For the second time in less than a week, mailboxes in Davis and probably the rest of Yolo County received an attack mail piece. This time it was the race for Yolo County Superior Court Judge and Judge Dan Maguire, the incumbent was on the short end of it.
In addition to touting the Deputy DA’s record and endorsements from Yolo County Sheriff Ed Prieto, and the West Sacramento, Woodland and Winters Police Officers Association, the mailer attacks Dan Maguire as “Arnold’s Bagman,” referring to former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Unlike last week’s Davis mailer attacking Councilmember Sue Greenwald, this one was paid for by the candidate himself.
Now the race for the judgeship, which generally eschews such personal attacks as unbefitting of the judiciary, has taken a turn into the kind of nasty and divisive politics that typically befalls other political races.
“Unfortunately, my opponent Clint Parish has resorted to the worst sort of gutter politics,” Judge Dan Maguire told the Vanguard. “His mailer is recklessly false, and includes charges made up out of whole cloth.”
“It’s deplorable when any candidate resorts to such tactics, and unthinkable to imagine that a person comfortable spewing such lies could be a judge,” Judge Maguire added.
The piece charges, “Dan Maguire was quoted defending the Protocol Foundation — used to hide $1.7 million in Arnold’s travel expenses.”
In a statement to the Vanguard, Judge Maguire said, “The Protocol Foundation was a 501c3 created to help to relieve the taxpayers of paying for things like trade missions, dinners for visiting diplomats, etc.”
“I had no role in creating it or disbursing its funds — it was an independent body with own its board,” he said. “One of my jobs as lawyer for the Governor was to help respond to Public Records Act requests, which is why I was quoted in articles sometimes.”
“I never took such trips,” Judge Maguire added.
“The Governor always followed the law and disclosed when the Protocol Foundation paid for his business travel or business travel for members of his office,” the Judge said. “No FPPC charges or lawsuits of any kind were ever filed against the Governor concerning any issue relating to the Protocol Foundation.”
The mailer further charged, “As part of Arnold’s inner circle, Dan Maguire was part of Arnold’s legal team that made decisions including commuting the sentence of convicted murderer Esteban Nunez. Fabian Nunez (Estaban’s father) is the former Speaker of the Assembly and current business partner of Arnold.”
Judge Maguire responded, “I had absolutely no involvement in the decision to commute part of the sentence imposed on Esteban Nunez. I learned of it in the newspaper.”
In a more bizarre charge, the mailer purports, “Dan Maguire was involved in a sordid case of corporate fraud that involved payment of bribes in Russia”
He speculates, “He may be referring to this case, which involves the firm I worked for in Denver from 1993 – 1997.” Information on this can be found here.
The Judge adds: “The case was just handed down recently, and has nothing whatsoever to do with me, except my former firm was a defendant. My old firm prevailed. My firm had over 200 lawyers at the time, and many offices, and I had absolutely no involvement in any of the facts in the case.”
Finally the mailer charges: “Dan Maguire received a political appointment (never elected) and took the bench only three weeks before Arnold’s last-day commutation of Esteban Nunez’s sentence.”
Judge Maguire responds: “I was appointed through the same merit-based peer review as every other appointed judges. I had no knowledge or involvement in the Esteban Nunez case.”
At this point, Deputy DA Clint Parish has not responded to the Vanguard’s request for substantiation.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
A new hit piece against Dan Maguire by Clint Parrish attacks Maguire for being appointed by Arnold and for being an “Ivy Leaguer.”
In Davis isn’t an Ivy League education a badge of honor? I guess Dan Wolk going to Stanford and Boldt is a negative too. Brett Lee going to the London School of Economics, oh the horror!
I’ve got nothing against McGeorge where Parish went but Maguire’s Stanford and Harvard education, his clerking for a 9th Circuit appellate judge, advising a Governor, teaching at King Hall and years of private practice make a pretty impressive resume not the type of thing you would expect to find as the basis of a hit piece.
Parish also hits Maguire for a decision Arnold made after Maguire was a sitting judge. How does that work?
It is all a bit silly. It must be time to vote.
