Q&A with D.A. candidate Totten

Q. It's been reported that your opponent has raised more than a half-million dollars on this campaign and his father has contributed most of that amount. What is your reaction to that?
A. My opponent and his father's effort to buy this election is very troubling to me and I believe it will be very troubling to the electorate. As of the last campaign finance report my opponent's father had given him nearly $450,000. Less than 1 percent of his campaign contributions come from people who work and live in Ventura County. In just about any other race (for the state legislature, for congress, for governor, for president) gifts of this magnitude would be illegal. My opponent's father, Sam Bamieh, who has been fined twice by the Fair Political Practices Commission for laundering campaign contributions, has even stated, "I can give my son $10 million to win this race." And, my opponent has stated he'll spend "whatever it takes."
While it's appropriate for parents to help their children get an education and perhaps even help them purchase their first home, buying your child a job is an altogether different proposition and I believe it is simply wrong.

Q. What is the salary for a rookie D.A. and for a senior deputy D.A.?
A. There is a salary range for both of these positions. On average a new prosecutor without prior legal experience receives a salary of approximately $46,000 and a senior deputy DA receives a salary of approximately $100,000.

Q. How much has been raised for you campaign to date?
A. As of Feb. 8 we had raised approximately $280,000. This includes a $25,000 loan I made to my campaign. In contrast to my opponent, well over 95% of the funds I have raised come from people who live and work in this county. I have received over 700 individual contributions from people who know me and trust me to protect their safety. The vast majority of my contributions are small donations ranging from $25 to $100.

Q. Why would you spend that kind of money campaigning for a job that pays less than that yearly?
A. Great question! This level of campaign expenditures would be unnecessary but for the fact that I am running against someone who will spend well over a $1 million on his campaign. Indeed, I fully expect to be outspent by a factor of 5-to-1. I did not become a prosecutor to make a lot of money. I chose this profession because it is personally satisfying to help crime victims and protect a community I care deeply about.
I am running for District Attorney because, first and foremost, I want to serve this community and make it even safer. I believe I am the most qualified candidate. I have tried cases involving everything from Drunk Driving to Capital Murder. I have been a leader in the office for nearly 15 years and have supervised people and programs in every single division in the office. I currently serve as Chief Assistant District Attorney and in that capacity am second in command to Mike Bradbury and oversee a budget of $47 million and a staff of 600. I also served three years as Executive Director of the California District Attorney's Association in Sacramento where I wrote and successfully advanced legislation that increased the punishment for child killings, aggravated child molest and rape and enhanced California's death penalty law. Most importantly, I am committed to this community and making a difference for every single resident of Ventura County.

Q. It's been said that Michael Bradbury is one of the toughest DA's in the state, if not the country. Which of his policies would you change and why?
A. I also have a reputation in law enforcement circles and among my colleagues and peers as being a very tough prosecutor. I helped develop and enforce many of the tough on crime policies which distinguish the Ventura County District Attorney's Office from many other prosecutor offices that engage in plea bargaining. I believe criminals must be held fully accountable for their criminal wrongdoing and am unwilling to sacrifice public safety for the expediency of courtroom deal making. At the same time, I believe we also have a responsibility to prevent crime before it starts. Nowhere is this responsibility more important than with the youth of Ventura County. Youth crime prevention programs that fight school truancy, mentor at risk children and deter kid's from becoming involved with gangs and drugs will be a big priority in my administration. I also want to work more closely with community groups and neighborhood councils to ensure that we are listening and addressing those crime problems that matter most to the community.

Q. Which individuals or agencies have endorsed you?
A. Sheriff Brooks, District Attorney Bradbury and every police chief in Ventura County along with Fire Chief Roper are supporting my candidacy for District Attorney. I have also been endorsed by the deputy sheriffs, prosecutors and firefighters associations along with the Ventura, Oxnard, Santa Paula and Port Hueneme police officer associations. I have also been endorsed by Congressman Elton Gallegly, Assemblymembers Hannah Beth Jackson, Tony Strickland and Keith Richman, Superintnedent of Schools Dr. Charles Weis, Supervisors Kathy Long, Judy Mikels, John Flynn and Frank Schillo, Ojai Mayor Steve Olson and the mayors of most cities in Ventura County and countless other elected officials.

Q. What would you consider to be your most successful prosecution?
A. The People vs Gregory Scott Smith case where the defendant abducted, bound and gagged, sexually assaulted and murdered an eight year old boy. After a five month trial the defendant was sentence to death for his crime.

Q. The position of DA has become almost solely administrative. Mr Bradbury, although he personally expressed interest in prosecuting high-profile cases, including Michael Raymond Johnson, who murdered a sheriff's deputy, ultimately gave that case to Matt Hardy and Maeve Fox. Do you see yourself prosecuting any cases?
A. The District Attorney's first responsibility is to lead and manage a large prosecutors office and that duty will no doubt consume most of my time. However, my first love as a prosecutor is trial work and I fully plan to try cases on a regular basis.

Q. How are you going to handle the projected budget cuts in your department?
A. I am going to handle those cuts by reducing the size of management and other costs in areas that will not impact the safety of this community. I also plan to continue aggressively seeking other sources of funding. Our budget is currently 40% revenue offset and we must always be innovative in seeking other funding sources to protect this community. For example, I established a grant writing program that in its first year of operation obtained over $2 million in additional funds from the state and federal government.

Q. Because of the cuts, do you anticipate more plea bargaining?
A. Absolutely not!

Q. Should the state act on death penalty convictions within a mandate period of time, say 3-5 years after sentencing?
A. Yes the courts need to act more quickly and responsibly to expedite the processing of death penalty cases. While cases of defendants sentenced to the ultimate punishment should be carefully scrutinized to ensure the punishment is correct and just, death penalty appeals need to be addressed more promptly, here in California, we have a death penalty law on the books that has been carried out less than ten times in the 25 years that have passed since its reinstatement. Meanwhile over 600 inmates sit on death row, some for decades, while their appeals drag on endlessly in the courts with little hope for finality for the victims family and loved ones.

Q. Please make any statement that you would like to offer to the people of the Ojai Valley:
A. I want to protect you, your children, your businesses and your property by being the toughest, most principled and effective District Attorney this county has ever known. As District Attorney, I will run a tough crime fighting office that will always be trusted to do what is right and will never permit political expedience to interfere with your safety and or the cause of justice. I ask for and would be honored to receive your support.

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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