ER - Dikeman says he's worthy of being new district attorney

Dikeman says he's worthy of being new district attorney
by Diane M. Batley, 6/24/2005

(Editor’s note: This story was based upon a one-on-one interview with Worth Dikeman. The Eureka Reporter has extended the same invitation for the same type of interview to Paul Gallegos.)

Humboldt Deputy District Attorney Worth Dikeman began his quest to be district attorney Wednesday.

Saying he wants to win big, Dikeman said there has been an erosion of confidence in the District Attorney’s Office.

Dikeman questioned District Attorney Paul Gallegos’ leadership.

“I want to restore trust and confidence to that position,” Dikeman said. “I think it’s a problem that’s at the top because I don’t’ think Paul has exhibited the leadership that the criminal justice system needs.”

It is the district attorney’s job to acquire and keep talented attorneys, he said. Some turnover is to be expected but nine attorneys have left the DA’s office since Gallegos was elected. Dikeman said that is unprecedented.

Dikeman also said Gallegos lacked leadership by not educating the Humboldt County electorate about Proposition 66, which was on the November 2004 ballot. This proposition could have “eviscerated the ‘Three Strikes Law’ as we know it,” Dikeman said.

Humboldt County was one of the few counties where the proposition passed, he said.

“I don’t think that he has exhibited the leadership or made the kinds of decisions that ensure public safety,” Dikeman said.

Campaign time will occur on Dikeman’s personal time, he said.

Dikeman said Gallegos asked him if he planned on running for the DA position.

“Paul told me if I ran and if I lost, I would still have a job,” Dikeman said. “I did not have a chance to tell him that we were going to make the announcement when we did. I was going to tell him (Tuesday) afternoon but he was not in the office.”

As an at-will employee, Dikeman could be fired. He said he does not expect that to happen.

He said he has “pretty much done all the things you can do in the DA’s office.”

The role as district attorney would be different than his current position, “because the district attorney is the man,” Dikeman said.

Dikeman, a Democrat, said he is sure he would have to spend less time in court because he would be working with other entities within the community to improve the criminal justice system.

He said he would continue to make court appearances, but that would not be his primary focus. That would be on leading the office, he said.

His main priority would be to put at least one full-time attorney on child abuse cases, he said.

He said he would probably make some personnel shifts or changes.

“We’ve undergone some recently and I might revisit some of those,” he said.

He said he would want the senior attorneys to become more involved in the decision-making process and he said he would want people to know where he is, so that they could find him, if he is needed.

“I would like to see more training and supervision of the newer lawyers,” he said.

Dikeman said the office is short-staffed because people have left. Allison Jackson and Gloria Albin Sheets were two of the attorneys who were standing beside Dikeman during his news conference announcement of his candidacy for DA on Wednesday. They were both terminated by Gallegos, Dikeman said.

When questioned about whether he would rehire them if he is elected, Dikeman said he respects both of them.

“The hiring process is one that has to be opened up and you have to review all of the applicants,” he said. “I like and admire both of those people. If they were so inclined, they would certainly be under consideration.”

When asked if he would hire Gallegos if he wanted to work there, Dikeman said, “I’d certainly put him in the hopper. He’s gone and prosecuted several trials. He’s done fairly well with that.”

When asked if he’d hire Tim Stoen, Dikeman said, “Well, you know you get into personnel decisions and most of the time they’re quiet. I don’t think I’ll have to worry about Tim. I don’t think I’m going to have to worry about whether or not to keep Tim or make some other decision about him.”

Dikeman said he wants to keep the campaign positive.

When questioned if he thought it was a good decision to have Jackson and Albin Sheets by his side, since they were terminated by Gallegos, he said “Well, I don’t think that was necessarily orchestrated,” Dikeman said. “Gloria and I ran in the last election together. We got along during her tenure in the office. I sat on the board that hired Allison. I consider Allison a very close friend. Both of them have provided me with counsel as I’ve been pondering the decision about whether or not to run. It wasn’t meant as an affront to anyone. It was meant to support me because they are people whose opinion I value and friendship I treasure.”

Dikeman said he does not think it will be difficult to work in the DA’s Office for the next year while he is running for the position of DA.

He said he is hopeful it will not be.

“I’m a professional,” Dikeman said. Paul is the district attorney and I want to see the office do well. I tell the new people that we win as an office and we lose as an office, so I will do everything I can to make the office successful. I don’t think hopefully that things that are said outside of the office come into it. That’s one of the reasons I don’t want to get staff involved.”

Dikeman said his campaign plans include walking door-to-door.

Dikeman graduated from the University of California’s Hastings College of Law in 1976. In 1977, he went to work for the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. He was with the Contra Costa DA’s Office for a little more than seven years and he has been with the Humboldt County DA’s Office for 20 years.

He was chosen as California prosecutor of the year in 1993. Last year, he received the Pat Mitchell Award from the Eureka Police Department.

(More of this interview with Dikeman will appear on The Eureka Reporter Web site on Sunday.)

Copyright (C) 2005, The Eureka Reporter. All rights reserved.