Latest news with #ScottSanders
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Arellano: O.C. public defender who exposed jailhouse snitch scandal is retiring, but not done
Aerosmith, the Eagles and the Rolling Stones crooned from the speakers at Vacation Bar in Santa Ana last Thursday. The gift table was near the entrance. Pizzas and cheesecake sat toward the back. At a photo booth, guests grabbed signs with all sorts of corny, apropos quips for a retirement party: Having fun is my new job. Still the boss. Goodbye to 9-5. It seemed like any other boomer farewell. But when the lights dimmed for a film tribute to Scott Sanders, even a stranger could surmise that the man of the hour was no ordinary office jockey. The longtime Orange County public defender changed local history in 2013 when he presented a judge with evidence that sheriff's deputies had illegally used jailhouse snitches for decades. Read more: O.C. officials repeatedly violated the Constitution in jail informant scandal, federal report finds Although prosecutors and law enforcement have long used jailhouse informants, they can't be tapped once the defendant has been charged and has a lawyer. Sanders claimed that the O.C. District Attorney's office repeatedly and knowingly violated this constitutional protection. Prosecutors, for their part, derided Sanders in court and to the press as a desperate hack willing to lie to defend Scott Dekraai, a client accused of massacring eight people at a Seal Beach salon. But Sanders was right. The judge, Thomas Goethals — a former homicide prosecutor — removed the D.A.'s office from the Dekraai case, saying he didn't believe the office could ethically pursue it. In 59 other cases, charges were dropped, convictions overturned or sentences reduced because of what Sanders uncovered in the O.C. snitch scandal. O.C. Sheriff Sandra Hutchens decided not to seek reelection in 2018 in the scandal's aftermath, the same year that Tony Rackauckas — district attorney since 1999 and a titan in the O.C. legal world — lost his bid for a sixth term by a huge margin. 'What he did was a monumental kind of tilt — a legal earthquake,' said Jack Earley, an O.C. public defender during the 1970s who is most famous for representing La Jolla socialite Betty Broderick in the murders of her ex-husband and his new wife. 'And Scott got there by doing the hard, dirty work a great public defender does.' Applause and aws erupted as soon as the film tribute began. There were photos of a baby-faced Sanders on his first day on the job, fresh from stints working for the Peace Corps and for lawyers representing fishermen affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. There were videos from bowling nights and rap battles with colleagues. The whoops were especially loud for editorial cartoons featuring Sanders and for screen grabs of headlines from across the country as his national profile rose. The biggest applause came for the last image: Sanders' new business card for the private practice he's starting. Over 100 people crammed into the sweltering Vacation Bar to celebrate him, while the establishment's hipster regulars quizzically looked on. His family was there, of course, including a son who's going to clerk for the L.A. County alternate public defender's office. Many of the attendees were current or former public defenders or judges, nearly all of whom declined to talk to me on the record. There were also folks like Paul Wilson, who lost his wife in the Seal Beach massacre and initially loathed Sanders until realizing the snitch scandal was real. The two went on to speak about their unlikely friendship at victims' rights conferences across Southern California, and Wilson plans to help Sanders however he can. 'God bless him for being a warrior,' Wilson said. 'Someone who is honest and works to the bone like Scott, I want him on my team.' Matt Ferner was also there. He's a former reporter who covered the snitch scandal for the Huffington Post. 'Scott's work changed the trajectory of my life,' Ferner said. 'He was patient with my questions and courageous with what he sought to prove. He's an example of how to live and work, many times over.' Clad in a football jersey that read 'OCPD' and the number 32, to signify how many years he worked as a public defender, Sanders reveled in all the love. When he wasn't hugging people or shaking their hand, he was being pulled to the photo booth. 'I feel lucky so many good people are here,' the 58-year-old said during one of his few quiet moments. 'It's been great to see all this support, but it also hurts. I'm not going to have them anymore day in, day out.' Suddenly, Goethals cut in between us. His retirement on March 31, after seven years as an appellate judge, just so happened to fall on Sanders' last day as a public defender. 