Funny that was the exact phrase I used to refer to him and his & Gallegos' backers and cronies. "powerful forces of evil"
Stoen's Senate run aimed at 'exposing powerful forces of evil' behind DA recall
PL: Decision confirms lawsuit 'politically motivated'
By James Tressler The Times-Standard
Dec 6, 2003
EUREKA -- Humboldt County Assistant District Attorney Tim Stoen said Friday his decision to run for U.S. Senate is aimed, at least in part, at exposing what he calls "powerful forces of evil" trying to recall District Attorney Paul Gallegos.
Meanwhile, Pacific Lumber Co.'s president, who back the recall, say Stoen's decision confirms his lawsuit against the company is "politically motivated."
In a statement released Friday, Stoen said a Senate run could bring to the state and national level abuses of law and free enterprise -- essentially, issues that he raises in his high-profile lawsuit against PL.
"The immediate goal of this Senate campaign is to prevent the recall organizers from distorting and hiding these issues because of the vast wealth they have available," Stoen said. "I propose to even these odds by taking the offensive in a California-wide political process, thereby exposing to the light the powerful forces of evil trying to take down the totally honorable Paul Gallegos."
Stoen, 65, would be one of five Republicans on the March primary ballot. All are seeking to unseat incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer. The GOP challengers include former Secretary of State Bill Jones, former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin, former Los Altos Hills Mayor Toni Casey and former State Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian, who was chairman of the Recall Gray Davis Committee.
Stoen said his ultimate goal is to get elected to the U.S. Senate, where he could, "push for laws preventing the deceptions committed by (PL) as detailed in our lawsuit, the abuses implicit in its 'fraud pact' response to our lawsuit, from being further operative in the market economics of America."
The lawsuit, which has not gone to trial, alleges that PL lied to state and federal regulators in the 1999 Headwaters Forest deal, in which the timber company was paid some $480 million in exchange for selling about 7,400 acres of redwood trees in the Headwaters Forest.
The district attorney's office alleges the company has since conducted logging operations forbidden under the 1999 agreement and thus caused environmental damage. PL has called the suit baseless and politically motivated, and the company poured more than $40,000 into a campaign to recall Gallegos.
Stoen's platform centers around five main planks. He said he agrees with President Bush's global strategy to promote democracy, especially in the Middle East, "as a moral imperative and a profound national interest." He also supports an "anticipatory self-defense" military policy, an investor protection economic policy, a "sustainability" environmental policy as well as a corporate policy aimed at reforms.
Two specific corporate reforms Stoen says he's seeking revolve around allegations he's made that PL is hiding behind a so-called "right to lie" defense and so-called "fraud pacts." Stoen charges that the company, in trying to get the lawsuit dismissed, is using the Noerr-Pennington doctrine cited by PL attorneys, who argue that even if the company provided misleading information to the government, such conduct is protected under the First Amendment and the Noerr-Pennington doctrine.
The "fraud pact" allegation refers to a 1996 agreement between Maxxam Corp. (which owns PL), the U.S. Department of the Interior and the California Resources Agency "to cooperate ... to preserve" the company's sustained yield plan "against third-party challenge." Such a pact forces the regulatory agencies to side with PL, Stoen alleges.
Stoen said if elected to the U.S. Senate he would work to reform laws pertaining to "right-to-lie" rights and fraud pacts.
PL President Robert Manne released a short statement in response to Stoen's announcement:
"Philosophically, I could endorse the five principles Mr. Stoen has laid out in his platform and initially thought about endorsing him," Manne said. "But once again, Mr. Stoen demonstrates he can't separate fact from fiction, has a personal vendetta he is pursuing at the expense of taxpayers, and confirms that the lawsuit against PALCO is truly politically motivated."
Earlier this week, Stoen's announcement was greeted with a mixture of support and criticism. Mike Harvey, chairman of the Humboldt County Republican Party, scoffed at Stoen's decision, saying he wondered whether Stoen could manage to run a statewide campaign without neglecting his current job. Harvey also went so far as to question whether Stoen's Senate run is just a publicity stunt to attract attention to the PL lawsuit.
On Friday, Stoen said he believes he can run for Senate without neglecting his duties. He's got about five weeks' worth of vacation time on the books, so he can take time off work. Also, Stoen said he intends to continue handling the PL lawsuit even if he manages to beat Boxer next year.
"I (would), consistent with Senate Ethics Rules, personally supervise, and -- should the trial take place when the Senate is not in session -- personally try our fraud case against (PL) as a special pro bono prosecutor," Stoen said.
This promise met with derision from Rick Brazeau, spokesman for the Committee to Recall Paul Gallegos.
"He must have 102 (marijuana) plants in his house if he believes he can serve in the Senate and handle the lawsuit," Brazeau said. "How could he say anything so stupid? This just vindicates everything we've been saying about his boss. Paul's judgment has been shown to be completely execrable. He didn't do the homework to find out if this guy was going to stick around."
Meanwhile, Gallegos on Friday said Stoen's got his backing.
"I wish him all the luck in the world," Gallegos said. "I believe in our democratic system. The success of it depends on having good candidates. If your intentions are good and you are willing to make the necessary sacrifices, I applaud you.
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