A Laguna Beach attorney is running as a write-in candidate for Orange County Superior Court Judge in the June 5 election.

Joshua B. Vinograd, 37, was born and raised in Laguna Beach and started his firm in town in 2009, the Law Offices of Joshua B. Vinograd, PC, where he practices general litigation.

Vinograd has a varied background. He interned for Stephen J. Hillman, a federal magistrate judge, and for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. After receiving his law degree at Loyola Law School in 2001, he served as a law clerk for Virginia A. Phillips in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He’s also worked at firms in Orange County, such as Paul, Hastings, Janofsky and Walker LLP and Newmeyer and Dillion LLP.

He has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish/bilingual education from UC Irvine. He graduated from Laguna Beach High School in 1993.

Please continue @:

http://articles.coastlinepilot.com/2012-05-31/news/tn-cpt-0601-vinograd-20120…

Separately, and was reported earlier, amid growing dissatisfaction and growing mistrust over appointed judges, Orange County-based attorney Eugene Jizhak is gaining momentum in his bid to unseat political appointee Deborah Chuang.

According to media reports, the appointment of  judges by the governor has become a highly contentious issue due to growing level of mistrust.  Most notably, residents believe that the voters are more skilled than the governor at evaluating a candidate, as well as the desire to hold judges accountable through the electoral process.

Jizhak, a graduate of  UCLA who was found to be well qualified by peer review and recommendation by numerous community leaders, believes that  many of the sitting judges today were appointed by past and present Governor(s) of California, and as such are not accountable to the residents of Orange County.

In recent month Jizhak managed to garner the support of many of Orange County residents.   Ken Z Liang, an Irvine Attorney wrote, “I feel strongly that Eugene Jizhak is the best candidate for the post of Superior Court Judge of Orange County and look forward to him serving our citizens  James Liang, CEO of Flag Finance International,  wrote, “ we have gathered together many of the Chinese leaders at civic centers, churches, and Asian Pacific Centers,  to endorse and support  Eugene Jizhak for Orange County Judge. . . . ”Nancy Warner, Esq., writer, property manager, & entrepreneur wrote, “Eugene is the best candidate for judge because what he wants for himself he wants for others. Hard work, competence and sincerity are a given.” Adam Fong, Civil Engineer, stated: “Eugene has represented me for many years on business and real estate matters and has bailed me out numerous times, I strongly endorse Eugene as a non-appointed Judge in Orange County.”

Lee Cohen MD, MS, & CEO of MMM wrote, “Eugene is one of the most honest, hard working, and ethical attorneys that I know of.  As a person he is steadfast in his independence and good judgment, compassionate for both people and animals, and is an overall example of greatness that any community leader or government official should follow through with in their duties to society.  I think any community will be exceptionally lucky to have him as their Judge . . .”

“Judges must be fair and treat all citizens equally and uphold the State and Federal Constitutions,” according to statements made by Jizhak.

The Elliott Building, 1530 J Street Sacramento, CA 95814. The building is owned by Mark Friedman of Fulcrum Properly Group.  Currently, the Elliott Building is occupied on separate floors by the offices of Howard Dickstein of Dickstein & Zerbi, Fulcrum Property’s Mark Friedman, Arlen Opper, Doug Elmets, Paula Lorenzo of Cache Creek Casino, and The California Tribal Business Alliance (CTBA). Dickstein, Friedman, and Opper were all named defendants in the matter of Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians / Cache Creek Casino v. Howard Dickstein. The penthouse unit is the official residence of California’s first couple — Governor Edmund Gerald “Jerry” Brown, Jr.  and his wife. (Image: courtesy photo)

The abuse and financial atrocities by attorney Howard Dickstein (on behalf of himself, as well as others) against his clients — Native Americans who are members of various Indian tribes operating casinos in the State of California — is well documented.

Hit hard were the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation which operates the Cache Creek Casino in Yolo County, the Pala Band of Mission Indians which operates the Pala Casino Resort & Spa in San Diego County, and the United Auburn Indian Community which operates the Thunder Valley Casino in Placer County.

One such incident resulted in the emotionally distressing injustice inflicted on the bona fide founder of Thunder Valley Casino, the ex-chair of the tribe, Jessica Tavares.

Jessica is a proud visionary who was the force behind the economic and cultural revival of the tribe — as well as the revival of surrounding communities.  Sadly, Jessica was ultimately betrayed by a fellow member of the tribe and placed on the proverbial iceberg because she chose honor, integrity, and dignity for herself and for the tribe over the greed and divisiveness promoted by Howard Dickstein in his quest to obtained millions for himself and by extension for his wife,  Jeannine English.

Since 2006, Jeannine English has served as a “public member” of the State Bar of California Board of Governors, an otherwise governmental entity primarily responsible to disciplining errant lawyers.  Despite allegations that Dickstein has committed countless acts of grave misconduct and ethical breaches, Dickstein has never been disciplined by the State Bar of California.  English’s appointment as a public member was courtesy of her California Democratic Party confederates who control California’s legislative branch.

Unfortunately, the two U.S. Senators from California refuse to become involved in these issues despite the fact that  tribal matters fall primarily within federal oversight. Dickstein, in his role as counsel for the tribes, has overseen the tribes’ contributions of millions of dollars to the coffers of the Democratic Party.

Fortunately, Republican Arizona Senator John McCain recently stepped in and called for an investigation of Howard Dickstein.  Similarly, a few months prior to Senator McCain’s announcement, a Yolo County-based rabbi asked the State Bar of California Board of Governors to investigate English and Dickstein.

The J Street Gang of Greed

In approximately 2004, as part of an effort to revitalize its downtown area, the city of Sacramento poured three million dollars into subsidies for the renovation of the “Elliott Building” located at 1530 J Street in Sacramento.  The project was initiated by Mark Friedman of Sacramento-based Fulcrum Property Group and a few of his business partners.

(L-R) California Governor Jerry Brown, Howard Dickstein of Dickstein & Zerbi, Mark Friedman of Fulcrum Property and Doug Elmets (Image:courtesy photos)

Friedman, a man of despicable character, may be a stranger to readers, but he is no stranger to The Leslie Brodie Report given that he was one of the  named defendants in the case of Rumsey vs. Dickstein, which deals primarily with allegations of years of fraud and deceit by Dickstein against his client, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.

One example of such a scheme allegedly perpetrated by Dickstein and Friedman against the tribe deals with a parcel of land situated in West-Sacramento  known as “The Triangle,” an otherwise prime location facing the Sacramento River.

The tribe was urged by defendants Dickstein and its financial advisor Arlen Opper to enter into yet another business relationship with Friedman, through which a parcel of land in “The Triangle” was purchased.  The tribe would own 50% and Friedman and his extended would own 50% of the property.

At one point, Mark Friedman asked the tribe for a favor (or as he put it, an “accommodation”), by which the tribe would sell and Friedman would purchase the tribe’s 50% share in “The Triangle.”

Friedman’s excuse  for seeking the “accommodation” was very simple — he wanted to reduce the amount of money he would  owe the Internal Revenue Service.  Friedman had just sold a different piece of real estate, and  needed to quickly invest the money in real estate (or as he referred to it, to “park” the money ) in a separate property for a period of several years as is allowed by IRS rules; at the period, the tribe would be allowed to buy the property back for the same price for which it was sold to Friedman per a “buy back option.”

Dickstein and Opper recommended that the tribe “accommodate” Friedman, and Friedman consequently purchased the property from the tribe.

Per their written agreement, the tribe was given the option to buy back the property within one year.  However, the tribe did not buy back the property within one as  a result of a failure by Arlen Opper and Howard Dickstein — the attorney for the tribe who was in possession of the written agreement — to inform the tribe when the time period expired so that the tribe could buy back the property.  Notably, the property had increased in value “exponentially” during this period.

Later,  after the “buy back option” had expired, the tribe realized that it had missed the deadline to buy back its 50% share of the property, and sought to do so at that time.  However, Mark Friedman refused to sell it back, claiming that the tribe had missed its deadline.

Amid growing dissatisfaction and growing mistrust over appointed judges, Orange County-based attorney Eugene Jizhak is gaining momentum in his bid to unseat political appointee Deborah Chuang.

According to media reports, the appointment of  judges by the governor has become a highly contentious issue due to growing level of mistrust.  Most notably, residents believe that the voters are more skilled than the governor at evaluating a candidate, as well as the desire to hold judges accountable through the electoral process.

