And Justice for Some
If you're a 19 year old charged with a heinous murder how can you get your bail reduced and be released from jail?Hope that your father is a well connected former Speaker of the California Assembly and that his powerful friends write letters on your behalf to the judge.
That's what happened, according to the LA Times Hector Tobar who said that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, labor leader Maria Elena Durazo, Assembly Republican leader Mike Villines and Assemblyman Kevin DeLeon were among those who wrote letters to Judge David Szumowski urging the jurist to go easy on Esteban Nunez, son of recently deposed Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez.
Nunez was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of the murder of a San Diego college student back in October.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, labor leader Maria Elena Durazo, Assembly Republican leader Mike Villines and Assemblyman Kevin DeLeon were among those who wrote letters to Judge David Szumowski seeking special treatment for Esteban.
In the testimonial Mayor Villaraigosa wrote for the younger Nunez on City letterhead he told the judge "In my heart, I know Esteban Nuñez as a young man of good and upright character." Amazingly Vlines apparently doesn't even know the younger Nunez and based his vouchment on his own perception of the former Speaker's character.
Tobar posits that without the high powered help Esteban could have sat for up to a year in County Jail while his trial was prepared to go to court.
And who says we don't have two systems of justice?
Labels: esteban nunez, fabian nunez, kevin de leon, Maria Elena Durazo, mayor antonio villaraigosa, mike villines
Posted by Michael Higby @ 12/23/2008 03:00:00 AM
22 Comments:
This shouldn't surprise anyone as Villaraigosa wrote a letter in defense of the drug dealer Vignali to Clinton. Now he's the largest developer in Los Angeles. When are the feds going to investigate all the corrupt shit Villaraigosa has done in this city. Villaraigosa is still the thug people who know him say he is. He's a man with Napoleon Syndrome and has big goons go after anyone who speaks against him. When is his bad KARMA coming?
this city is gonna eclipse chicago as the corruption capital...if it hasnt already.
The problem isn't so much with a gang of crooked insiders trying to help out each other (it's like the Mafia), it's with the judge who went along with what they were asking for.
Who was that judge and he or she someone we elect?
All Esteban has to do is say "My daddy is Fabian Nunez" and the jurors will instantly pity him,
Even Villaraigosa's kids have it easy. His daugther Marisela Villar is a high school drop out and has a job with Speaker Karen Bass
The prosecution have these photos and others from Esteban's facebook page before it was taken down. Let's see how sympathic the jury will be once they see these photos are shown in the courtroom.
http://latinopoliticsblog.com/?p=392
It is an outrage, that two of the four murder suspects in the Luis Santos murder are out on bail. It is wrong, and is a very weak decision by Judge Szumowski.
Do not forget who was murdered. We must have justice for Luis Santos, murdered in cold blood. Justice for the his family and justice to all of the victims of the attack.
Nunez, Garcia, Jett and Thomas could have walked away that night, but did not. Shame on Judge David Szumowski.
This is nothing new for Esteban Nunez. Local police were instructed to let him go after a traffic stop that included numerous violations including drug possession. The response was "Don't you know who I am ?" and a call to Daddy. Who knows how many times Daddy has already gotten his upright little darling off? This was inevitable. Mayor Tony has no business writing letters advocating for accused murderers on City letterhead either. Other City employees would be disciplined for such a misuse of City letterhead.
Free Estaben Nunez; jail David Saltsburg.
Didn't you guys ever hear about justice?
The kid is innocent; Dave Saltsburg is not.
It's not about what you know, but who you know...just ask the Shaws.
Tony Villian should be recalled.
Not a big deal, let Fabian do what any other father will do... The Times are making a big such a deal using now Hector Tovar to write against latinos, Tobar who used to get kick backs while working in Mexico City Cut the low brows to Latinos.
Tony is so full of himself- you know he could not resist the request, maybe even volunteered, to write the letter for Nunez. He's too much of a narcissist, thinking that if the judge gets a letter from the Great Mayor of the Second Largest City in the U.S., as I believe what what he called it specifically, then the wand has been waved over the kingdom, and all will be well for the Nunez offspring.
The whole operation of the law is a good example of political influence overriding established procedures (unless you include giving a pass for politicians one of the "established procedures").
You know the letter doesn't have to be contain any truth or accuracy. It is not a document that means anything legally; it's not even a "Declaration," made under penalty of perjury, that states that all of the contents are from personal knowledge and that if called to testify in court, he would testify to the same. The letter is nowhere near anything like a real court document and the judge is full of it to let the kid off.
Tony did not announce that "this is a good kid because I KNOW HIM and I have VISITED the family and I see him (x number) of times weekly, monthly or whatever. Tony just used his image and office- while he has it- to pull a favor.
I really wonder if Tony could even pick the guy out of a group or even remember when he saw him last.
It's all another form of corruptionof the system that is the reason you have people lacking faith in the system, especially the victims and families like this case.
You know, it's all O.K for Tony since it's HIM, the Mayor, doing it. Tony has no modesty or reverence toward the law, in fact, he's showing contempt for the procedures by not letting the process run it's course, subverting the operation of law for his fellow sleaze, Fabian, for the reinforcement of the idea to Jr. Sleaze that "we are above it all. See?" Nice role models- for more corrupt cronies to follow their lead.
