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MyspaceThe California Secretary of State’s office found no evidence of fraud during the 2008 county election for 3rd District Supervisor despite many claims to the contrary made by Santa Ynez Valley Journal owner and rancher Nancy Crawford-Hall and losing candidate Steve Pappas.
The news came out of the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office this week. DA Joyce Dudley said the state didn’t even intend to send reports of its findings down to her office for review, but she requested the reports to confirm the findings. She also concluded, based on the evidence, there were no crimes committed.
In her weekly column for the Valley Journal, Crawford-Hall has for months hinted that fraud was committed. She and Pappas, who lost to Doreen Farr — who is up for reelection this year and has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars defending the case in civil court — have said that thousands of votes cast in Isla Vista and UCSB, where Farr dominated Pappas, should not have been counted. But virtually everyone who has reviewed the case has said otherwise.
County elections chief Joe Holland said there was no election fraud. Judge William McLafferty, who heard Pappas’s contest of the election in civil court, threw the case out after just a few days. An appellate court upheld McLafferty’s decision, and then Judge Colleen Sterne, in awarding Farr roughly $700,000 in attorney’s fees, also agreed, saying “important rights were vindicated.” Now, both the state’s fraud division and the District Attorney have joined in. “I certainly hope Mr. Pappas will finally accept how they decided,” Farr said in response to the DA’s announcement. “To do otherwise is misleading the public.”
Pappas and Crawford-Hall did not respond to requests for comment. An email sent to Paul Rutledge, chief investigator of the Secretary of State’s Election Fraud Investigation Unit, was not returned.
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Comments
Hall writes in her "On the ranch" article, "a couple of important things are supposed to happen this week". Yeah, and it wasn't good for her or her puppet Pappas.
The floors have been swept and lights turned off, but the fat lady stands in an empty room still wanting to sing.
Validated (anonymous profile)
December 15, 2011 at 1:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It is only self described 'conservatives' that commit actual voter fraud.
DonMcDermott (anonymous profile)
December 15, 2011 at 5:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You can bet Pappas will never win any office after this big temper tantrum. He not only lost the election but demonstrated why voting for him was a bad idea to begin with!
Ken_Volok (anonymous profile)
December 15, 2011 at 9:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The point here is that the $700K owed to Farr is being delayed as long as possible to set up a competitive disadvantage for Doreen Farr as an incumbent seeking reelection in the June 2012 election contest against someone propped up by what resembles the conservative establishment of the county.
John_Adams (anonymous profile)
December 15, 2011 at 9:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Slimy.
Ken_Volok (anonymous profile)
December 15, 2011 at 1:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
There was never even a shred of evidence that voter fraud occured in the 3rd District election of 2008. The intricate plot "exposed" by Pappas and Crawford-Hall turns out to be nothing more than a fantasical byzantine labyrinth constructed out of whole cloth in the paranoid minds of its inventors. No official unbiased third party who reviewed the evidence has found any indication that voter fraud took place. Unfortunately, to reach this point, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent and countless hours of public employee time have been wasted for no good purpose. I hope that the Court of Appeal quickly denies Pappas' appeal and he is forced to pay the $700,000. This will be a good object lesson for those who wish the thwart the will of the voters with spurious lawsuits.
Eckermann (anonymous profile)
December 15, 2011 at 3:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
SantaNa, the only sham that is going on is how Pappas and his sugar momma ain't payin' up the $700 grand that the Law has concluded they owe to Doreen Farr.
John_Adams (anonymous profile)
December 16, 2011 at 2:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I love reading Nancy's weekly "Poor Little Rich Girl" rants.
Life must be a real bummer if you own half the SYV and spend most of your time taking your pet horses all over the country, yet cannot quite achieve world domination.
Wonder how many illegals she has working on her estate.
Walter (anonymous profile)
December 16, 2011 at 2:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
While the presence of fraud has been deemed nil, the fact does remain the in IV, my home & voting precinct since 1987, has many discrepancies, be they mechanical, administrative, logistical or human induced.
Just because 1 entity doesn't exists that doesn't mean the other doesn't.
Voter fraud is the typical "battle cry of the deluded" & has become so for quite some time. Don't like the way the election went? Cry voter fraud.
Like KenV stated, Pappas has sealed his political fate w/ this tantrum & is doing whatever he can, w/ the obvious help of his benefactor, to limit Farr's re-election bid like John_A stated.
I wasn't a Farr or Pappas fan & personally I hope Farr goes byebye, but I will defend the rulings made time & again about this issue. Really, just pay up & let it go dude! :) henry
hank (anonymous profile)
December 18, 2011 at 10:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Pappas and his "sugar momma" ......what a pathetic pair. The only thing worse is Farr and her tenure as Supervisor. Failed fiscal policy, miserable ethics within the County organization, micro management and poor decision making in hires of staff. Note Brian Roney and his single handed near destruction of Parks staff morale and multiple claims of hostile work environment and the way he was hired by his wifes BFF, Terri Maus Nisich in the CEO's office. Even after this fact came to life, this BOS kept this poor senior staff on board. Note to Herman Parker, New Director. Fire this guy or at the very least, watch your back as if Jeffrey Dalmer was standing behind you. Oh yeah, let's not forget the vandal Ms. Bahl as new deputy CEO.
Can we please find someone...anyone of quality in this next election cycle for 3rd district???
BeachFan (anonymous profile)
December 19, 2011 at 9:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)