The Board of Supervisors will be voting this Wednesday on new County Counsel partner of Cole: David Prentice. Why do We the People and their representatives (Board of Supervisors) want this substitute County Counsel who did not even comply with requests from his previous county's Grand Jury request? When asked to provide a $30,000 report paid for by the county on unethical behavior by the County District Attorney, Prentice told the Grand Jury "Sue me for it". That suit ended with $14 million paid out by the county. The question begs to be asked: why are we not hiring a local attorney that actually CARES about Trinity? The Cole Cota team has demonstrated an absolute aversion to safeguarding our Constitutional rights. A Madera resident who fought to keep a road open vital for fire fighting access, was charged with five misdemeanors by County Counsel David Prentice, charges that were later dismissed. Prentice had reached a secret agreement with the man's neighbors seemingly making a run around the local home association's authority over the road's use. The attorney representing the association was quoted ""Mr. Prentice, after filing the criminal action, called my office and when I informed him that it was my feeling that he filed this action solely to threaten Mr. Stamas, he said 'So sue me. Bring it on!'" Also stated in the local news was that in 2009, the Madera County Grand Jury scolded Prentice for failing to reveal that his wife and 18-year-old son had been hired by the Cota law firm, which, according to county officials, has been paid $2.7 million in legal fees by the county or its insurance carrier for handling cases during the last three years. The Grand Jury said Prentice's family working at the Cota law firm represented "at best, the appearance of a conflict of interest." Prentice himself left county employment in December 2010 and now is a partner in the Cota firm. When will our Supervisors toss this law firm where they belong? Out of our county! With this knowledge will they vote Prentice in as our County Counsel? Please call your Supervisor and urge them to select a local attorney that will have Trinity's best
interests at heart.Call the BOS Office: (530) 623-1217