Tony Rackauckas

The recent termination of Michelle Emard as media director for the Orange County district attorney's office is a reminder of the mounting mismanagement and misconduct by Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas. In spite of Rackauckas' promises of improvement, the grievance memo written by Emard shows that the problems are serious and getting worse. The performance of the district attorney is of no small consequence. He determines against whom punishment should be sought, and the level of that punishment.

Re "Infant Murder Charges Dropped," June 11: How much longer can Orange County voters put up with the incompetence of Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas? A Superior Court judge threw out first-degree murder charges against Teresa Hurtado, a young woman who had been incarcerated since May 5, after the district attorney's office claimed that she had caused the death of an infant when baby-sitting. Had they bothered to check on the child's health record or even waited for the autopsy results, which clearly showed that the child had a congenital heart defect, this young innocent woman could have been spared the nightmare of being held in jail.

An arbitrator has ordered Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas to reinstate a veteran homicide prosecutor who was fired in 2001 after asking state authorities to investigate the district attorney for alleged wrongdoing. Mike Jacobs, a 25-year prosecutor who once managed the office's homicide unit, was terminated a few months after asking the state attorney general to investigate Rackauckas for alleged misdeeds, including intervening in cases on behalf of friends and political allies.

Newport Beach businessman Patrick Di Carlo had been investigated by the Orange County district attorney's office for so long that he said it amounted to harassment. He thought it was time for a new district attorney. Tony Rackauckas was an Orange County judge known as an independent thinker who believed in giving people who deserved it second chances.

Re "Hey Tony, This Term Don't Be a Wiseguy," Jan. 22: It's all politics as usual, whether it's possible war in Iraq or war in the Orange County district attorney's office. Tony Rackauckas, a former judge, is well-aware of conflicts of interest, yet is unable to avoid the appearance of impropriety or conflicts? And what about the cost to the taxpayers for all the wrongful-termination actions brought against the county by fired and transferred employees? Anyone who supported his opponent in the election was denied the right of free speech based upon his dictatorial office policy.

The state attorney general's office has concluded that a top lieutenant of Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas was not truthful during a criminal probe of the office. State prosecutors also said that if the official is called as a witness in future criminal cases the office handles, he may be required to disclose his alleged deception to defense attorneys.

Re "D.A. Admits First Term Was Flawed," Jan. 17: It's heartening to learn that our D.A. had some negative comments on child pornography, "among the few he has made publicly" since the grand jury shed the light on some of his less heroic activities on behalf of friends. I admire a public official with the guts to speak out strongly on important issues and anticipate that in the near future he will endorse motherhood and, perhaps, take a powerful stand against cannibalism. And if things go well, it wouldn't surprise me if he tackled the evils of child labor.

Tony Rackauckas made a New Year's resolution to be a better district attorney. For a guy who was investigated in his first term by everyone but the surgeon general, that shouldn't be too tough. It's like a 3-year-old resolving to learn more words. Still, in both cases outside help is needed.

Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas has fired an investigator who two years ago raised concerns about the district attorney's ties to a Newport Beach businessman. Lyle Wilson had been on paid leave since February 2001, when Rackauckas accused him of mishandling an investigation involving Patrick Di Carlo, a close friend and political contributor to the district attorney.

Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas on Friday withdrew a request asking the Board of Supervisors to pay $50,000 to a law firm that helped him respond to a critical grand jury report after the county CEO opposed the request. County Executive Officer Michael Schumacher was not available Friday to elaborate on his reasons for red-flagging the item.