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Comments (5)

1. Debby Bodkin says:
   October 21, 2007 11:13

   In response to "More Ridiculous Government Secrecy", in my opinion Assemblyman Todd Spitzer needs to get out of government totally and especially education issues. Spitzer complains California's laws have "loopholes" and a sexual predator could slip through the cracks and get a job as a teacher.

   TO TODD SPITZER:

   ** You could care less about sexual predators falling through the cracks especially the politically connected sexual predators employed by the Diocese of Orange who were never investigated or prosecuted in a court of law. This new concern of yours is a disgrace.

   ** Two advocates for clergy sex abuse victims and myself reported to you in a public hearing in Santa Ana that several sexual predators that were never prosecuted, all formerly employed by the Diocese of Orange and other religious institutions, were free to sexually abuse again and again. We presented serious concerns relating to unidentified sexual predators that all escaped prosecution because politically connected legal advisors and persons like yourself, interfered and obstructed justice, for POLITICAL GAIN.

   ** There were other government officials present at that hearing, Lynn Daucher and Lou Correa, both Catholics who have ENABLED the cover ups of sex abuse crimes committed by employees of the Diocese of Orange. They too never had the courtesy to address the issues that were publicly delivered to you at the hearing.

   ** Meghan's Law website is a joke! Who is supervising sex offender registration while you run away the State screaming that there are loopholes in California laws relating to teacher credentials, fearing that a sexual predator will fall through the cracks and teach in California.

   ** Michael Karl Sandoval and Carlos Melendez, both former teachers connected to the Diocese of Orange while also sharing the same attorneys, McCune & Harber, Sullivan & Ballog, Michael John Peffer, Albert Ballog, etc., are required to register as sex offenders but your so called legislation never addressed what law enforcement agency was responsible for supervising that sex offenders were legally meeting registration requirements. LOOK WHAT HAPPEN WITH JOHN STEVEN BURGESS.... Donna Jou is still missing.

   ** If you are going to run around the State acting like you are concerned about the protections of children, then please have the courtesy to respond to public testimony that alerted you and many other government officials to the dangers of sexual predators that never faced prosecution in a court of law, all because they were employees of the Diocese of Orange... thanks to persons like yourself and other politically connected individuals seeking POLITICAL GAIN.

   CHILDREN DO NOT VOTE... and CHILDREN DO NOT CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS! So, you like many other government and law enforcement officials play the concerned legislator when it is time for a statement to the press, BUT in reality, you are nothing but a POLITICIAN, an ENABLER in the horrific sex abuse crisis in this country.

2. Debby Bodkin says:
   October 21, 2007 11:41

   Greenhut's insight is an example of how absolute power corrupts absolutely. Speaking from the behaviors and public statements from OC Republicans during the past few years, we have only witnessed a secret society of politically connected leaders slowly destroying civil liberties and guaranteed freedoms of speech, press and opinion. Thoughts...

   ** Former Lt. Bill Hunt is demoted and punished for running for public office as ordered by OC Sheriff Carona. The OC Board of Supervisors approve Carona's spending of $100,000 to hire the firm of Jones & Mayer to deal with personnel issues... and a federal district Judge rules that Bill Hunt's activities were protected by free speech rights. Think about how many Republicans were involved in this fiasco and how rich self-serving Republican attorneys are financially gaining, despite committing legal malpractice.

   ** Janet Nguyen and Trung Nguyen ran for an open spot on the OC Board of Supervisors, Janet prevailed. Yet, the good 'ol boy networks of Republicans in the OC will make Janet's life hell, probably force her into financial and career ruin.... Why? Because Trung Nguyen did not win the Board of Supervisors' seat. And Trung Nguyen is a member of the secret political world of OC Republicans who could care less about civil liberties.

   ** Four former lay employees of the Diocese of Orange were challenged in a court of law for sex crimes committed against four of their female students. The Diocese of Orange is so politically connected to the Republican GOP that multiple judicial abuses, privacy violations and legal conflicts continued throughout the litigation proceedings. Corrective action is IMPOSSIBLE... afterall, the political advisor for the OC Sheriff and OC District Attorney are married to the Public Affairs Counsel for the OCDA. Does anyone truly believe that a Republican in violation of any law will ever be prosecuted in Orange County?

   Sadly, the only hope for the return of due process, civil liberties and freedoms of speech, press and opinion in the Orange County, is to knock all the arrogant, self-serving, cult-like and conflicted Republicans off their pedestal thrones. The OC Republican GOP needs to return to their roots.... where secret societies, cults, wolfpacking, defamation, slander and judicial abuses did not exist.