Jizhak, a graduate of  UCLA who was found to be well qualified by peer review and recommendation by numerous community leaders, believes that  many of the sitting judges today were appointed by past and present Governor(s) of California, and as such are not accountable to the residents of Orange County.

In recent month Jizhak managed to garner the support of many of Orange County residents.   Ken Z Liang, an Irvine Attorney wrote, “I feel strongly that Eugene Jizhak is the best candidate for the post of Superior Court Judge of Orange County and look forward to him serving our citizens  James Liang, CEO of Flag Finance International,  wrote, “ we have gathered together many of the Chinese leaders at civic centers, churches, and Asian Pacific Centers,  to endorse and support  Eugene Jizhak for Orange County Judge. . . . ”Nancy Warner, Esq., writer, property manager, & entrepreneur wrote, “Eugene is the best candidate for judge because what he wants for himself he wants for others. Hard work, competence and sincerity are a given.” Adam Fong, Civil Engineer, stated: “Eugene has represented me for many years on business and real estate matters and has bailed me out numerous times, I strongly endorse Eugene as a non-appointed Judge in Orange County.”

Lee Cohen MD, MS, & CEO of MMM wrote, “Eugene is one of the most honest, hard working, and ethical attorneys that I know of.  As a person he is steadfast in his independence and good judgment, compassionate for both people and animals, and is an overall example of greatness that any community leader or government official should follow through with in their duties to society.  I think any community will be exceptionally lucky to have him as their Judge . . .”

“Judges must be fair and treat all citizens equally and uphold the State and Federal Constitutions,” according to statements made by Jizhak.

*THE LESLIE BRODIE REPORT STRONGLY URGES THE READERS TO EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION AND NOT JUMP TO CONCLUSION REGARDING MISCONDUCT BY ANYONE — it should be noted that TLR possesses not even a scintilla of evidence or knowledge that demonstrating that Howard Dickstein and/or Mark Friedman engaged in any unlawful activities in connection with IRS codes and regulations.

Following on the heels of articles published on The Leslie Brodie Report exposing abuse and financial atrocities by attorney Howard Dickstein (on behalf of himself, as well as others) against his clients — Native Americans who are members of various Indian tribes operating casinos in the State of California, a San Fernando Valley-based activist alleges such activities run afoul of the IRS Code.  Consequently, said activist plans on submitting a complaint to the IRS against Dickstein and Friedman.

Specifically, and according to sources seeking anonymity, said activist believes that at least one such scheme was carried out from its inception with intent to deceive, and to otherwise create an unauthorized tax-shelter.

The scheme allegedly perpetrated by Howard Dickstein of Dickstein & Zerbi and Mark Friedman of Fulcrum Property Group  against the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation which operates the Cache Creek Casino in Yolo County deals with a parcel of land situated in West-Sacramento  known as “The Triangle,” an otherwise prime location facing the Sacramento River.

The tribe was urged by defendants Dickstein and its financial advisor Arlen Opper to enter into yet another business relationship with Friedman, through which a parcel of land in “The Triangle” was purchased.  The tribe would own 50% and Friedman and his extended would own 50% of the property.

At one point, Mark Friedman asked the tribe for a favor (or as he put it, an “accommodation”), by which the tribe would sell and Friedman would purchase the tribe’s 50% share in “The Triangle.”

Friedman’s excuse  for seeking the “accommodation” was very simple — he wanted to reduce the amount of money he would  owe the Internal Revenue Service.  Friedman had just sold a different piece of real estate, and  needed to quickly invest the money in real estate (or as he referred to it, to “park” the money ) in a separate property for a period of several years as is allowed by IRS rules; at the period, the tribe would be allowed to buy the property back for the same price for which it was sold to Friedman per a “buy back option.”

Dickstein and Opper recommended that the tribe “accommodate” Friedman, and Friedman consequently purchased the property from the tribe.

Per their written agreement, the tribe was given the option to buy back the property within one year.  However, the tribe did not buy back the property within one as  a result of a failure by Arlen Opper and Howard Dickstein — the attorney for the tribe who was in possession of the written agreement — to inform the tribe when the time period expired so that the tribe could buy back the property.  Notably, the property had increased in value “exponentially” during this period.

Later,  after the “buy back option” had expired, the tribe realized that it had missed the deadline to buy back its 50% share of the property, and sought to do so at that time.  However, Mark Friedman refused to sell it back, claiming that the tribe had missed its deadline.

Please see original article @:

http://tinyurl.com/cujke3c

Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison Saturday for failing to stop the killing of protesters during the uprising that forced him from power last year. The ousted president and his sons were acquitted, however, of corruption charges in a mixed verdict that swiftly provoked a new wave of anger on Egypt’s streets.

Please continue @:

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Hosni+Mubarak+verdict+former+president+gets+l…

The Queen marked the start of her Diamond Jubilee weekend by driving onto the racecourse at Epsom Derby as guns salutes sounded around the country to mark the start of the celebrations.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (L) and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (R) arrive at the Derby meeting at Epsom racecourse 

Please see @:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/the_queens_diamond_jubilee/9307535/Que…

In a blistering indictment of the state’s judicial administration, a long-awaited report released Friday night concluded that the Administrative Office of the Courts is over-staffed, dysfunctional and less than forthcoming about sensitive issues.

The Strategic Evaluation Committee, comprised almost entirely of judges, said the AOC has “lost its focus” on serving the trial courts and assumed a more dominant, controlling role in its relationship with California’s 58 superior courts. Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye created the committee in March 2011 in response to concerns the AOC had grown too large despite an era of lean budgets.

“Every organization needs to periodically re-examine its mission and its functions and in this case, it doesn’t appear that that was done in a meaningful way for a long time,” the committee’s chairman, Placer County Superior Court Judge Charles Wachob, said Tuesday. “The organization drifted from its essential function of supporting or assisting the courts if the courts request assistance.”

Please continue @:

http://www.law.com/jsp/ca/PubArticleCA.jsp?id=1202556419264&Judges_Critic…

Robert Van Nest led a team defending Google Inc. against patent and copyright claims brought by Oracle Corp. over smartphone technology and orchestrated a complete victory, with defense verdicts from the jury on some claims and from U.S. District Judge William Alsup on others, including a big win on copyright liability on Thursday. Earlier in the week, Van Nest agreed to talk about the case, how it was staffed, Alsup’s technical expertise — and the metal filing cabinet he rolled out during openings to impress on jurors the idea that what Oracle claimed as intellectual property was really just a standard method of organization.

Please continue @:

http://www.law.com/jsp/ca/PubArticleCA.jsp?id=1202556862642&QA_Google_Lea…

An undated file photo shows Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. New research indicates she survived for some time after landing on a tiny Pacific atoll in 1937.

New information gives a clearer picture of what happened 75 years ago to Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan, where they came down and how they likely survived – for a while, at least – as castaways on a remote island.

Please continue @:

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0602/Amelia-Earhart-New-evidence-tells-of-h…

According to information readily available on http://judicialcouncilwatcher.wordpress.com , Thomas Girardi of Los Angeles-based Girardi & Keese “is facing a jury trial of some 5-7 days before a Los Angeles jury– re conversion and misappropriation of attorney’s fees (compensatory and punitives) ” in the matter of  Shalant vs. Girardi

Separately, in connection with the suit against Bet Tzedek, Ronald George, and Eric George, data provides that “Eric George’s deposition with a substantial document request is set for end of June, 2012, and Moreno’s with a substantial document request for mid-July, 2012.”

A judge’s declaration of a mistrial on Thursday in the John Edwards campaign finance case was a new setback for the Justice Department’s public integrity section, a once-vaunted watchdog that has been trying to rebuild itself after its botched prosecution of Senator Ted Stevens four years ago.

The unit’s performance has been faulted by nonprofit groups that seek to limit the influence of money in politics. Melanie Sloan, director of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the Justice Department deserved “to get slammed” for what she portrayed as undertaking a risky prosecution against Mr. Edwards that relied upon a novel interpretation of campaign finance laws, even as it shied away from more traditional corruption cases.

