Is SF's DA investigating Rose Pak?

02.14.12 - 5:13 pm | Tim Redmond |

(18)

Well, Ms. Pak thinks he is. At the Chinese New Year parade, where she wields the mic at the reviewing stand and typically makes nasty comments about local politicians, she was relatively muted this year -- except when D.A. George Gascon rode by. "I read in the blogs that you're still investigating me," she shouted. "What the hell did I do? I just elected the first Chinese American mayor. You will find nothing, except that I swear a lot."

Gascon has for more than four months been investigating irregularities in the Ed Lee campaign, including charges of illegal campaign contributions and voter fraud. Gascon's office issued a press release Feb. 14 announcing the indictments of Go Lorries and two of its senior employees. The airport shuttle outfit allegedly laundered campaign money by asking its employees each to donate the maxium $500 to Lee's campaign and then paying them back from company funds. From the release:

The defendants are accused of making an unlawful $11,500 campaign contribution from GO Lorrie’s to the Ed Lee campaign by passing it through GO Lorrie’s drivers and staff. ... “Campaign finance and disclosure laws help to ensure fairness and transparency in our elections,” said District Attorney George Gascón, “and my office takes the violation of these laws very seriously. After a thorough investigation, we have found clear evidence to charge Go Lorrie’s and two of its employees with making illegal campaign contributions.”

Nobody from the Lee campaign has been charged with anything.

So what about the other apparent violations? Is that still under investigation? Is Rose Pak a target? I asked Stephanie Ong Stillman, Gascon's spokesperson, and she told me that she can't confirm or deny that there's any further investigations under way or that any specific individual is under investigation.

So I'm glad to see the Go Lorries indictment, which marks a rare instance of somebody taking campaign laws seriously. But there's a lot more here, and I hope Gascon doesn't think that nailing one company that everyone will insist acted on its own with no support from or connection to a pretty darn sleazy campaign will end the controversy.

Comments

Whole lot of nothing here

As you eventually admit, no accusations, no charges, no arrest, no warrants, no convictions.

Just the SFBG spreading dirt and rumor because they lost yet another election.

'Twas ever so . .

Posted by Guest on Feb. 14, 2012 @ 5:50 pm

"Guilty until proven innocent"

Interesting piece in todays Kronikle, "Kickback, fraud case embroils key city officials". I assume all those who have been screaming for the crucifixion of a 'city official' embroiled in another case, are going to be equally vehement in calling for the resignation of 'city officials ' in this case. Trials are just a farce and a waste of taxpayer money after all. Hang 'em all.

Posted by Patrick Monk. RN on Feb. 14, 2012 @ 7:26 pm

You said it Pat!

Right on - speak!!

Posted by h. Brownnose on Feb. 14, 2012 @ 8:43 pm

^h-b

Thank you for your support and encouragement.

Posted by Patrick Monk. RN on Feb. 15, 2012 @ 10:30 am

Huge difference between those two cases

With Mirk, there are multiple counts of violence, video and testimonial evidence and that now famour bruise.

With the city officials, there has merely been some type of investigation but without any charges or even serious allegations.

Posted by Guest on Feb. 15, 2012 @ 7:00 am

I know! Right?

There *is* a huge difference. In one case, both the target of the persecution and the alleged victim deny that anything happened and wish the persecutors would spend their time and our money on something else.

In the other case, there's a subversion of our whole democracy and abuse of public office.

But hey, what's a little corruption and election rigging between friends? At least they didn't bruise your arm!

Posted by Greg on Feb. 15, 2012 @ 9:37 am

A defendant wishes the prosecutors would go away?

And his wife is too scared to co-operate?

Say it ain't so!

Posted by Guest on Feb. 15, 2012 @ 10:20 am

It ain't so

Eliana Lopez isn't scared. She's angry -angry at "the real violence perpetrated against my family by this prosecution," as she put it.

