"The maximum penalty it could have imposed was $10,000; they declined to do it in this case, the decision states, is because they didn't find any evidence the SVLG or Wayland intended to conceal, deceive or mislead the public." montereycountyweekly.com/blogs/fppc-din…
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Yesterday I spoke with Jenna Rinehart, commission counsel at the FPPC in the enforcement division.
The entry on the legal brief regarding Wayland's prior history of violations was not accurate.
Wayland failed to disclose the accurate source of loaned funds 2003-2004 and
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a 2008 investigation led to a $7,000 fine for Wayland.
(the total "loan" was from Don Chapin of Don Chapin Concrete and Scott Scheid of Scheid Wineries in the amount of $70,000).
That said, under FPPC rules prior violations do not necessarily mean a higher punishment.
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Bradley Zeve's Mary Duan,
his managing editor (who in my opinion should have been fired over a year ago but Zeve has doubled down in his support 🤔) knew or should have known about Wayland's history.
It's a piece with a soft landing for a guy like Wayland - with deep ties
John Fickas has a Marsden Hearing today where he will claim he had ineffective counsel following a plea deal that got him 28 years 8 months for multiple rape cases.
The twist? Fickas is a key figure in a MoCo bribery probe involving many public officials. His counsel? A 43 year
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old @GavinNewsom appointed to the local judicial bench.
Gavin Newsom made John Fickas' public defender a judge.
That smacks of a pat on the back for a job well done - putting out a huge dumpster fire.
Fickas sued Mike Hackett and Sal Jimenez (and others) on a PI claim.
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The story was NEVER reported on by @bradleyzeve's managing editor @maryrduan - who considers Hackett a WYSIWYG sort of "buddy".
Sal Jimenez is partners with his Uncle Hector Campos in Bankers Casino a card room in #Salinas.
"Endorsement Flap costs Bernal" read the headline.
That wasn't remotely accurate. The endorsement flap cost Miller - as intended.
There is a lot to this article - Chris Marohn worked on this and other issues. Chris Marohn was paid by John Phillips' campaign manager Plasha Will
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it was an effort to install a sheriff who would look the other way on the Monterey County organized crime syndicate - of sorts - with INTERNATIONAL ties.
* think Panama Papers.
Sheriff Miller wasn't able to be bought, wasn't a "team player" and after winning office in an
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unlikely upset in 2010 - Miller went on to quickly fire sheriff employees / COPS who were breaking the law. Not the patrol cops but high ranking mgmt officers.
The narcs of @MCoSheriff then targeted one of Miller's drug addicted sons - as an opening salvo into a 4 year
Guns, money and drugs - nothing good is coming from this and in this area, politics is upsetting the apple cart. The middle kid is @LULAC (Castroville) Chris Padilla's grandson.
Judge John Phillips and @LeonPanetta12's buddy - so much so Judge Tom Wills ...
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helped out.
.@PhillipsForSup "the kingmaker" steered Wills into judgeship. Wills is a former partner of cocaine lawyer Bill Bryan - the final iteration of that firm was Bryan, Ames, Wills & Benoit.
(Don Chapin, Sam Farr, Dennis Donohue, "Judge" John Phillips)
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Chapin, Farr, Donohue and Phillips all PAY @RepJimmyPanetta's consultant Plasha Will big money - and for that Plasha Will performs "political miracles".
There isn't anything miraculous about it - the entire system is rigged folks.
.@GavinNewsom surprised everyone by appointing this public defender a judge in corrupt MoCo.
Within hours there was a controversy. It turns out Jennifer Davenport (a product of Jesuit law school training - more on that later) was political consultant John Fickas' attorney
and he was about to receive a sentence of 28 yrs 8 months for rape and sexual assault.
Yesterday, one day after Jennifer Davenport was appointed a highly sought after judgeship - Fickas filed a Marsden Motion.
A Marsden Motion is where a judge, counsel and
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defendant meet without the DA.
Politicos had BREATHED A SIGH OF RELIEF because they thought they had their "fat toes in back rows" silence Fickas - because Fickas has evidence of public corruption.
The case continues. Davenport's appointment now looks suspect - as
It's true Jimmy, your consultant Plasha Will was involved and associated with John Fickas, a man who nearly pled guilty to the rape and sexual assault of several minors.
Fickas is a political consultant. Fickas is a key figure and witness in a Monterey County public corruption
probe. Fickas, on Thursday, March 26, 2021 - while being prepared for sentencing at a predetermined 28 yrs 8 months suddenly fired his lawyer by requesting a Marsden hearing - which has its roots in Monterey County (1968).
Fickas is going to say that he had ineffective
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counsel and that the process was rigged.
The interesting twist? Fickas' attorney is/was Jennifer Davenport. Jennifer Davenport was just made a judge in MoCo by soon to be recalled governor @GavinNewsom.
It seems obvious to me that Fickas will claim that his own lawyer
Mary Duan begged me to be a source for her 2010-2014. In 2014 Duan approached me at a campaign function to commiserate about a guy named Jeff Woods who had harassed her minor son, at the time.
From 2014 - 2019 I had a working relationship with Duan until I cut her off in 2019.
The reason I cut her off is because I found her to be dishonest. She was covering up an appellate decision for her "friend" Mike Hackett a local cocaine trafficker and marijuana kingpin.