Please continue @:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/us/edwards-case-a-blow-to-justice-dept-corr…

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Aviva Bobb was elevated to the Superior Court in 1994.  In 1998 she moved to family law and served as Supervising Judge of both the family law department (2000-2004) and the probate department (2005-2009), where she presided over many high-profile and celebrity cases.

In 2005, it became wildly known that investigative reporters from the Los Angeles Times various alleged improprieties.  Indeed, the Los Angeles Times would later publish a series of articles “GUARDIANS FOR PROFIT.” 

Please see @

http://articles.latimes.com/2005/nov/16/local/me-will16

AND @:

http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-conserve14nov14,0,1488986,full.story

AND @:

http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-conserve15nov15,0,2739791.story

Yet, despite the countless controversies surrounding Bobb, in 2005 she received the Benjamin Aranda III Access to Justice Award honoring the longtime advocate of fairness and access in the state’s family courts. Bobb accepted the award from California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George during a September 10 luncheon at the Statewide Judicial Branch Conference. 

The award was co-sponsored by the Judicial Council, the California State Bar, and the California Judges Association, in association with the California Commission on Access to Justice.

The highly controversial Aviva Bobb — who admires Ronald George, and vise versa –   was also the subject of a flattering article published by Diane Curtis of the California Bar Journal. 

Please see @: http://archive.calbar.ca.gov/Archive.aspx?articleId=72389&categoryId=7230…

Bobb, who is also known for playing the violin with the Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic Orchestra,is rumored to be one of George’s favorite violinist.

According to the California Bar Journal, during the State Bar’s annual meeting in Monterey, Girardi & Keese and Thomas Girardi had  the Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic Orchestra, along with singer-songwriter Paul Anka, flown in to perform at a special reception for retiring Chief Justice Ronald George.

Please see @: http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/2011/09/30/muslim-community-of-orange-county-m…

In today’s decision, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal in San Francisco ordered dismissal of the case and overturned a 2010 ruling in which Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch declined to toss out the lawsuit.

The panel rejected two separate arguments in which the bank sought to keep the lawsuit alive.

In one part of its decision, the court struck down a 1917 state law that made it a misdemeanor, punishable by a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail, to circulate untrue statements or rumors about the financial condition of a bank.

The law was enacted in the wake of a nationwide financial panic in 1907 and was intended to help prevent runs on banks.

Summit Bank sought to argue that Rogers’ comments weren’t protected by the right of free speech because they were allegedly illegal under the 1917 law.

But the appeals court said the law itself was unconstitutional because it was overly broad and vague and intruded on free speech.

The law “cannot be reconciled with modern constitutional requirements” under both the U.S. and California constitutions, the court said.

The panel rejected the bank’s argument, supported in a friend-of-the-court brief by the California Bankers Association, that courts should be solicitous of preventing derogatory comments about banks in shaky economic times.

“Rather,” wrote Justice Ignazio Ruvolo, “it is precisely because of the current financial climate that we believe the public should be given broad latitude to express a wide range of viewpoints on matters relating to the operation and solvency of our financial institutions.”

In a second part of its ruling, the panel turned down Summit Bank’s claim of defamation.

The court said the remarks were either true – as in the statements that the Hayward branch was closed and that regulators had looked at the bank – or were expressions of opinion.

“Readers expect to see strongly worded opinions rather than objective facts” on online message boards such as the Craigslist “Rants and Raves,” the court said.

Please continue @:

http://sfappeal.com/news/2012/05/court-in-sf-dismisses-craiglist-rants-and-ra…

Consistent with The Leslie Brodie Report’s commitment to integrity and adherence to the highest level of ethical journalism, and in order to report on both sides of the story, Rory Little (Professor, Hastings College of Law, Special Prosecutor in the matter of In Re Girardi, and spouse of Keker & Van Nest’s Jan Little) is hereby asked to reply/comment on recent allegation presented to a federal court that Girardi & Keese’s Thomas Girardi improperly attempted to influence the prosecutor /outcome of proceedings by abusing his considerable political influence to secure a judicial nomination to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals?

See paragraph 18, below:

Rory Little, Ninth Circuit judicial aspirant and professor of law at U.C. Hastings. Professor Little was appointed special prosecutor in the matter of In Re Girardi by Chief Judge Alex Kozinski. Prior to entering academia, Professor Little served as a federal prosecutor for the Organized Crime and Racketeering Strike Force, prosecuting cases of labor racketeering, money-laundering, narcotics and other organized criminal activity. (image:courtesy photo)

Judge William Fletcher, a member of the Ninth Circuit panel that adjudicated the matter of In re Girardi, 08-80090, rejected the lenient recommendations of Rory Little. He stated: “with any competent lawyer if you’re omitting part of a document, that is not accidental. That is intentional.” The court adjudicated that the grave misconduct by Walter Lack and Thomas Girardi included “the persistent use of known falsehoods,” and that the “false representations” were made “knowingly, intentionally, and recklessly” during years of litigation.

Please observe that, rather than contacting Rory Little (Professor, Hastings College of Law, Special Prosecutor in the matter of In Re Girardi, and spouse of Keker & Van Nest’s Jan Little)  directly, the query is being delivered publicly, here and now.

Any  comments, opinion or observation can be sent to lesliebrodie@gmx.com

Please see also developing story @:

http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/2012/03/31/jon-streeter-of-keker-van-nest-rory…

Consistent with The Leslie Brodie Report’s commitment to integrity and adherence to the highest level of ethical journalism, and in order to report on both sides of the story, PG&E’s Attorneys’ Douglas Winthrop, Jerome Falk, Ethan Schulman, James Lopes, Amy Margolin of Howard Rice and Joshua Bar-Lev,  Frank Lindh are hereby asked to disclose whether PG&E had entered into a separate and secret settlement which was mediated by JAMS.

Said confidential settlement allegedly calls for $56 Million to be transferred to Thomas Girardi of Girardi & Keese stemming from alleged “invasion of privacy” by PG & E against Thomas Girardi who was representing the plaintiffs in a class action matter known as Hinkley/Erin Brockovich matter?

Please observe that, rather than contacting PG&E’s Attorneys’ Douglas Winthrop, Jerome Falk, Ethan Schulman, James Lopes, Amy Margolin of Howard Rice and Joshua Bar-Lev,  Frank Lindh  directly, the query is being delivered publicly, here and now.

Any  comments, opinion or observation can be sent to lesliebrodie@gmx.com

PG&E Former In-House Counsels Joshua Bar-Lev and CPUC’s Frank Lindh (Father of Al Quaeda’s John Walker Lindh) Hereby Asked to Opine on Howard Rice Concurrent Representation of Girardi & Keese and PG&E While Hinkley/Erin Brockovich Matter Still Pending.

Howard Rice represantation of Girardi & Keese and Engstrom Liposcomb & Lack in the matter of Copple v. Astrella, please see @:

http://www.leagle.com/xmlResult.aspx?page=3&xmldoc=20061271442FSupp2d829_…

Howard Rice representation of PG&E in 2006, please see profile of former Howard Rice partner Ethan Schulman which states:

” Lynch v. California Public Utilities Commission, 311 B.R. 978 (N.D. Cal. 2004), dismissed as moot (2006, 9th Cir.). Successfully represented Pacific Gas and Electric Company on appeal by former members of California Public Utilities Commission from Bankruptcy Court’s order confirming PG&E’s plan of reorganization.”   @:

http://www.calappellate.org/Member-Directory?action=view_member&memberID=141

Erin Brockovich matter — Girardi & Keese and Engstrom Lipscomb & Lack represent plaintiff against PG & E in 2006, please see @:

http://lesliebrodie.posterous.com/2006-pg-e-agrees-to-295-million-settlement-in

“Clearly, this situation should never have happened, and we are sorry that it did. It is not the way we do business, and we believe it would not happen in our company today,” the utility said.

The apology marked a bittersweet victory in Hinkley, Calif., where residents have blamed cancer deaths and birth defects on the polluted water.

“Well, I think it’s great because a lot of [residents] do have health problems,” said Brenda McIlvain, a bar owner whose ex-husband will benefit from the settlement. “I think it’s great that the ones that signed up on the [lawsuit] will get a little bit of money to help them.”

The settlement comes before the trial was supposed to begin and ends the majority of the claims from Hinkley and other towns, including Kettleman Hills, that said their groundwater was contaminated.