'Write a good one about him,' Goethals told me with a laugh, 'because he's one of the good ones.' Read more: How the pursuit of justice in the Seal Beach mass shooting forged an unlikely friendship My wife was also there so we could both pay our respects to Sanders. He's a longtime customer at her Santa Ana restaurant, Alta Baja Market, to the point that I know his current go-to order (esquites salad and water with ice in a chilled mason jar), and my wife affectionately calls him "Pinche Scott" for causing so much trouble. He frequently holes up at a back table for hours with his laptop and mounds of documents, stopping only to take calls outside while my wife's workers keep an eye on his stuff. I had a front-row seat to the unfolding snitch scandal through the cartoons I commissioned and the stories I edited for OC Weekly. What Sanders did — knock out a popular sheriff and district attorney in a law-and-order county — was unprecedented and gave progressive activists a dash of hope that Orange County was changing for the better. In the process, Sanders became something rare in O.C. politics: a bona fide hero. 'The first time I met him, I thought, 'Oh my God, that's Scott Sanders,'' said Rose Angulo, who joined the O.C. public defender's office in 2017 after a stint as a federal public defender. She wore a button that said "Scott Sanders for D.A. 2022," a gag campaign his colleagues created that year. 'He would get walls of media attention, but he always had the same level of dedication to the cases that didn't get any news, and dedication to the rest of us. To the end, he had the same energy as our law clerks.' While my wife posed in the photo booth with Sanders, I caught up with his Alta Baja lunch buddy, public defender Brian Resnick. 'We're gonna miss his leadership by example the most,' said the 17-year veteran. 'He'd be doing a felony trial, yet take the time to discuss my cases with me. He didn't have to do that.' No matter how much I tried, I couldn't snag a few minutes with Sanders. So I finally did what everyone else was doing: grabbed him and darted to the photo booth. To the end, Sanders was getting results. Earlier this year, the O.C. Sheriff's Department and District Attorney's Office reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to reform their use of jailhouse informants. Last month, a San Diego judge called the actions of former O.C. prosecutor Ebrahim Baytieh — now an O.C. Superior Court judge — "reprehensible" in a murder case that had been transferred to San Diego because of the snitch scandal. Those developments convinced Sanders that his work on the snitch scandal was finally, truly over — and it was time to begin putting L.A. County, where he has lived for decades, onto his anti-corruption radar. I asked Sanders how he planned to spend his first days not being a public defender. A giant grin spread across his face. 'I'm going to volunteer with the office for a week. Then, I'm going to find the most challenging cases I can find — murder, death penalty.' Did he make a difference? He nodded vigorously. "We instilled a fear that if you cheat, you will be found out at some time," Sanders replied. "You can't hide. There's no time you can be comfortable cheating." Someone interrupted us. Sanders went back into the photo booth, looking like the happiest guy in the world. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Property tax bill removing rollback system passes House, Senate subcommittees
Scott Sanders, city manager of Des Moines, left, spoke to House lawmakers in a subcommittee meeting on property tax legislation March 26, 2025. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Promising that movement will continue to be slow, panels in both the Iowa House and Senate moved forward Wednesday with the major property tax proposal set forward by legislative Republicans. Subcommittees for House Study Bill 313 and Senate Study Bill 1208 were held Wednesday, the first public hearings for the property tax legislation that Rep. Bobby Kauffman, R-Wilton and Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs introduced in early March. The legislation would change Iowa's local property tax system from a 'rollback' to a 'revenue-restricted' system, according to the legislators. Currently, residential property taxes are calculated by assessing the market value of a property, a portion of which is taxable. The Iowa Department of Revenue sets the rate of how much of the property's value can be taxed each year based on the growth of statewide taxable properties — but the rollback system limits how much the aggregate value of residential property can grow each year to 3%. The new system would remove this rollback restriction, allowing taxable property value to grow by a larger margin in the state. However, there would be new limits in place that would limit property tax growth, Dawson and Kauffman said, including measures that cap the increase of most property tax levy rates to 2% each year — excluding new construction — and that limits the amount of new tax revenues that local governments can collect. The new system would be phased in over the course of five years. Several speakers at the subcommittee meetings expressed concerns about the 2% growth cap. Amy Campbell, representing Polk County, suggested that instead of a flat rate, the growth cap should be attached to the consumer price index (CPI) or the Midwest employee index 'since human resources and employee costs are a large part of the budgets and county government.' Jolly Omar with the city of Pleasant Hill said the 2% cap could have a negative impact on cities' ability to keep up with inflation as it relates to services and staffing that residents. 'The 2% hard cap is a little too restrictive when you take into account CPI, when you take into account public safety costs — again, those are expanses that for Pleasant Hill, about 50% of our property tax dollars go towards the support of public safety,' Omar said. 