The judge is another like the star-struck Lance Ito was during the OJ trial. All bad, all around.
in CD-14 where Jose missed a chance to send his own letter- doesn't he know the character of anyone of the Nunez'? No matter, they only have bad character anyway, but you can still send off a letter like the boss did, Jose.
Forget about writing a letter praising a murderer or a drug dealer. That's old hat for Villaraigosa. And legal.
But what is not legal, and quite frankly, should be its own story here, is Villaraigosa trading plumb posts and financial gain for action or inaction.
Blagojevich conspired to get his wife appointed on a plumb Commission or Board in exchange for action, i.e., him appointing someone Senator.
He looks jail prone.
It was WIDELY reported that Villaraigosa and Cindy Montanez, et al. conspired to get Montanez appointed on a plumb Commission or Board in exchange for an act, i.e., her dropping out of a race for council.
Where is the outrage.
MayorSam, we need this to be a story on the blog, sometime early next year, when people return from vacation. Coincide it when Blagojevich gets arraigned or whatever.
Oh, and Merry Christmas Michael Higby. You perform a wonderful service for L.A. and deserve tremendous kudos for it.
9:56, you act as if the technique of trading off appointments for favors, like dropping out of political races, is something new. It's all over the place.
Need a notable example for more illustration purposes? Fine. You can see that in the case of Tony's cousin, John Perez, newly-elected assemblyman, as reported in the L.A. WEEKLY on June 4, 2008, the "Villaraigosa's Mini-Me" story. Other Latino Dems "decided" to drop out, and Ricardo Lara later was appointed to the city Plannng Commission, according to the L.A. WEEKLY story. http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/election/villaraigosas-minime-john-pere/
On this same deal, see more details and other examples of "routine" favor-trading in Zuma Dogg's March 20 post where that prediction made: https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8826939&postID=8395894187174504539
(and you wonder why staffers don't like Zuma?)
There is a whole web, like a family tree, to trace all the politics from Sacramento to L.A., mainly from my fellow (in ethnicity, not friendship) Latinos. If you do such a project, be sure to give yourself lots of room to fill in all the names, dates, positions and nature-of-relationship because there are lots, more than you know- like a soap opera cast.
Ricardo Lara, by the way, was a district director for Fabian Nunez (yeah, that Fabian Nunez) in Los Angeles, and formerly with the late Mark Firebaugh.
Observations In L.A
Justice? Give me a ______en break! There ain't no justice in the City of Corrupt Angels. Especially when the loser Mayor is all a part of the corruption.
Bottom line Huizar is the Mayor's butt wipe and Perez is the Mayor's H20 Boy. Perez is a _______en carpet bagger and Huizar is a lay-down Sally. (He goes both ways by the way...)
Why did Perez use the DWP address to run for Assembly Dist. 46?
Hello is anybody in there?
Tell Mayor Villaraigosa to start looking for another job. 42nd street in NYC might want him.
"In my heart, I know Esteban Nuñez as a young man of good and upright character."
What does Antonio Villar know about good character.
Remember that Torres' mailer, "...A MAN OF LITTLE INTEGRITY AND EVEN LESS CHARACTER."
I wonder if Antonio sent a letter to the murdered victim's family.
And I just finished watching that HBO Special on Saddam Hussein - the one detailing Uday Hussein's murderous rampage through Iraq - protected because he was "the President's son." And I heard Santos has close relatives fighting in Iraq - just disgusting.
9:56
You forgot to mention Mary Lou Villar's (Tony's sister) ascension into a judgship. Not bad for a disgraced Legal Aid attorney and former unemployment commissioner.
Antonio has built a house of cards built on broken promises and Jewish money. Too bad Eli Broad and Ron Burkle are finally getting to know the real Tony Villar.
Antonio Villaraigosa and Maria Elena Durazo were supposedly on the list to become Secretary of Labor. Instead another L.A. area dignitary recceived that honor - Hilda Solis.
Did Esteban Nunez also kill Villar and Durazo's chances of being cabinet members?
Obama's team heard all the bullshit about Villaraigosa and his low performance poll numbers. Forget the spin Ace Smith and Parke are trying to do for him. People aren't stupid and I haven't attended one meeting where anything positive is said about the Mayor. Unfortunately, Daily News had a story yesterday saying no major opposition to his re election. And to the idiot who posted this insane comment,
.....The Times are making a big such a deal using now Hector Tovar to write against latinos."
NO HECTOR IS WRITING THE TRUTH AND YOU IDIOTS CONTINUE TO USE RACE AS AN EXCUSE. THAT'S WHAT NUNEZ WILL USE FOR HIS LITTLE BOY. HIS IRRESPONSIBLE, VIOLENT BOY WHOSE FATHER WAS TOO BUSY WITH HIS POLITICAL CAREER TO STIR HIM RIGHT.
Hey, why did this blog stop! I need it.
Anyone out there check out case number 8CA10541 if you want to see Mary lou villar and the other corrupt judges at work. This story should be the one to expose it all.
T"arra Slovan said...
Hey, why did this blog stop! I need it.
Anyone out there check out case number 8CA10541 if you want to see Mary lou villar and the other corrupt judges at work. This story should be the one to expose it all."
I checked out the court file while downtown. Your name isn't in the case. Are you related to the defendant? It does look like a mess of a case.
Thanks anonymous for checking out the file. It's a case that will bring great shame to this city. It's gotten much worse and now they've gone so far that it will not bode well for them. Yes, I'm a relative.
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