“This closes the books on almost all the claims,” said Jon Tremayne, a spokesman for PG&E. “The settlement provides closure, and it allows us to focus on the future. We’re hopeful it will provide closure for the plaintiffs and allow them to move forward.”

The case dated to 1951, when spent chromium, added to cooling water to reduce corrosion, leaked from unlined retention ponds and seeped into the groundwater under Hinkley, making its way into community wells. The plaintiffs’ attorneys claimed that some of the town’s water supply was tainted with 140 times the amount of chromium allowed under government standards. They suggested that most of the cancers were caused when children played in the water and inhaled particles.

In July 1996, PG&E agreed to pay $333 million to about 650 people who blamed cancer and other diseases on polluted water leaking from a gas pumping station.

Please continue @:

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/feb/04/local/me-erin4

Related story, please see @:

http://lesliebrodie.posterous.com/2005-mark-friedman-of-fulcrum-property-seeks

Chairman Marshall McKay leads the elected Tribal Council of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. He began his career in tribal government in 1984 and in January 2012 was re-elected to his third term as Chairman.

Born in Colusa, California, the Chairman grew up in Brooks near his present-day home in the Yocha Dehe tribal community. A cornerstone of his leadership is his commitment to cultural renewal and preservation, a focus he extends into education programs and sustainable land-use practices.

Chairman McKay oversees the day-to-day operations of the tribal government, the Tribe’s Cache Creek Casino Resort and its other business endeavors. He also serves as chair of the Community Fund Committee and Cache Creek Casino Resort Board, and is a member of the Fire Commission, Cultural Resources Committee, Property, Farm and Ranch Committee, Maintenance and Operations Committee, the Health and Wellness Committee, and Yocha Dehe Wintun Academy Board. Prior to being elected Chairman, he served as Tribal Treasurer and Tribal Secretary.

Chairman McKay is a board member of the UC Davis Foundation, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and the Native American Rights Fund. He is also chairman of the board of the Autry National Center in Los Angeles.

Please continue @:

http://www.yochadehe.org/tribal-government/marshall-mckay

Developer Mark Friedman plans to ask West Sacramento this month to let him build up to 3,000 homes on 50 acres near Raley Field and the Sacramento River, up from the 1,750 homes he proposed a year ago.

He’s responding to the continued strong market for housing.

The condos and rental lofts would help create one of the most distinctive ventures proposed in the region. Condo towers would rise along a half-mile of landscaped riverfront. Behind them would be a cozy, Euro-style downtown built around an oval park. One million square feet of offices would allow for jobs, with about 200,000 square feet of retail for services, stores and restaurants.

The first building would be a 250-condo mid-rise Friedman wants to build on the old Empire Electric site, 860 South River Road.

Friedman, president of Fulcrum Property Corp. of Sacramento, intends to send his application for the entire venture to the city this month. If West Sacramento approves, construction could start by mid-2007.

Please continue @:

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2005/08/15/story1.html?page=all

However, the state of California is not going to be the top beneficiary if online gaming is legalized. According to the L.A. Times, a number of casino operators have donated millions of dollars to the Democratic State Central Committee of California and to Sen. Roderick Wright himself. Thousands of dollars were spent on political contributions, gifts and lobbying in the past two years. It was in 2010 when Sen. Wright first proposed online gaming legislation and since then casinos joined the ranks of the most generous Democratic supporters in California.

Unsurprisingly, not all casino operators and gambling business groups approve of online poker legislation. The California Tribal Business Alliance (CTBA) which represents three Indian tribes running casinos in the state argues that the new bill would violate their rights as exclusive providers of some electronic games.

“This is … a harsh slap in the face to California Indian tribes,” the CTBA chairwoman Leslie Lohse said. On their part, the Alliance had donated almost $300,000 to Gov. Jerry Brown’s campaign to increase the taxes in order to reduce the budget gap. Such measure could prevent the need for online poker legalization.

Please see story @:

http://pokerworks.com/poker-news/2012/05/16/california-considering-online-pok…

Chairman Smith successfully negotiated the first Tribal-State compact in California with Gov. Pete Wilson in 1996, and subsequently supervised the opening of Pala Casino, creating thousands of jobs for Tribal members and area residents. Besides bringing valuable health, scholarship and home-loan programs to Tribal members, Chairman Smith worked with UCSD to provide high-speed Internet access for the Pala Learning Center where older and younger generations take computer education classes.

Please continue @:

http://bonnieforsandiego.com/newsdetails.asp?artId=5D5F5759

I’m a member of a tribe in Southern California who was disenrolled almost one year ago.  Our tribe is deeply intertwined with Howard Dickstein and I was happy to see that there is a real possibility that he may finally be held accountable for his actions, but he is a slippery snake. 

My tribe is the Pala Band of Mission Indians and Howard has been the gaming attorney for Pala since 1998. We, the people, don’t even know what he is paid and I believe that the disenrollment is due to the fact that my Uncle, a former tribal chairman, had been questioning the odd activities/finances of the tribeand they wanted to hide the illegal actions of our Tribal Chairman, Robert Smith, and Howard Dickstein.  It is rumored that Dickstein has a very lucrative agreement, and receives as much as 5% of the net monthly profits of our casino.  Our attempts to get help from any government agency is basically ignored, they cite “tribal sovereignty”  and we have to fight this on our own.  It hasn’t been easy.

We know that Howard Dickstein is the enemy and I would like nothing more than to see him pay for his crimes against native peoples.

You can see more of our story at the blog: OriginalPechanga.com

A video our our story can be seen at:  http://www.originalpechanga.com/2012/05/kcbs-2-reports-on-pechanga-and-pala.h…

*message slighly edited

Beleaguered Utility Consumers’ Action Network will probably get a new executive director, according to the second report of the court-appointed receiver, Richard Kipperman, which has been filed with Superior Court.

Kipperman says in the filing that a potential global settlement is near. However, as of today (May 23), it does not appear that all parties have agreed to the settlement. If a new executive director were hired, co-founder Michael Shames is expected to become a consultant to the watchdog group, handling the general rate case that San Diego Gas & Electric has filed with the California Public Utilities Commission.

Please continue @:

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/news-ticker/2012/may/23/ucan-likely-to-…

The crippled law firm Dewey & Leboeuf LLP filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday night and will seek approval to liquidate its business after failing to find a merger partner, marking the biggest collapse of a law firm in U.S. history.

Once one of the largest law firms in the U.S., Dewey has been hit by the loss of the vast majority of its roughly 300 partners to other firms amid concerns about compensation and a heavy debt load.

Please continue @:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/29/us-deweyandlebouef-bankruptcy-idUSB…

Vector ControlVector Control workers are targeting fleas in an effort to stave off the spread of typhus after a child contracted the disease in Santa Ana,.Officials plan Tuesday to corral  feral cats living on the campuses of two Santa Ana schools in an effort to  reduce the flea population and stave off the spread of typhus, a potentially deadly disease.

Please continue @:

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Santa-Ana-Feral-Cats-Typhus-155328265…

A former county tax appraiser was arrested Monday for soliciting money from associates of Assessor John Noguez in exchange for reducing their tax bills, District Attorney Steve Cooley said Monday.

Scott Schenter, 49, was arrested in Beaverton, Ore., Cooley said in a press release, and is being held on $1.5 million bail.

“The magnitude of Schenter’s suspected betrayal of public trust is almost inconceivable,” Cooley said in a prepared statement. “We believe his actions are not isolated.”

Just last week, Cooley called on Noguez to resign, saying the investigation was widening.

Please continue @:

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/First-Arrest-in-Assessor-Scandal-1523…

Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley

Two prosecutors are suing their boss, LA County District Attorney Steve Cooley, alleging he retaliated against them for leading union-organizing efforts before 2008.

In a lawsuit set to go to trial in June, the prosecutors, Hyatt Seligman and Stephen Ipsen, said Cooley demoted them to lower-level jobs that amounted to a “career death sentence.”

Likening it to a “kind of 19th Century thuggery commonly employed against union organizers,”
the lawsuit alleges the DA threatened to reduce health care benefits and used DA investigators to “harass and intimidate” the union’s most active members and allies in the media.

“This trial is about an individual seeking protections of the first amendment by being able to state his mind about things that matter without being retaliated against,” said attorney Joseph Avrahamy, who’s representing Ipsen, the former president of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys. “The District Attorney used his power to transfer the union heads out of their positions and assignments to retaliate and punish and to make sure others will not challenge him.”

