"The Grand Jury's investigation was compromised when Glen Senestraro from Fortuna High School District violated his admonishment to speak about the investigation publicly and encouraged people to submit complaints."

(Redwood News Jim Glover)

(Redwood News Karen Paz Dominguez)

Better late than never does not work 24 hours before an election which has high stakes in local races.

Redwood News interviewed Humboldt Auditor-Controller Karen Paz Dominguez, then interviewed Humboldt Civil Grand Jury Foreperson Jim Glover yesterday.

Ms. Paz Dominguez posted the following on her campaign page:

"I wish I had known about this interview prior to yesterday.

Here's what I know:

- The Grand Jury has issued a report blaming me for a lot of the same things I reported to the Grand Jury 5 years ago when I was new to the County despite also recognizing that the dysfunction started decades ago. 

- The Grand Jury, per their foreman, started their actual investigation in March (just 3 months before they issued a report). 

- The Grand Jury, per their foreman, "investigated" by just having zoom interviews and doing "individual research". 

- The Grand Jury did not interview Auditor-Controller staff for their report about the Auditor-Controller. 

- The Grand Jury did not meet with me until AFTER their report was written. The meeting lasted one hour. They gave me 24 hours to provide evidence that their report was incorrect. I provided dozens of documents disproving their report within those 24 hours and they ignored it. They didn't even provide me a response.

- Per the Grand Jury foreman, it took "the court" less than one day to review and approve the report for publishing despite the expectation that it would take weeks.

- The Grand Jury sent me an email last Wednesday, less than one week after our meeting, with a pdf of the report attached and told me not to talk about it publicly until Friday after 12pm. The foreman then had it published on Thursday, a day before I could talk about it, allowing for the report to spread across social media and the press.

- I have not been provided a signed letter from the presiding judge to validate the Grand Jury's report as I have every other year. I'm not even sure which judge approved the Grand Jury's report.

- The Grand Jury's investigation was compromised when Glen Senestraro from Fortuna High School District violated his admonishment to speak about the investigation publicly and encouraged people to submit complaints.

- The Grand Jury presumably reversed its existing policy to not release a report in the months prior to a June election. They released this report 5 days before election day.

- As the subject of the Grand Jury's investigation, I should have been interviewed by all members of the grand jury. I was not.

- This was not "happenstance".

Here's what else I know:

- The A-C Office processes monthly payments to Grand Jury members. Those payments must be approved by the presiding judge before we can issue them. The Grand Jury foreman was rude to the A-C Office when he was new and didn't understand that we couldn't issue his payment because it hadn't been approved by the judge. 

- During a 2021 interview with the Grand Jury about another investigation, the Grand Jury foreman visibly shook his head as I spoke. He did this in front of the other Grand Jury members despite them receiving training to remain neutral in interviews. 

- Today, one of the Grand Jury members is going to be awarded a contract by the Board of Supervisors to open a cafe in the Humboldt County airport.

Today is election day. Please remember to vote."

Redwood News interview is too late to change anyone's mind. 

What isn't too late for those of you who have yet to vote today to realize the same people after Ms. Paz Dominguez are the ones who crush you every day while you struggle to survive in Humboldt where there has never been a level playing field and the rules never apply to those in charge of driving this county into despair.

What isn't too late is for those of you who continue to stay silent to wake up and realize that you are not immune to the abuse of power emanating from the courthouse.

To those of you, especially with money and power in this County, who whisper to me privately about the bullies at the courthouse, specifically First District Supervisor Rex Bohn and current Presiding Judge Gregory Elvine-Kreis, I don't have time to waste on you.

To those of you who fund, support and enable these bullies to be tyrants and destroy lives and livelihoods, I don't give a damn when they will throw you under the bus.

When you are affected by their actions, don't come to me.  If you think they won't turn against you; you are stupid.

You stand by silently like cowards, you have been weak and selfish and allowed these incompetent, pathetic people to get in power and done nothing. 

I was the first to publish the list of the civil grand jury members, the contract about the Grind Cafe and the owner of the Grind Cafe being on the Grand jury. Gabrielle Long called me right away after the post to say that she only served for a few months on the civil grand jury. 

I told Ms. Long, the timing of the contract being awarded right after the civil grand jury report, the stunt of serving Ms. Paz Dominguez at the press conference is all on the Board of Supervisors. It is relevant news which is why I posted about it this Saturday. How many people bid for the same contract? The BOS agenda only lists The Grind Proposal and one rejection letter to Teisha Mechetti.

I understand why some people post anonymously. However, the county employees, law enforcement, lawyers, people in the business and community who just use that cloak because they are cowards and want to intimidate anyone exposing them to the public are losers. They are the problem in and with Humboldt County. 

You are not voting today for a person. Your vote toward is to dismantle the imalance of power that has been choking Humboldt for decades and your vote can either increase or decrease the grip of  people like Bohn and Elvine-Kreis who think they can leech off taxpayers for their salary and not be accountable to the public.

Recent related posts:

https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-only-reason-i-am-voting-in-this.html?m=1

https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2022/06/chris-you-dont-determine-who-humboldt.html?m=1

https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2022/06/judge-hinrichs-policy-on-release-of.html?m=1

https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-grind-to-operate-humboldt-county.html?m=1

https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2022/06/you-go-girl-dont-let-them-put-on.html?m=1