Clint Parish clearly wants to make sure that if he doesn’t defeat Maguire, at least he will have plenty of grounds (which he created) for a recusal and not have to ever appear before Maguire again! 😉
Clint Parish clearly wants to make sure that if he doesn’t defeat Maguire, at least he will have plenty of grounds (which he created) for a recusal and not have to ever appear before Maguire again! 😉
Is Parish attacking Maguire because Arnold was too liberal or conservative for Parish’s liking? He doesn’t say but you might ask him if he has the courage to call you back.
My guess is they think Maguire is too liberal.
I managed to get ahold of Kirby Wells who apparently is working communications, he said would get me some substantiating material. We’ll have a follow up in the morning.
I think the reference to “Dan Maguire was involved in a sordid case of corporate fraud that involved payment of bribes in Russia” may be provable libel. He is a sitting judge and legal professional, and this is not the National Enquirer talking about Lindsay.
I think it’s amazingly good fortune for our rural Yolo County Court to get a judge with McGuire’s impressive resume. I think he is pretty conservative, actually, but more liberal than Parish.
Parish is extremely right wing so I am told. Dan Maguire is a moderate. Of course, a judge’s race is supposed to be bipartisan.
This mailer just sickened me. It was composed of outright lies. What kind of a person much less someone running for judge puts out an unsubstantiated piece like this? It is downright irresponsible. Parish just keeps saying and doing things that prove he does not have the right stuff for the job he seeks.
Maguire was one of hundreds of lawyers who worked in the Schwarzenegger administration. The fact that Parish can’t see that this piece is unethical show he is not a fit person to represent Yolo County on the bench.
Agree or even not ethical enough for DAs offce.
Bdedavis
“The fact that Parish can’t see that this piece is unethical show he is not a fit person to represent Yolo County on the bench. “
That about says it all. Well spoken.
Holy Cow! Is there something in the water this election season? As a seasoned politics-watcher and a relatively gloves-off kind of campaigner in my own right, I find these new lows distinctly depressing. Come on! It’s Yolo County, here. These kinds of disgusting stunts are not called for. And lies are 100% unacceptable.
Did somebody skip his ethics class?
As the gospel says, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” And to paraphrase Sir Thomes More, “But for Yolo, Clint?”
Got a “robo-call” from Dave Rosenberg today, Tacky, and possibly inappropriate, as I think he identified himself as Judge DR. Erased the message. Have not gotten the “hit-piece” yet. Doesn’t matter… voting pretty much for incumbents. Not so much enamored of them, but some of the wannabe’s are ‘scary’.
Parish makes the whole D.A.’s office look bad: This is the type of person they hire? Dishonesty and poor judgment —
Like rats and cockroaches, where there’s one, likely there are others.
I hope we’re all supporting the Vanguard’s Court Watch program.
Sounds like someone is getting desperate…
@ FreddieOakley, How can he lose his soul if he (Parish) does not have one?
Eagle Eye, The DAs office already looks bad. Parish is the DAs lap dog from what I have heard. He is runming a campaign just like the DA did when he ran for office. If a person doesn’t have qualifications they have to run a smear campaign. Disgusting!
Another reason why judges should not be subject to contested elections. This is really horrifying.
I’m sitting here laughing to myself. What, did people think that Clinton Parish had somehow become smart, ethical, and honorable just because he decided to run for judge? This is exactly the type of behavior that he’s exhibited during his tenure as one of the DA’s cronies.
Oh, and by the way, his name is CLINTON. He started calling himself “clint” just before this election to make himself sound more cool. It’s not working.
You are exactly correct.
“What, did people think that Clinton Parish had somehow become smart, ethical, and honorable just because he decided to run for judge? This is exactly the type of behavior that he’s exhibited during his tenure as one of the DA’s cronies.”
Most people never heard of him until this year.
In an election race it may not be true to presume only one candidate is unethical and the other is not. One must do some serious investigation. You might learn that after you brag on one candidate and blast the other candidate; you find that there is no difference with either candidate. It happens all the time.
If our choice is to pick the lesser of two evils to vote for, then better candidates must be encouraged to run. It is sad that the majority of judges are not selected by the voters.
To have a candidate’s boss, also a government employee, engage in a robocall message is inappropriate and possibly a violation.
I find it laughable that Parish is attacking someone for association with Arnold, when his own boss, Reisig, you to make a big point of working-out with the guy. Is this a secret attack on his boss as well?
Sorry it should have said “used to make” not “you to make”.