Brad Gage, the attorney for Seligman, said what the DA has done is illegal.

“It’s outrageous that the organization, which is supposed to uphold the law, is violating it,” Gage said.

Please continue @:

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Los-Angeles-County-District-Attorney-…

Yolande Erickson, a Bet Tzedek attorney, said that developmentally disabled adults can easily become targets of scams and abuse without their families’ continued protection.

Erickson noted cases in which families discovered that their adult children had signed contracts for cellphones and even car purchases. Others have been approached with marriage offers by suitors wanting legal immigration status or have been taken to hotels and sexually abused.

And without the ability to make sound medical decisions, disabled adults can at times endanger their health.

Please continue @:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-conservator-20120521,0,3229651.story

Seperatly, and as was reported earlier, a Marina Del Rey-based legal scholar recently took the rare step of suing “Bet Tzedek,” a Los Angeles-based Jewish non-profit entity, under the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law (“RICO”).

Also named as part of the alleged racketeering enterprise were banker Alan Rothenberg, David Pasternak, Sandor Samuels, Ronald George, and his son Eric George (who serves as a member of Bet Tzedek’s Board of Directors).

RICO is a federal law that authorizes a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO focuses specifically on racketeering, and it allows for the leaders of a syndicate to be held civilly liable for the crimes that they ordered others to commit or which they assisted in committing.

The lawsuit alleges that various defendants misused Bet Tzedek as vehicle for the purpose of bribery, embezzlement, money laundering and tax-evasion with the intended outcome of siphoning the money into off-shore accounts. According to sources, the various accounts are located in Switzerland and at the Vatican.

Specifically, and in connection with some of Bet Tzedek’s alleged racketeering activities, the suit maintains that Sandor Samuels — CEO and President of Bet Tzedek and former Chief Trial Counsel at embattled Countywide Financial Services — was appointed President and CEO of Bet Tzedek largely due to his working knowledge of how to operate an enterprise which engages in myriad financial crimes.

The suit also asserts that other individuals engaged in racketeering activities, including David Pasternak — a Los-Angeles based “receiver,” as well as an officer of both Bet Tzedek and the Chancery Club — who allegedly used Bet Tzedek as forum to meet, collude, and otherwise bribe various judges and lawyers for the purpose of further appointing Pasternak as “receiver.”

The complaint also contains allegations that Ronald George — former Chief Justice of the State of California — unlawfully transferred funds from entities that were under his control (such as the California Administrative Office of the Courts (“AOC”) intended for the CCMS computer system) into various accounts that were specifically maintained in Alan Rothenberg’s bank — 1st Century — a bank which Eric George owns in part. Said funds, as the suit alleges, were later embezzled.

As part of maintaining the scheme, the suit alleges, AOC employees Ronald Overholt and William Vickery were bestowed with various gifts, trips, kickbacks, bribes, excessive salaries, and the like. Similarly, and also as part of guarding the scheme, the suit alleges that defendants, at times, resorted to utilizing the services of Tom Layton — a former Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff/Senior State Bar of California investigator — to “illegally gather detrimental dirt” on various individuals who would oppose and/or object to the existence of said arrangements.

According to sources, Layton is part of an ongoing “ambulance chasing” scheme that the Girardi Syndicate operates in San Bernardino County vis-a-vis a satellite office located in San Bernardino and managed by Thomas Girardi’s son-in-law, David Lira.

Additionally, and per the sources, Layton has been previously utilized by the Girardi Syndicate to “assist” Sharon Major Lewis in selecting the names of nominees to be appointed as judges by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and to garner the support of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department in endorsing judicial candidate the Girardi Syndicate deemed worthy of such an endorsement.

The suit also alleges that defendant Holly Fujie — an officer of both Bet Tzedek and the Chancery Club — engaged in various acts of misconduct while assisting Ronald and Eric George to transfer funds from both the California Bar Foundation (where she serves as vice-president) and the State Bar of California (where she served as a member of a committee responsible for distribution of funds) to Bet Tzedek totaling hundreds of thousand of dollars.

Bet Tzedek is based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1974, and is an affiliated agency of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. Bet Tzedek is the exclusive provider of free legal services to low-income seniors through contracts with the City and County of Los Angeles.

Former slugger Barry Bonds laughs while watching a game between the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks. Diamondbacks in San Francisco on Monday. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press / May 29, 2012)

Controversial home run king Barry Bonds isn’t best known for his media savvy, but he had a lot to say while attending a San Francisco Giants game on Monday.

The former slugger, who was convicted of obstruction of justice in April 2011, told reporters that he has talked to the Giants about working for the club. He said he recently met with Giants President and CEO Larry Baer regarding a potential position with the franchise.

Please continue @:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-barry-bonds-giants-20120529,0,7…

The United Auburn Indian Community    , owners of Thunder Valley Casino    , entered into a 10-year agreement with London-based Bwin.party Digital Entertainment PLC, the world’s largest listed online gaming company.

The tribe doesn’t feature online gaming of any kind, but it took the step to forge this partnership should California law be changed to allow online gaming, said Doug Elmets, spokesman for the tribe.

“Our belief is it that it is a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’ online gaming becomes legal, and the UAIC wants to have a premiere partner when it comes to pass,” Elmets said.

In February, Senate President pro tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Roderick Wright, another state senator (D-Inglewood) introduced Senate Bill 1463 to allow intrastate online gambling.

Please continue @:

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2012/05/10/thunder-valley-casino-o…

The Vatican confirmed on Saturday that the pope’s butler has been arrested in its embarrassing leaks scandal, adding a Hollywood twist to a sordid tale of power struggles, intrigue and corruption in the highest levels of Catholic Church governance.

Paolo Gabriele, a layman and member of the papal household, was arrested Wednesday after secret documents were found in his Vatican City apartment and was continuing to be held Saturday, Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said in a statement.

Gabriele is often seen by Pope Benedict XVI’s side in public, riding in the front seat of his open-air jeep during Wednesday general audiences or shielding the pontiff from the rain. He has been the pope’s personal butler since 2006, one of the few members of the small papal household that also includes the pontiff’s private secretaries and four consecrated women who care for the papal apartment.

His arrest followed another stunning development at the Vatican this week, the ouster of the president of the Vatican bank, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, by his board. Sources close to the investigation said he, too, was found to have leaked documents, though the official reason for his ouster was that he simply failed to do his job.

Please continue @:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/AL

Susan Bradford is a Washington, DC-based investigative journalist, author, and columnist. During her four-year investigation of the Abramoff scandal, Bradford interviewed over 400 sources who participated or were otherwise privy to the key events at hand, including lobbyists, attorneys, tribal leaders and dissidents, agency and elected officials, reporters, Committee members, activists, corporate executives, among many others.

She also acquired substantial corroborating paperwork from Indian tribes and other former clients and associates of superlobbyist Jack Abramoff. At the invitation of tribal members, Bradford lived on Indian reservations and attended tribal gatherings. In 2007, Bradford became the first journalist to uncover that the Abramoff scandal had been manufactured by tribal dissidents and their lobbyist allies, including Scott Reed. She has been breaking new ground on the Abramoff investigation ever since.

Unfortunately, in a recent article about a complaint filed by John McCain with the National Indian Gaming Commission against controversial gambling attorney Howard Dickstein, Susan Bradford falsely reported (false information underlined) :

“Reminiscent of a pattern established during the Abramoff investigation, McCain’s letter to the NIGC followed a scuffle within the Tribal Council in which disgruntled dissidents running for office were accused of leaking false information to the public in order to challenge their rivals and lay the foundation for a corruption probe.

The Auburn dissidents distributed a mailer alleging that the tribe was “bamboozled by an attorney more interested in filing his garage with Ferraris than serving the interest of our tribe, and the greed of a Tribal Council that rubber stamps his decision and no longer looks after our best interests.”

The Tribal Council reportedly countered that the mailer incorporated false information which “makes it appear the tribe is legitimizing this type of gutter politics and giving the allegations credibility.”

The mailer accused the Tribal Council of closing the tribe’s privately funded middle and high school classrooms while paying a lawyer $25 million.

Despite having made these claims, the Auburn dissidents reportedly served on Tribal Council when Dickstein’s percentage fee was established and revoked. If the fees were improper, why didn’t they blow the whistle then?