'So we just want to help bring some context with that.' Scott Sanders, city manager of Des Moines, expressed similar concerns, saying that public safety makes up 60% to 70% of a city's general fund spending. In Des Moines, he said, public safety costs grow 4% each year. 'The 2% will not reconcile with that,' Sanders said. 'The 2% cap, coupled with the historic 4% growth in public safety, would force Des Moines to make about $2 million of additional cuts each year continuously.' Sanders and other speakers also brought up concerns about the changes to revenues collected through tax increment financing (TIF) — a mechanism where increased property tax revenues in a designated TIF district from development in that area go toward public improvements in that district. He said he feared the change would stop cities from pursuing these projects. 'A new development within a TIF district will not generate the future additional general operating lending dollars that are needed,' Sanders said. 'Obviously, those projects are breeding additional needs for services. There is no motivation at that point for communities to incentivize the projects, because they're not getting any additional tax dollars for operations at any point.' Dawson said he did not agree with concerns brought up about TIF districts, saying that if 'TIF is your first concern on property tax reform, you're not concerned about property tax reform.' He said while these projects may be financially beneficial for developers and cities, they do not benefit most taxpayers. 'The people involved in TIF are probably going to make some money off it, and everyone else has to have a bad system and a high TIF rate to support it,' Dawson said. 'And by the way, from a state budget standpoint, we're here to make you whole at the tune of $95 million a year right now, the state of Iowa is supplementing on TIF, which we are robbing from school districts.' The bill also shifts $426 million funding for K-12 schools currently paid for using property taxes to the state. Dawson told reporters this would not result in an increased cost to the state, as these funds would be reallocated from existing tax credits that would be eliminated by the legislation. Margaret Buckton, representing the Urban Education Network and Rural School Advocates of Iowa, warned that while the state taking over the levies funding public schools under the current formula will result in a lower cost for property taxes, it could make it more difficult for schools to get needed funding from the state. 'What that does is makes it a lot harder for schools to convince you and the public that they have enough money, because you see your line item going up in investment (from the state) and don't necessarily see what the property taxpayer would have paid,' Buckton said. 'We are struggling with adequate funding, and this doesn't make it easier to do that, but understand that gives property tax relief.' Rep. Larry McBurney, D-Urbandale, said he was glad to see the process of this bill going 'a little bit slower' than previous discussions on property tax changes and that he still had issues with the legislation. However, he said the bill could be a good vehicle for needed changes to Iowa's property tax law. 'I will give credit where credit is due, and that is, this is a very bold change to our property tax code,' McBurney said. 'I think that there are a lot of things in here that are workable. There are concerns that I have, speaking with my city leaders and speaking with my school districts that I would like to see addressed. … (I'm) not ready to call it a property tax cut yet, because I don't think we've seen a true cut since we started doing this in 2013, but I am hopeful.' Kaufmann said he appreciated the feedback from local officials and advocate groups on the issue, pointing to multiple areas brought up by lobbyists that were areas 'to work on' like TIF components and education funding consistency. He said these discussions were why he 'committed to moving slowly on this.' 'That's why there was two weeks in between subcommittee and the bill being released,' Kaufmann said. 'There'll be two more weeks in between subcommittee and committee, and then after that, I'm sure we'll have a couple more weeks after that, where we will then continue to solicit feedback and hopefully put forth an amendment that most of us can agree on.' House Speaker Pat Grassley said Republicans are 'not trying to rush anything forward' and were still assessing the full impact of the proposed changes to Iowa's property tax system. 'When you're trying to tackle something of this magnitude, it isn't something you should rush forward,' Grassley told reporters earlier in March. 'But we've been having some good meetings with groups coming in … and I think we need to be very deliberate, because this is a significant change to the current system.' Though legislators said they plan to take their time with the measure, Dawson said he believed moving forward with the measure was necessary to lower costs for Iowa taxpayers. 'I've got to say that, either we do something in this (form) or we do nothing at all and stay in the current system, which isn't fair to the taxpayers,' Dawson said. 'And I'm not sure some other entities out there can survive underneath that.'