To turn around and patronizingly suggest that she's some poor, scared little immigrant who needs to be saved by the DA is just insulting and perhaps a bit racist.

Posted by Greg on Feb. 16, 2012 @ 12:26 am

I would think this greg would be upset

about Lopez's use of the word "violence"

According to one of the Greg's nothing here is violence. Smashing up a bank and destroying things isn't violence, so why does Greg care what this woman is going through?

Posted by ME ME ME ME ME ME on Feb. 17, 2012 @ 10:50 am

I determine violence solely according to my agenda

Violence by left-wingers is wither justified (Occupy) or illlusory (Smirk).

Violence by the right is inexcusable and justifies violent retaliation.

See how easy and convenient things are when you're a Greg?

Posted by Greg on Feb. 17, 2012 @ 12:32 pm

Lopez is scared of her husband, scared of being deported,

scared if being prosecuted, scared of her husband losing his paycheck, and scared that her credibility is shot to high hell.

I'm not sure we can believe a word she says at this point.

Posted by Greg on Feb. 17, 2012 @ 12:30 pm

Will the real Greg please stand up?

too many 'troll Gregs' for my taste....fortunately, I know the difference between real and fake.

Posted by Guest on Feb. 22, 2012 @ 2:03 pm

At this point, the handle "Greg" is just a joke used by

anyone who wants to not sound credible.

Posted by Greg on Feb. 22, 2012 @ 3:26 pm

recalls

Can one of you astute posters on this blog please tell me whether a simple majority
vote is sufficient in a recall to remove someone from office?

Posted by barry eisenberg on Feb. 18, 2012 @ 1:54 pm

OK, apparently a simple

OK, apparently a simple majority would suffice to recall someone in sf. It rarely happens, partly because of a high threshhold to qualify for the ballot.

Posted by barry eisenberg on Feb. 18, 2012 @ 8:24 pm

Brown machine

Like Charles Hill's assassin James Crowell has his eyes blacked out in his newspaper photo per obscenity protocols, this viewer would appreciate it if you could do the same for George Gascone, Crowell's co-conspirator in the Charles Hill murder.
While he's going after the sheriff that could arrest him for that murder (if the law wasn't just "a good idea" to paraphrase Gandhi), instead of all the other ones going down w/ DA consent...Ben Linder's comes to mind w/ contra funder Joseph Rusonilo frame up of Barry after being caught red handed in the 'Frogman Case' (handing 37,000$ in coke profits back to them to kill Linder)

Posted by Greg Allen Getty on Feb. 23, 2012 @ 7:22 pm

Any chance of you translating that vebiage into English?

Because as is it's a triumph of opacity, "Greg".

Posted by Guest on Feb. 23, 2012 @ 7:39 pm

What about the Video on Youtube of the fraud?

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid823619053?bctid=12314632...

There it is.. For everyone to see. What you are seeing here is basically the Ed Lee campaign stuffing the box with absentee ballots. Nothing wrong with absentee voting, except when you have people who are obviously pointing to where the poor elderly people are to mark. It even shows them using a "Stencil" to ensure the voting was done correctly and always in the case for Lee.

Everyone is sooner or later going to find out. Its now just starting to hit the streets with the young people. Occupy is starting to attack because the Mayor has attacked them. It's only a matter of time before the Mayor has no legitimacy, and is going to be protested everywhere he goes. People honestly really didn't care too much about the SF Mayor race.. I didn't vote. Not because I didn't want to, but because I was so unfamiliar with the issues. No one seemed to run on anything original. It was all the same crap from the same names. Most people never stay in SF. In the past 15 years, I have lived here 3-4 times. Basically, I Iive here when I am not living in NYC or Europe.

Business as usual.. or should I say.. Politics as usual is soon to be a thing of the past as the people start to wake up and hold you accountable. Honestly, if people were paying attention do you really think a wife beater would have won Sheriff?

Posted by Guest on Apr. 03, 2012 @ 2:01 pm