Dickstein has since been fired, and the California Tribal Business Alliance, whose leadership consists of representatives from the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians of California, the Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, and the Lytton Rancheria of California Indians (represented by Rodgers), also reportedly severed ties with him.”

Please see source @:

http://smartgirlpolitics.ning.com/profiles/blogs/mccain-s-complaint-against-t…

Speaking of Dickstein — a widely-known but controversial figure within California’s Tribal Gambling industry — he was recently named as defendant in a suit seeking unspecified monetary damages. Also named as defendant is Dickstein’s wife, Sacramento-based lobbyist Jeannine English.

The lawsuit alleges that Dickstein and English executed a scheme that caused injury to the Plaintiff, a Southern California resident who claims his privacy and constitutional rights were “egregiously violated.”

Specifically, the suit alleges that in order to camouflage a scheme and make it appear as though it is purely a mundane action by a governmental agency and was not designed to conceal Dickstein’s and English’s own acts of malfeasance, greed, and betrayal, defendants resorted to abusing their considerable “political and legal clout.”

This clout was presumably obtained as a result of the funneling of hundreds of millions of dollars from myriad Tribal Casinos to various state and local governmental agencies/officials, as well as from English’s position as a member of the State Bar of California Board of Governors, and the fact that the president of the State Bar of California, Jon Streeter, and his firm of Keker & Van Nest, represent Howard Dickstein. This , the plaintiff alleges, shows “malice and oppression” on the part of defendants sufficient to justify an award of punitive damages.

Dickstein , who is no stranger to litigation, has been previously named a defendant in a suit advanced by his client, members of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nations (formerly known as the Ramsey Band of Wintun Indians), which owns and operates the Cache Creek Casino in Brooks, California, an unincorporated community in Yolo County.

In that action, the plaintiffs — who were represented by Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy and legal ethics expert Michael Boli — alleged that Dickstein engaged in myriad fraudulent conduct, concealment, conversion (i.e. a non-criminal term referring to the act of theft), breaches of fiduciary duties, misrepresentations, and unjustly enriching himself with tribal money by defrauding the tribe of millions of dollars over more than a decade.

While the suit was pending, further allegations of grave misconduct were leveled against Dickstein and his attorneys of San Francisco-based Keker & Van Nest including claims that evidence was “manufactured.” Later, Dickstein and his lawyers of Keker & Van Nest (presumably, John Keker, Elliot Peters, and Jon Streeter) falsely advertised and misled the public into believing that the Yocha Dehe tribe had only sued Dickstein for conduct which was “negligent” in nature. Dickstein and his legal team neglected to reference the allegations of defrauding the tribe of millions of dollars over more than a decade through fraudulent conduct, concealment, conversion, breaches of fiduciary duties, and misrepresentations which the tribe had leveled against their own attorney.

In nearby Placer County, situated between the cities of Roseville and Lincoln, 50 miles east of Yolo County, where the United Auburn Indian Community operates the Thunder Valley Casino, allegations of greed and betrayal were also leveled against Howard Dickstein by the former chairwoman of the United Auburn Indian Community, the Honorable Jessica Tavares and long-time tribal council member Dolly Suehead.

According to media reports, Tribal Administrator Greg Baker — a Dickstein confederate — disallowed a tribe-funded mailing of a campaign mailer that claims the United Auburn Indian Community has been “bamboozled by an attorney [Howard Dickstein] more interested in filling his garage with Ferraris than serving the interest of our tribe, and the greed of a tribal council that rubber stamps his decision and no longer looks after our best interests.”

Baker, who as it turned out was involved in a separate and unrelated financial scheme, was recently suspended following on the heels of an IRS investigation into allegations of fraud and money-laundering. In affidavits filed by an IRS investigator, it was alleged that Baker was part of a scheme to over-bill the casino/tribe by more than $18 million, which would later be “kicked-back.”

Roman Porter — a long time ally and confederate of California Democratic Party operative Joseph Dunn of embattled online publication Voice of OC who now serves as the executive director of the State Bar of California — was recently hired as Thunder Valley Casino’s new tribal administrator.

When the American pilot at the controls of a P-47 fighter plane crashed to earth near a small French village in September 1944, the villagers who pulled him from the burning wreckage of his aircraft knew just one thing.

He had given his life — for them.

And so they buried him in a rural churchyard, beneath a cross and ribbon that bore the words “Our Liberator.”

Across the ocean in Buffalo, Donald Arthur Wilhelm was mourned privately by those who knew him best, including his devasted parents and his only brother.

Over the next 68 years, he was largely forgotten by the rest of the world.

Now, all that is changing.

This spring, people from the little French village where Wilhelm died on the morning of Sept. 1, 1944, as a fighter-pilot of the World War II front in Europe are reaching out to Western New York.

These French citizens want to learn more about the young man whose death — a few weeks shy of his 25th birthday — they still consider a moment of bravery and sacrifice, nearly seven decades later.

Here in Buffalo, this quest has turned into a detective story of sorts, with local folks trying to sift through the clues left by history to answer a decades-old question:

Who was Don Wilhelm ?

Please continue @:

http://www.buffalonews.com/incoming/article876318.ece

In a desperate plea for help, activist Bonnie King is asking members of Congress to bring an end to “tribal terrorism” Howard Dickstein and Doug Elmets inflict on members of various Indian tribes located in California.

According to King, unscrupulous tribal leaders engage in a scheme to “kick out enrolled members without just cause to increase their own wealth and power.” 

King further alleges that the scheme is supported by Howard Dickstein and political consultant Doug Elmets who “are encouraging tribal committees to execute this heinous action. While they drive their nice sports cars, live in huge mansions, and fly in private jets the executive committees are sending disenrolled members into bankruptcy and a loss of sacred heritage. They use false excuses for reasoning, but the disenrollments have only taken place post Indian Gaming. Federal and state governments will not intervene, calling it intertribal issues, so the disenrolled members have no say or recourse”, King stated.

“Something desparately needs to be done about this corruption,” King concluded.

See complete story @:

http://www.change.org/petitions/all-united-states-senators-and-congressmen-am…

Dickstein, a widely-known but controversial figure within California’s Tribal Gambling industry, has been named recently as defendant in a suit seeking unspecified monetary damages. Also named as defendant is Dickstein’s wife, Sacramento-based lobbyist Jeannine English.

The lawsuit alleges that Dickstein and English executed a scheme that caused injury to the Plaintiff, a Southern California resident who claims his privacy and constitutional rights were “egregiously violated.”

Specifically, the suit alleges that in order to camouflage a scheme and make it appear as though it is purely a mundane action by a governmental agency and was not designed to conceal Dickstein’s and English’s own acts of malfeasance, greed, and betrayal, defendants resorted to abusing their considerable “political and legal clout.”

This clout was presumably obtained as a result of the funneling of hundreds of millions of dollars from myriad Tribal Casinos to various state and local governmental agencies/officials, as well as from English’s position as a member of the State Bar of California Board of Governors, and the fact that the president of the State Bar of California, Jon Streeter, and his firm of Keker & Van Nest, represent Howard Dickstein. This , the plaintiff alleges, shows “malice and oppression” on the part of defendants sufficient to justify an award of punitive damages.

Dickstein , who is no stranger to litigation, has been previously named a defendant in a suit advanced by his client, members of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nations (formerly known as the Ramsey Band of Wintun Indians), which owns and operates the Cache Creek Casino in Brooks, California, an unincorporated community in Yolo County.

In that action, the plaintiffs — who were represented by Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy and legal ethics expert Michael Boli — alleged that Dickstein engaged in myriad fraudulent conduct, concealment, conversion (i.e. a non-criminal term referring to the act of theft), breaches of fiduciary duties, misrepresentations, and unjustly enriching himself with tribal money by defrauding the tribe of millions of dollars over more than a decade.

While the suit was pending, further allegations of grave misconduct were leveled against Dickstein and his attorneys of San Francisco-based Keker & Van Nest including claims that evidence was “manufactured.” Later, Dickstein and his lawyers of Keker & Van Nest (presumably, John Keker, Elliot Peters, and Jon Streeter) falsely advertised and misled the public into believing that the Yocha Dehe tribe had only sued Dickstein for conduct which was “negligent” in nature. Dickstein and his legal team neglected to reference the allegations of defrauding the tribe of millions of dollars over more than a decade through fraudulent conduct, concealment, conversion, breaches of fiduciary duties, and misrepresentations which the tribe had leveled against their own attorney.