   It is unfortunate that more OC Republicans did not read Steven Greenhut's editorials months ago... maybe then this disgraceful example of a Republican party in OC would provide some hope to the public watching from afar.

3. Assemblyman Todd Spitzer says:
   October 21, 2007 13:54

   Wrongo Scott,

   There is no distinction in the law between a guilty plea and a nolo contendre plea for sentencing purposes. The issue here is why isn't the Teacher Credentialing Commission treating the two plea types the same for reporting to a prospective employer of the teacher applicant in a different jurisdiction? On your latter dig, you are wrong about my opinion. If it's a police officer, it should be exactly the same treatment. Guilty is guilty.

4. Debby Bodkin says:
   October 21, 2007 14:58

   Dear Assemblyman Spitzer:

   The Commission for Teaching Credentials is thorough, NON-POLITICALLY connected and does extensive screening before a teacher is issued a teaching credential. The least of your worries should be blaming the CTC for sexual predators that are hired as teachers in California. Assemblyman Spitzer.... as a representative of Orange, California, it would be in the interests of public safety if:

   ** You abandoned your so called concerns regarding legal loopholes in the CTC's screening of teachers. If a teacher falls through the cracks in California, trust me, it won't be the CTC's fault. The Commission is thorough and NON-POLITICAL. Sexual predators only get jobs as teachers if law enforcement and religious institutions INTENTIONALLY refuse to report sex crimes that destroyed lives.

   ** And, since you do represent the City of Orange, California, you may want to focus your efforts on identifying, investigating and prosecuting the many former employees of the Diocese of Orange guilty of sexually abusing children BUT were never reported, investigated or prosecuted -- all thanks to the OC Republican GOP leadership, OC Sheriff and OC District Attorney.

   ** After you have the final count of former employees of the Diocese of Orange guilty of sex abuse who are running free in society, free to sexually abuse innocent children again and again, take a look at your Meghan's Law website. You have some serious issues going on. Maybe you should review the testimony provided to you at a public hearing by myself, Joelle Casteix and Mary Pitcher... have you lost the notes?

   ** There are two former individuals politically connected to the Diocese of Orange, Michael Karl Sandoval (a 10 year teacher from Santa Margarita Catholic HS, 1992 - 2002) and Carlos Melendez, that have not updated their sex offender registration as mandated by law. And thanks to the graciousness of the OC District Attorney, Evan Molina, a former teacher at Santa Margarita Catholic who pled guilty to sex with a minor student in 2006, will never be required to register as a sex offender.

   ** While you are investigating legal loopholes within the CTC, maybe you should focus on the many former teachers supervised by the Diocese of Orange that will NEVER be legally required to register as a sex offender, thanks again to the OC Republican GOP: Evan Molina, Michael Harris, John Lenihan, Jeffrey Andrade, Jeffrey Seckman, Michael Pecharich, Albert Schildknect and many others.

   Last loophole for you to investigate, what happens when a teacher is accused of wrongdoing by a politically-connected religious institution or its attorneys, with intent to destroy a teacher's career, family and personal reputation, to gain litigation advantage just in time for a civil trial concerning Whistleblower activity in a politically-connected Catholic High School? Assemblyman Spitzer... Clean your own house before you start pointing blame at the CTC.

   And if legislators like yourself continue in office, it will be forever impossible to identify the law enforcement personnel who aided and abetted the Diocese of Orange and other religious institutions in shielding sexual predators from criminal and civil court sanctions. How many more sexual predator employees supervised by the Diocese of Orange will be set free all because no one can identify what law enforcement official is taking bribes, failing to report or investigate?

   Take care of business in the cities you represent..... the CTC and school districts are doing a good job of protecting our children -- unlike government, law enforcement and religious leaders who place the protections of children at their lowest priority.

5. Debby Bodkin says:
   October 21, 2007 15:20

   Assemblyman Spitzer:

   While you attempt to focus on cleaning the house of the cities you represent, specifically, the City of Orange, where the Diocese of Orange conducts its business, please find out what LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL enabled the former principal's son at Santa Margarita Catholic HS, who pled guilty to violations of 626.9 PC, possession firearm on school grounds and 12025(a)(1)(b)(6), carry concealed firearm in vehicle, Case No. 01SF0196, to escape criminal penalties.

   Will the law enforcement official(s) personnel files be kept confidential from the public's view? Do you think the public has the right to know who and why a politically connected principal's son escaped criminal violations of the law when others are held accountable?

   Without accountability, without viewing law enforcement personnel files, corruption will continue in Orange County. This places the safety of children, adults and employees at serious risk. Maybe you can create a Task Force and conduct a further study.