LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Children owed
Editor: We owe it to our children and grandchildren to take care
of our beautiful state.
Gretchen Cingari
Santa Rosa
Oil is not king
Editor: One can only wonder with the recent disaster in the Gulf
of Mexico and the ecological catastrophe that will ensue, why oil
companies still believe oil should be king. Alternative energy
solutions should be a priority even with these companies since I’m
sure they will be wheeling and dealing to profit from them.
Technology once was thought to be the solution to any problem.
Let’s put that philosophy into overtime and get some real solutions
to our energy needs. Clean energy is the way of the future with
jobs being created and air becoming more healthy. A win-win
situation for everyone.
Victor J. Ortega
Windsor
Passalacqua supporter
Editor: Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua has
delivered on his promises to voters to turn the office around, give
crime victims a stronger voice, and hold violent gang members
accountable.  He professionalized our office with sound hiring
practices, ethical standards, consistency, and accountability. He
established Homicide, Elder Protection and Writs and Appeals Units,
ensuring murderers, sexual predators and those who physically and
financially abuse seniors are convicted and go to prison. As
assistant district attorney, I can tell you that Stephan relies on
his managers to give him our opinions and advice. We roundtable
significant cases so that decisions are informed, well thought out
and fair.
He ensured we joined the North Bay Regional Gang Task Force and
beefed up the Gang Unit for tougher prosecutions. Meanwhile, he
works tirelessly to prevent youth from joining gangs in the first
place. Community outreach has astronomically raised services,
compensation and restitution to victims.
Passalacqua is a visionary and innovator, bringing us the best
practices in public safety and victims’ services. With his
leadership on the Family Justice Center, a broad coalition has
raised almost $1.5 million in grant and private funding. In these
economic times, Passalacqua is the leader we need in the DA’s
office.
Christine Cook
Novato
Vote for Ravitch
Editor: I am urging the citizens of Sonoma County to vote for
Jill Ravitch for District Attorney. I worked in the District
Attorney’s Office for over 27 years under three District Attorneys
and retired as a Chief Deputy District Attorney, a
“third-in-command” position. I worked with Jill the entire time she
was there. From personal observation, I can attest that Jill is
honest, intelligent, hard working, and knowledgeable. She treats
victims with dignity and compassion. She insists that criminals
take responsibility for their crimes.
Jill’s background as a veteran prosecutor, a managing attorney
in the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office and, yes, a
criminal defense attorney, makes her the better candidate. She will
see that the resources of the Sonoma County District Attorney’s
Office will be used to fight crime and never for her own political
gain. One thing I know she will not do:  dismiss, compromise or
settle cases for unethical or unfounded reasons.
There are reasons that nearly every local law enforcement
association supports Jill.  There are reasons that the Sonoma
County Prosecutors Association has not endorsed either candidate:
1) they work with Stephan Passalacqua and 2) many of them have
never worked with Jill Ravitch. I did and that is why I have
endorsed Jill Ravitch for District Attorney.
Kathleen (Burgermyer) DeLoe
Carlsbad
Ravitch remembered
Editor: I recently recognized Jill Ravitch’s name on election
signs promoting her for District Attorney. The reason that I
recognized Jill’s name was because I worked with her on a special
circumstances homicide case more than 20 years ago. I was a
forensic scientist who analyzed blood evidence in the case and Jill
was a new prosecutor who was asked to handle the case through the
preliminary hearing. Although I have worked with many fine
attorneys on criminal cases through the years, I can only remember
a handful of names this long. The reason that I remember Jill
Ravitch’s name is because she was an excellent prosecutor: she was
prepared, she cared about the case, she stood her ground and she
was fair.
I have only recently moved to Sonoma County and I know little
about the incumbent, Stephan Passalacqua, or the office of the
Sonoma County District Attorney. I know, however, that Jill Ravitch
left the Sonoma County District Attorney’s office because she was
unhappy with the leadership. I also know this: any organization
that fails to retain their exceptional employees is not an
organization that is likely to excel. The District Attorney’s
Office performs a very important role in law enforcement in Sonoma
County and it needs the best leadership it can get. There is no
doubt in my mind that Jill Ravitch will do a great job for Sonoma
County.
Theresa Spear
Santa Rosa
Learn about DAs
Editor: This June 8, Sonoma County Voters will elect the
District Attorney, who is charged to promote the safety of our
communities by prosecuting those who break the law. As the
“peoples’ lawyer,” the DA is supposed to serve the interests of all
members of the community and to enforce the laws without prejudice,
bias, or political purposes.
A great deal of power and responsibility lies in the hands of
District Attorneys. Yet most voters don’t pay close attention to
the positions of DA candidates. Many voters simply skip this box on
the ballot. Many voters don’t realize that the District Attorney is
one of the most powerful elected officials in the state.
To help voters decide who to vote for, the Sonoma Chapter of the
American Civil Liberties Union posed 23 questions to Stephan
Passalacqua and Jill Ravitch, the two candidates for this position,
on the budget crisis, death penalty, drug laws, juvenile justice,
police use of force, rehabilitation and prevention, Three Strikes
law and immigration. Read their responses at www.aclusonoma.org.
Steven Fabian
Sebastopol