In nearby Placer County, situated between the cities of Roseville and Lincoln, 50 miles east of Yolo County, where the United Auburn Indian Community operates the Thunder Valley Casino, allegations of greed and betrayal were also leveled against Howard Dickstein by the former chairwoman of the United Auburn Indian Community, the Honorable Jessica Tavares and long-time tribal council member Dolly Suehead.

According to media reports, Tribal Administrator Greg Baker — a Dickstein confederate — disallowed a tribe-funded mailing of a campaign mailer that claims the United Auburn Indian Community has been “bamboozled by an attorney [Howard Dickstein] more interested in filling his garage with Ferraris than serving the interest of our tribe, and the greed of a tribal council that rubber stamps his decision and no longer looks after our best interests.”

Baker, who as it turned out was involved in a separate and unrelated financial scheme, was recently suspended following on the heels of an IRS investigation into allegations of fraud and money-laundering. In affidavits filed by an IRS investigator, it was alleged that Baker was part of a scheme to over-bill the casino/tribe by more than $18 million, which would later be “kicked-back.”

Roman Porter — a long time ally and confederate of California Democratic Party operative Joseph Dunn of embattled online publication Voice of OC who now serves as the executive director of the State Bar of California — was recently hired as Thunder Valley Casino’s new tribal administrator.

Journalists report the news; we orchestrate it!

Please see @:

http://twitter.com/#!/elmetspr

Profile:

Doug Elmets is the founder and president of Elmets Communications – a full spectrum consulting firm serving a broad range of clients in business, government and the political arena.

Elmets is a well-known media and crisis strategist widely sought for his ability to develop and communicate powerful, convincing messages for his clients, including but not limited to: Thunder Valley Casino Resort, the United Auburn Indian Community, Jackson Rancheria Casino, Pala Casino, the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Modesto Irrigation District.

Elmets’ record of delivering results is anchored in more than three decades of public affairs experience in government, business and politics, ranging from his years as a White House spokesman in the Reagan Administration to his more recent work for trade associations, Fortune 500 companies, public municipalities, and Native American tribes. Combining his political acumen, coalition-building talents and knack for branding a cause, Elmets provides his clients outstanding service, whether their needs relate to media relations, legislative and regulatory advocacy, community relations or crisis management.

Prior to launching his company in 1996, Elmets managed the government and public relations for oil giant ARCO, working in Los Angeles and Sacramento. As ARCO’s chief lobbyist, he oversaw all of the company’s government and public affairs on the state level and was responsible for corporate relationships with California’s cities and counties. 

Source, please see @:

http://www.elmets.com/about/executives/doug

  “The court said you have to follow the law,” Bo Mazzetti, chairman of the Rincon Band of Luiseno Mission Indians, said in an interview. “That’s all we are asking.”

The Supreme Court, without comment, refused to take up an earlier 9th Circuit Court of Appeal ruling that the state’s approach was an illegal tax under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that governs how tribes operate Las Vegas-style casinos.

Rincon, which jointly operates the Harrahs Rincon Resort and Casino in Valley Center near Escondido, will now open fresh negotiations with the administration of Gov. Jerry Brown. If the impasse persists after 60 days, a court-appointed mediator would step in.

“No comment on Rincon,” Gov. Jerry Brown, who as attorney general defended the state’s assessment on slots, said as he was leaving a budget news conference. Asked if he would ask tribes for revenue sharing moneys in new negotiations, he only said, “I will follow the court’s decision.”

A significant amount of money — about $360 million a year — is collected through the revenue sharing fees on slots from numerous tribes.

Those disputed assessments were first imposed by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger shortly after he took office in 2003 as he and lawmakers sought much-needed revenues for the state. The idea was to pump up the depleted general fund by securing tribal commitments of paying a percentage of net winnings. In return, tribes could add more slots.

But that conflicted with federal law, Rincon argued, because fees were supposed to be assessed only to address the direct impacts of the casinos, such as increased traffic.

An early proposal would have allowed Rincon to add up to 900 slots to its 1,600-machine stable.

The tribe said would have realized just $2 million of the $40 million in new revenues generated by the expansion. The state would have collected the other $38 million, according to Rincon’s figures.

“No business would be asked take this type of deal, let alone agree to it,” Rincon said in a statement responding to the court ruling.

It was not immediately clear whether the decision will sweep in those tribes that earlier conceded to the state’s conditions attached to agreements for more slots.

Sacrament Attorney Howard Dickstein, who represents the Pala band of San Diego County and two other large gaming tribes, is convinced the ruling will force the Brown Administration to reopen all of the deals.

“Pala will request it on this point,” Dickstein said.

Pala, which operates a large casino and resort complex along Highway 76, was the first tribe to agree to the state’s demands as part of an expansion to lift a 2,000-slot cap imposed by its 1999 compact, he said.

As a result, Dickstein said Pala has paid the state about $18 million a year.

The federal appellate court, in a 2-1 decision issued in 2008, did not address the question.

“We express no opinion concerning the validity of those (signed) compacts,” the court noted.

However, the court signaled that tribes, by agreeing to the state offer, would likely be held to its terms until new compacts are signed.

“Those tribes agreed that the revised exclusivity offered and the financial benefits they would receive from amending their 1999 compacts, were satisfactory to them,” the court said.

Please continue @:

http://www.kumeyaay.com/kumeyaay-news/2445-supreme-court-gives-local-gaming-t…

  “The court said you have to follow the law,” Bo Mazzetti, chairman of the Rincon Band of Luiseno Mission Indians, said in an interview. “That’s all we are asking.”

The Supreme Court, without comment, refused to take up an earlier 9th Circuit Court of Appeal ruling that the state’s approach was an illegal tax under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that governs how tribes operate Las Vegas-style casinos.

Rincon, which jointly operates the Harrahs Rincon Resort and Casino in Valley Center near Escondido, will now open fresh negotiations with the administration of Gov. Jerry Brown. If the impasse persists after 60 days, a court-appointed mediator would step in.

“No comment on Rincon,” Gov. Jerry Brown, who as attorney general defended the state’s assessment on slots, said as he was leaving a budget news conference. Asked if he would ask tribes for revenue sharing moneys in new negotiations, he only said, “I will follow the court’s decision.”

A significant amount of money — about $360 million a year — is collected through the revenue sharing fees on slots from numerous tribes.

Those disputed assessments were first imposed by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger shortly after he took office in 2003 as he and lawmakers sought much-needed revenues for the state. The idea was to pump up the depleted general fund by securing tribal commitments of paying a percentage of net winnings. In return, tribes could add more slots.

But that conflicted with federal law, Rincon argued, because fees were supposed to be assessed only to address the direct impacts of the casinos, such as increased traffic.

An early proposal would have allowed Rincon to add up to 900 slots to its 1,600-machine stable.

The tribe said would have realized just $2 million of the $40 million in new revenues generated by the expansion. The state would have collected the other $38 million, according to Rincon’s figures.

“No business would be asked take this type of deal, let alone agree to it,” Rincon said in a statement responding to the court ruling.

It was not immediately clear whether the decision will sweep in those tribes that earlier conceded to the state’s conditions attached to agreements for more slots.

Sacrament Attorney Howard Dickstein, who represents the Pala band of San Diego County and two other large gaming tribes, is convinced the ruling will force the Brown Administration to reopen all of the deals.

“Pala will request it on this point,” Dickstein said.

Pala, which operates a large casino and resort complex along Highway 76, was the first tribe to agree to the state’s demands as part of an expansion to lift a 2,000-slot cap imposed by its 1999 compact, he said.

As a result, Dickstein said Pala has paid the state about $18 million a year.

The federal appellate court, in a 2-1 decision issued in 2008, did not address the question.

“We express no opinion concerning the validity of those (signed) compacts,” the court noted.

However, the court signaled that tribes, by agreeing to the state offer, would likely be held to its terms until new compacts are signed.

“Those tribes agreed that the revised exclusivity offered and the financial benefits they would receive from amending their 1999 compacts, were satisfactory to them,” the court said.

Please continue @:

http://www.kumeyaay.com/kumeyaay-news/2445-supreme-court-gives-local-gaming-t…

The Pala Band of Mission Indians on Wednesday expelled 154 people from its North County tribe, according to a Pala spokesman.