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Des Moines may raise parking ticket fines in an effort to fill budget hole. How much:
Des Moines parking tickets could get a bit pricier. Parking fines could go up to $20 from $15 within city limits. The proposal is among the recommendations Des Moines has made to help address a $17 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year 2026 budget, which starts July 1. City Manager Scott Sanders mentioned the possible fine increase during Des Moines City Council's hours-long budget discussion in late February, then again during a public budget information session at Polk County River Place. "Every little piece helps," Sanders told a crowd of more than 50 people gathered at the public budget session. More: Staff cuts, customer trash bill increases: highlights from Des Moines' budget discussion The city collected about $1 million in parking violations in the fiscal year 2025, according to the city's recommended budget. Des Moines has projected the budget shortfall after a state-mandated cap on property tax revenue growth passed in 2023 and also because of rising costs of services and materials. The Des Moines City Council will vote on the new budget in April. A notable cut includes the city's two-person sustainability office, whose positions were eliminated in mid-January. Residents and climate activists have decried the move, imploring the city to reinstate the office. Des Moines City Manager Scott Sanders also recommended cutting Birdland Pool, a beloved northside fixture, but it was rescinded after public pushback. The pool will likely stay open through the 2026 summer season, though not without impacts on other services. Community members can provide suggestions and feedback on the proposed budget at More: Des Moines' Birdland Pool could get closure reprieve People who receive a parking ticket in Des Moines can pay for it either online or by mailing-in or dropping off a check or cash to the City Clerk at 400 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines, IA, 50309. People also can pay with a credit card at the clerk's office, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. People can appeal their parking ticket within seven days of receiving it by filling out an online form or requesting a paper copy at the clerk's office. Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@ Follow her on X at @vbarreda2. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: City of Des Moines looks to raise cost of parking tickets to $20
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Birdland Pool could see another summer under new budget proposal
DES MOINES, Iowa — The historic and beloved Birdland Pool could see another summer under a new budget proposal. The City of Des Moines is facing a $17 million budget shortfall, and in an attempt to make up for it, Birdland Pool was put on the chopping block. Residents and city council members spoke out against the closure, saying the pool is worth saving due to its vital role in an underserved neighborhood and its important history. Des Moines City Manager Scott Sanders said closing Birdland Pool after the 2025 swimming season was due to low attendance and high repair costs. Now, Sanders is proposing an amendment to the previously released budget that would keep Birdland Pool open for another summer. 'This proposal provides a path forward for Birdland Pool for an additional summer under the current budget constraints the City of Des Moines is facing,' Sanders said in a statement. Des Moines Art Center begins removing Greenwood Pond: Double Site The amended proposal includes: Rotating weekly closures at five major aquatic facilities. The weekly closures would occur twice a year at each facility and would save about $100,000 annually. Closing the indoor Reichardt Community Recreation Center pool when outdoor pools are open during the summer. This would save about $40,000 annually. Ending the Neighborhood Association Capacity Building Grant Program, which would save about $40,000. The City Council will have to approve the new budget proposal in order for Birdland Pool to remain open for the 2026 swimming season. There are several public meetings remaining for residents to attend and learn more about the budget proposal. Dates and times are listed below: Public Budget Information Session at Polk County River Place on February 25 at 6 p.m. Public Information Session at Pioneer Columbus Community Recreation Center on February 26 at 6 p.m. Public hearing on new budget property taxes held by the Des Moines City Council on March 24 at 7:30 a.m. Public hearing on the budget held by the city council on April 7 at 5 p.m. To learn more about the budget process visit the city's website. Metro News: WATCH: Semi fire reported on I-80 near Altoona Birdland Pool could see another summer under new budget proposal Des Moines Art Center begins removal of Greenwood Pond: Double Site Urbandale schools to vote on leaving CIML Monday Fleeing car crashes into Des Moines ministry building Monday, police say Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City of Des Moines facing $17 million budget shortfall
DES MOINES, Iowa — The City of Des Moines is facing a $17 million shortfall in the fiscal year 2026 budget. According to Des Moines City Manager Scott Sanders, the several million dollar shortfall was caused by two things — a new state law resulting in reductions in property tax revenue growth and rising costs of services and materials. Illinois man accused of traveling to Ottumwa and sexually abusing minor sentenced 'This budget presents an enormous challenge and many tough decisions,' Sanders said in a statement. 'Our finance department and I have worked to find solutions to address this shortfall that minimize impact to our residents who depend on our services daily and to our city staff who provide those vital services.' Sanders released several recommendations to address the shortfall on Monday. Those recommendations include: The use of city reserves. Attrition, department reorganization, and adjustment of service. The city would leave unfilled roles vacant and would adjust the hours that certain services are available. The reallocation of costs. Several departments and organizations, including the police and fire departments, library, and parks and recreation department, could face significant budget cuts. Changes to fees and revenue. Sanders' full proposed budget is expected to be released on February 5. Two public budget information sessions will be scheduled so residents can learn more about the budget challenges and proposed changes before the City Council's first formal public budget hearing on March 24. To read more about the recommendations addressing the budget shortfall click here. Metro News: Local ice cream maker surpasses goal to open shop in Highland Park Play + Do, Blank Park introduces new program for visitors DSM gamers spend weekend designing games for Global Game Jam Tri for a Cause event helps support girls' athletics 2 people, 2 pets safe after house fire near Cambridge Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
