Can we afford the Salzman connection?

Just who is Richard Salzman? Little is known about the man personally. Google him and
supposedly, he moved to  Humboldt from the Bay area and in 2002 helped Paul Gallegos run for office.

He is openly associated with Redwood Progressives and Alliance for Ethical Business, both
which he started. He is a political activist, campaign guru for any progressive candidate that
runs for office and an artist’s representative for illustrators, according to Salzman
international website.

He has managed every campaign for Paul Gallegos since he ran for office. He managed Chris
Kerrigan’s campaign when Chris defeated Rex Bohn for Eureka City Council in 2004. He walked
with Chris  in his recent bid for 4th District Supervisor this June. Even though
Natalyne DeLapp was the “campaign manager” for Paul Gallegos’s last election and Mitra
for Chris in June 2014, it was Salzman out front and center walking with these candidates.

In Chris' recent election challenge against Virginia Bass, Rose Welsh posted several posts and past articles on her blog, watchpaul. She asked Chris a LOCO election question in which she said, “ In your recent fundraising letter you claim that Rex Bohn raised “upwards of $150,000” in your 2004 contest for Eureka City Council, suggesting that you were vastly outspent.” She countered that with numbers that showed differently. She went on to say, “It was a big scandal back in 2004 when Richard Salzman sent out a similarly toned letter on your behalf. He was forced to apologize after the Times-Standard and the Eureka Reporter called upon you to denounce these tactics.

The Times-Standard editorial was titled “A vote against the politics of personal attack,” which
noted that “It’s about how we choose our elected leaders, and if we’re willing to support the
politics of personal attack as the nasty new standard in local elections.” The Eureka Reporter
said, “We, as a community, cannot tolerate a campaign based upon smear, vitriol and name-
calling.” Do you agree? Will you send a follow up email to your list, and apologize now for the latest ‘misstatements’?

Chris Kerrigan responded to Rose, “ When referring to my 2004 city council race, I mistakenly mentioned that Rex Bohn spent upwards of $150,000 to defeat me. I apologize for the error.” He never apologized for using the same tactic against Virginia.

Chris cannot even think for himself. He was going to run for Mayor of Eureka but changed last minute to run against Virginia. Was it because that is what Salzman told him to do? The big bad developers and GPU was the smear tactic they used this time and it failed at the ballot. In the November 2014 election, we are waiting to see what, if any office,  Chris Kerrigan will run for; maybe he has not received the Salzman memo on what his future plans are?

Undoing the damage caused by electing an unqualified candidate with Richard Salzman as handler has no time limit and a high price tag. The June 2014 election was a referendum on Salzman.

This is not to take away from the victory of any candidate but in the last election, especially the DA’s race, people said a resounding no to the Paul Gallegos and Richard Salzman legacy. Even Paul’s previous supporters were split between four candidates. People wised up to the 12 year destruction of the DA’s office caused by Salzman pulling the strings behind the scenes.

For 12 years, the local media never ran an article that was not pro-Paul or without a Paul
spin.

The crime headlines speak differently .

Taking just the headlines of Lost Coast Outpost or the Times-Standard, even just in the past month, you can see that almost every crime story has a marijuana or drug connection, overwhelmingly people moving out of town to grow. The industrial grows, the environmental impact, the rents skyrocketing even made national headlines. Check out these links from USA Today and Huffington Post and Times-Standard, in which Congressman Jared Huffman asks for more resources against trespass grows and calls them the greatest emerging threat to public safety.

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26183301/congressmans-letter-asks-more-resources-against-trespass-grows

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/high-times/murder-mayhem-marijuana_b_4228303.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/03/pot-town-industrial-
growers/1679181/

Salzman criticizes law enforcement and used this in past elections to his advantage but it did not work this time.  It was Paul’s increase from 10 to 99 plants and prosecution of trimmers not growers that has led to increase in crime and environmental abuse. It is Paul’s turning the other way and not being aggressive about prosecuting large, out of town growers that has led to cartels and increase in violent crimes associated with marijuana and other drugs.