The removal of the 154 people appears to be connected to the removal of eight people from its rolls last year.

Those eight people were told in June by the tribe that they did not meet the 1/16th Pala “blood quantum” requirement.

Pala spokesman Doug Elmets said the tribal council made the decision to remove the additional 154 people Wednesday, but he declined to discuss the reason for the removal.

“It is important to remember that the U.S. Supreme Court, in the Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez case in 1978, held that a tribe’s right to define its own membership has long been recognized as central to its existence,” Elmets said.

Pala officials said last year that the tribe had 918 members; thus the 154 people expelled Wednesday account for about 15 percent of the tribe.

Those who have been expelled from Pala stand to lose more than $150,000 a year in payments from the tribe’s Pala Casino Resort and Spa, which is about 15 miles north of Escondido. They also will lose their ability to participate in Pala’s tribal government and other benefits, including health care, housing and educational services.

In June, Pala’s executive committee issued a letter to eight individuals, including the children of former Pala Chairman King Freeman, who are descendants of Margarita Brittain, who died in 1925. The letter said those eight people were disenrolled from the tribe because they did not meet the tribe’s required 1/16th Pala blood quantum.

Please continue @:

http://www.kumeyaay.com/kumeyaay-news/2663-exclusive-pala-tribe-expels-154-pe…

Members of San Diego-based Pala Band of Mission Indians are asking U.S. President Barack Obama for help in their struggle against controversial gambling attorney Howard Dickstein.  

In an article recently published by a former member of the tribe, an eerie comparison was made between “Blood Diamonds” to “Blood Indian Gaming Money.”  According to the article “Gov. Jerry Brown was given $200,000 in “Blood Indian Gaming Money.” 

Moreover, the author alleges that Howard Dickstein controls “the Tribal  Business Alliance, Robert Smith and Doug Elmets. Elmet’s office is in the same building where Gov. Brown has his penthouse pad. So the disenrolled blood $$ don’t have to drip that far to get them all dirty.”

Dickstein , who is no stranger to controversy, has been previously named a defendant in a suit advanced by his client, members of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nations (formerly known as the Ramsey Band of Wintun Indians), which owns and operates the Cache Creek Casino in Brooks, California, an unincorporated community in Yolo County.

In that action, the plaintiffs — who were represented by Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy and legal ethics expert Michael Boli — alleged that Dickstein engaged in myriad fraudulent conduct, concealment, conversion (i.e. a non-criminal term referring to the act of theft), breaches of fiduciary duties, misrepresentations, and unjustly enriching himself with tribal money by defrauding the tribe of millions of dollars over more than a decade.

While the suit was pending, further allegations of grave misconduct were leveled against Dickstein and his attorneys of San Francisco-based Keker & Van Nest including claims that evidence was “manufactured.” Later, Dickstein and his lawyers of Keker & Van Nest (presumably, John Keker, Elliot Peters, and Jon Streeter) falsely advertised and misled the public into believing that the Yocha Dehe tribe had only sued Dickstein for conduct which was “negligent” in nature. Dickstein and his legal team neglected to reference the allegations of defrauding the tribe of millions of dollars over more than a decade through fraudulent conduct, concealment, conversion, breaches of fiduciary duties, and misrepresentations which the tribe had leveled against their own attorney.

In nearby Placer County, situated between the cities of Roseville and Lincoln, 50 miles east of Yolo County, where the United Auburn Indian Community operates the Thunder Valley Casino, allegations of greed and betrayal were also leveled against Howard Dickstein by the former chairwoman of the United Auburn Indian Community, the Honorable Jessica Tavares and long-time tribal council member Dolly Suehead.

According to media reports, Tribal Administrator Greg Baker — a Dickstein confederate — disallowed a tribe-funded mailing of a campaign mailer that claims the United Auburn Indian Community has been “bamboozled by an attorney [Howard Dickstein] more interested in filling his garage with Ferraris than serving the interest of our tribe, and the greed of a tribal council that rubber stamps his decision and no longer looks after our best interests.”

Baker, who as it turned out was involved in a separate and unrelated financial scheme, was recently suspended following on the heels of an IRS investigation into allegations of fraud and money-laundering. In affidavits filed by an IRS investigator, it was alleged that Baker was part of a scheme to over-bill the casino/tribe by more than $18 million, which would later be “kicked-back.”

Roman Porter — a long time ally and confederate of California Democratic Party operative Joseph Dunn of embattled online publication Voice of OC who now serves as the executive director of the State Bar of California — was recently hired as Thunder Valley Casino’s new tribal administrator.

The article concludes by urging the readers to sign a petition: ” The unjustified killing of the souls of tribal members at Pala is not the actions of a sovereign but the actions of a cruel dictatorship that any ruthless dictator in the world would admire. Speak out and sign the petition to the White House    Now!.”

Rose Riggs stands in front of the Pala Casino. She was expelled from the Pala Band of Mission Indians.

A woman with a blood disease lost her health insurance, a young woman starting college could lose her scholarship, a man could lose his job and a woman with a newborn baby could lose her home.

All these and many other hardships were the results of the Pala Band of Mission Indians’ decision to remove more than 160 people from its tribe, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court earlier this month.

The lawsuit is asking the Bureau of Indian Affairs to step in and restore the former Pala members’ benefits, including the estimated $150,000 a year in casino revenues that go to each member; health insurance coverage; and their ability to participate in tribal government.

Escondido attorneys Thor Emblem and Tracy Emblem filed the lawsuit March 5 on behalf of about 60 former members of the Pala tribe.

The attorneys declined to comment on the case.

The families “will suffer immediate and irreparable harm and request immediate action to restore their … tribal benefits while their appeal of the (tribe’s) actions are pending review by the Bureau of Indian Affairs,” the lawsuit states.

Last year, the Pala tribe, which owns a large casino and resort near Fallbrook, removed from its membership rolls eight people who were descendants of a woman named Margarita Brittain, saying they did not have sufficient Pala heritage to belong in the tribe.

Earlier this year, the tribe expelled an additional 154 people who were also Brittain descendants.

After an appeal, the Bureau of Indian Affairs recommended that the first eight people be allowed back into the tribe. Pala has not said whether it plans to honor the BIA’s recommendation.

In court documents, the 60 people say they were illegally kicked out. They argue that the tribe illegally changed its constitution in 1997 without holding an election allowing all tribal members an opportunity to vote on the new constitution.

Please continue @:

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/region-families-expelled-from-pala…

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to sign deals today or Thursday that will authorize at least five new Indian casinos in California and firmly establish his approach to future expansion of tribal gambling.

Among the “sure thing” tribes is the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians, a tribe with Sonoma County roots that wants to build a mega-casino just off Interstate 80 in San Pablo. As envisioned, the casino would become the largest in California and one of the largest in the world, with up to 5,000 slot machines and covering up to 600,000 square feet.

The casino would be operated for the tribe by a partnership that includes the Maloof family, owners of the Sacramento Kings and the Palms Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas; the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians, a Yolo County tribe that owns the Cache Creek Casino Resort; the Pala Band of Mission Indians in San Diego County; Arlen Opper, a Cache Creek executive; and Jerry Turk, the managing partner of the Pala casino.

In an interview Tuesday, George Maloof said his family had been friends with Opper for a long time and also had close relations with the Rumsey tribe.

Please continue @:

http://www.calstate.edu/pa/clips2004/august/18august/tribes.shtml

TLR Note: To date, Corley — only female partner at Kerr & Wagstaffe.  Concededly, Corley posses  superior legal/analytical skills.  Said skills were a substantial factor in defeating Chevron’s malicious prosecution suit against Boston-based attorney Cristobal Bonifaz — a task John Keker, Elliot Peters, Jan Little, and Matthew Werdegar of Keker & Van Nest are unable to accomplish in suit Chevron had filed against attorney Stephen Donziger.

California Northern District Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Corley points out errors made byexperienced attorneys and talks about her standing orders, please see @:

http://www.law.com/jsp/ca/PubArticleCA.jsp?hubtype=&id=1202556182697&…

TLR’s prior coverage of Corley which was viewed 4240 times — prior to massive SEO targeting TLR –  please see @:

http://lesliebrodie.posterous.com/jacqueline-scott-corley-to-exit-kerr-wagstaff