a backlog, in my opinion; because Greg Totten and the lawyers working for him aren't any good. Everybody wants to go to trial because it is so easy to win. If we had a real district attorney people would be scared and make deals but that's not the case.

Second Greg Totten is trying to make it look like the district attorneys office needs more money. What they really need is a competent district attorney running the place.

Crime has skyrocketed with Greg Totten in office.
Just wait til the money gets tighter then all his time will go into fighting the County for more money.

Greg Totten has been a failure to the community and has done nothing but create more problems.

Hog wash. Totten has a different style than Bradbury and may be in need of a different ground of second in commands, but he is a good D.A. Totten can't do anything about the crime rate. That is driven by so many factors beyond his control. His major problem has been prosecuting too many cases, rather than settling them out. Getting a not guilty is nearly impossible. The County's conviction rate is over 90% in spite of him taking too many cases to trial. Judge Gutierrez' nickname was El Maximo for his entire career. He pushed the sentencing guidelines to the limit and set bails at unrealistically high levels. Defense attorneys avoided him like the plague. This year he was given a task to move cases along because of the high trial count due to Totten's filings. He did his job, and did it well. Totten wanted an even tougher judge who would tie up the probation department on cases where probation was not appropriate. Totten was for law and order way beyond the thresshold set by Bradbury. When Judge Gutierrez wouldn't budge, Totten took the only available action he had. While Totten was wrong in doing so, he can not be accused of being soft; quite the contrary.

As far a racist, forget it. Totten is one of the most fair, moral individuals in County government.

I think it is well known that Totten is an Osborn flunky. The real reason Totten wants everyone on parole is because someone on parole has no Constitutional rights, this is basically Totten's way of trying to extend the reach of the police state at the expense of the Bill of Rights.

Not Osborn, I think you are giving Mike Osborn WAY too much credit.

Per Howry's column, I think alot of fellow judges are not speaking out because they are ethically prevented from speaking out so their silence shouldn't be construed one way or another. At least that is how one letter to the editor explained it.

As in many counties, the prosecution only prosecutes cases that they have a high probability of winning. Unfortunately, this means that a lot of people walk in this county. But those who get the book thrown at them, get it thrown hard.

Mr. Pandolfi,

All I know is Irvine is the safest city in the Nation now. You do the math Mr. Pandolfi. Irvine's D.A. takes responsibility for his job and doesn't play partisan politics. Why can't Greg Totten do his job and stop whining?

I believe Greg Totten is only interested in causing a big mess so he can leach off the taxpayers more than he already is.

Greg Totten didn't catch the criminals in the Ventura County Probate and Conservator Department because he is either negligent or dishonest. Pick one those are your choices Mr. Pandolfi.

We need a D.A. who can build a team.
Greg Totten has proven over and over he is the exact opposite of that. Greg Totten must go.

Mr. Padolfi,

The district attorneys office has been caught being slimy on more than one occasion Sir.

Ask Ron Bamieh he knows more than anyone.

The young people living in Ventura County; percentage wise, commit fewer crimes than the judges, D.A.'s office, and the police, all county workers and the U.S. Congress and White House together or individually.

There is a backlog not because of the "misdemeanor crimes" but because Greg Totten is a bad manager. Period.

Nobody, your name fits your M.O. so perfectly. You're nobody with a nothing case to make. Greg Totten has served this community far better than Michael Bradbury could ever dream of. He is actually interested in cracking down on gangs and hard core criminals to make a difference in the overall quality of life we enjoy in Ventura County. He has fought hard to impose and keep in place gang injunctions in Oxnard and Port Hueneme, where a lot of the hard core gang activity is centered.

Michael Bradbury was far more interested in busting churches for holding fund-raising raffles, making sure supermarkets weren't overcharging customers by incorrcetly marking the weight on food products like cheese and meat, and, don't forget, the infamous "cowboy poetry". Please... I think he must have given Carroll Dean Williams, the pathetic Ventura gadfly, the ides about reciting poetry at public forums. At lease Carroll's poetry has some humor to it.

The fact Oxnard and Port Hueneme have injunctions isn't a glowing endorsement for Greg Totten. The injunctions are really an example of how bad he let things go. Greg Totten and the injunctions are an embarrassment to Ventura County

I can't explain why you Republicans love incompetence so much.
Elton Gallegly, Greg Totten, Tony Strickland it's a pattern you people have.

What's wrong with people that know what there doing?

Nonsense. Ron Bamieh said staff members were unhappy in the D.A.'s office. He was right. Staff is not unhappy these days. Totten is a good manager and more even handed than Bradbury was. Bradbury made enemies and got even. Totten has a more gentle approach. We could not have a smarter D.A. or one who has more compassion. Yet, Totten is 100% anti-crime and goes the extra mile every day. To say otherwise, is not based on fact.

One of the D.A.'s staff used tax dollars to investigate why her daughter didn't win a beauty contest. So how can Greg Totten be 100% against crime when crime is going on in his department?

I am sure the staff is happy.

Ventura County: Come for vacation, leave on probation.

Unless they run you over and race away from the scene.
Then it's you're dead officer get's paid vacation .

The Star has written another editorial on the subject. Cut and paste this url to see it.

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/dec/23/key-questions-go-begging/