Remember the My Word by attorneys Eddie Schrock and Jeffrey Schwartz in which they talked about a large grower getting 950 hours of community service in a Hydesville bust with 425 pounds of dried marijuana, more than 400 plants, and $175,00 in cash. This grower posted a $250,000 bail and plead no contest.

Paul went after trimmers not growers. Kym Kemp, in a LOCO post spoke of a two day court hearing which cost an excess of $10,000 to prosecute trimmers in Bridgeville.

Unions that are supposed to watch out for working class, blue collar people are now protecting government white collar employees and are in the business of “organizing weed growers.” When is the last time in a local election, the unions endorsed a pro-business candidate that was not associated with weed or Salzman?

Natalynne De Lapp, executive director of EPIC, was Paul’s campaign manager in the last
election. EPIC’s manager Amber Jamieson was arrested in June 2011 in multi-agency
Fieldbrook bust for approximately $1.5 million worth of processed marijuana and about 300
marijuana plants. Kinda hypocritical for activists and organizations who claim to be for the
environment and the working people.

And what was this money used for, not to hire and retain qualified prosecutors but to pay for expenses such as AR-15 rifles for DA investigators. Instead of  submitting budgets to the Board of Supervisors, Paul was busy screwing up trials of accused child molesters like Timothy Littlefield. Rumor has it while the last case’s mistrial is on appeal, a deal is being considered.

Public Defender budgets and court costs have risen because the courtrooms under Paul’s “management” are clogged with people accused of crimes. Robbery and murder because of marijuana and drugs is a common element. Mental illness further exacerbated by people self-medicating with drugs.

All this money that the supposed underground economy is pouring is not filtering down to
revenue that pays for services, schools or costs associated with crime. It does pay for lavish
alcohol and drug use, it does pay for eating and drinking for some people and the money does
not stay locally. People used to making money under the table are not suddenly going to start paying taxes for the community’s good, they will still use the black market.

Paul is not some brilliant attorney but he is someone Salzman could mold and control
and whose office could be used to further an agenda that is anti-business, anti-crime and anti-
growth.

Salzman uses certain themes for his candidates:  Paul is new, give Paul time.
Chris is new, give him time.

Salzman used Paul is for the little people vs Paul’s opponents who are backed by developers;
same tactic with Chris and Virginia. If Chris runs against Frank or Marian, same
argument.

Measure T then, Measure R now. Salzman claims to be for the little people yet he supports no growth candidates, always wanting to grow government bureaucracy, with vague ideas and funding that  requires government dole or cost to the taxpayers. Larry Glass, Bonnie Neely , Paul Gallegos all supported Measure T and were all supported by Salzman. Paul was funded by out of town money. The Sacramento Cannabis League held a fundraiser for Paul in 2011. That is just one example of out of town funding for candidates Salzman supports.

Salzman is using Fair Wage Act and GPU in 2014 elections. It failed in the 4th District election this June because these not the issues most people care about.

From his own site votechriskerrigan.com, this is what Chris says his accomplishments
are: two terms on the Eureka City Council from 2000-2008, and was President of the
Redwood  Region Economic Development Commission. His accomplishments:  managing
the campaign and the passage of measures S and T, two Eureka City School infrastructure
bonds. That is it. He brought forth ideas that resulted in nothing  and these ideas did not have
support from his fellow Council  members.

Chris Kerrigan endorsed John Edwards who lied and has no sense of ethics. He left his  position on Eureka City Council to go work on the Edwards campaign. So much for dedication to his actual job and responsibility to the Eureka taxpayers. As councilmembers, Chris Kerrigan and Larry Glass met with city employee Tawnie Hansen before she filed a lawsuit against then city manager David Tyson. They were not very forthcoming with details, even when pressed by  Times-Standard’s Thad Greenson..

Managing a pot dispensary in Arcata with no other real job for years does not qualify one to be a leader in local government. If Chris Kerrigan runs, will we see a government office used again for Salzman’s agenda?

Are we ready for more candidates who are not qualified to think on their own? Can we afford yet another Salzman connection?