League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Butte County, CA June 8, 2010 Election
	Michael L. Ramsey Answers Questions Candidate for District Attorney; County of Butte

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Butte County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. Why do you wish to serve as District Attorney for Butte County?

"To do Justice, as no one is above the Law, nor beneath its protection." These are the words upon which my 22 years as your District Attorney have been built. I have dedicated my career and the resources of my office to make sure justice is done, no matter who the offender or victim may be. Everyone deserves to be protected from crime just as everyone deserves to have their constitutional rights protected.

2. What qualifications do you bring to the job?

I have personally prosecuted hundreds of trials including death penalty murder. This experience is vital in leading the District Attorney's Office and in protecting the citizens of Butte County. My office has created nationally recognized programs for drug-endangered children, drug courts which focus on rehabilitation, a bad check program that has returned more than $3.8 million to merchants and an environmental protection unit to safeguard the public's health.

3. What do you see as the biggest criminal justice issues in Butte County and how would you address them?

I have been the Butte County District Attorney for 22 years and a prosecutor for 32 years. During my administration, the department has instituted seventeen special prosecution and investigative programs to protect the citizens of Butte County. Following are the descriptions of six programs. Child Abuse Response Team The team conducts initial and follow-up investigations on all intra-familial physical and sexual abuse cases occurring in the unincorporated areas of the county. Two investigators are assigned and they receive approximately 800 referrals per year. The CART center where children are interviewed has been recognized by the National Children's Alliance for its sensitive handling of children. Drug Endangered Children Program The innovative Drug Endangered Children Program was begun in Butte County in 1993 as a new approach to save children endangered by drug labs and the addictions of their parents. Together, the District Attorney's Office, Children Services, and Law Enforcement fully investigate the crime of child endangerment, and prosecute all appropriate charges. The benefit to children is a sound investment for our community. More importantly, leaving children exposed to daily abuse, if not death, is simply inhumane. Over 600 Butte County children have been rescued by the DEC program since 1993. The Butte County DEC Response Team has provided training and community presentations more than 100 times to 4,500 persons throughout the County of Butte and State of California, as well as in the states of Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Washington, and in Washington, DC. and has been honored by the President of the United States in a White House ceremony. Bad Check Unit When merchants have exhausted their own collection efforts, the Bad Check Unit begins collection through a series of letters and phone calls. If the check writer responds and pays in full, or sets up a payment plan, they are placed in a diversion program and avoid prosecution. The final step in the diversion program is attendance in a four hour Financial Management class. We collect the face value of the check (s) and bank fees up to $10.00. All of the above is sent to the merchant. The program is entirely funded through fees charged to and collected from the check writer. No cost to the citizens of Butte County. From 1993-2008, the Bad Check Unit recovered over $3.6 million dollars for Butte County merchants. Welfare Fraud Unit The Welfare Fraud Unit provides early and on-going fraud investigation to the Butte County Department of Employment and Social Services. The unit consists of three sworn investigators with two (2) assigned to conduct Early Fraud investigations. If fraud is found in the application process, the findings are provided to Department of Employment and Social Services for appropriate handling, and may be submitted for prosecution for the crime of perjury. Environmental Protection Unit Butte County has had a Deputy District Attorney dedicated to environmental protection since the early 1990's. Since that time the Special Prosecutor has convicted or resolved approximately 280 more complex cases, most

of which were resolved in the criminal justice system. The cases have widely varied from toxic and prohibited burning complaints by the Butte County Air Quality Management agency to a 2008 felony level toxic waste dumping at the Ophir Road site in Oroville. Most cases are resolved with misdemeanor convictions although in about 2004 a USFS originated timber theft conviction resulted in a felony sanction. It has been the goal of the environmental protection unit to prosecute crimes against public health and safety. Our focus has been removing pollution from the Feather River which is accumulating in the fish that are being caught and eaten. We have pursued cases believed to contribute to the pancreatic cancer cluster evident in the Oroville area. These cases in and around the Oroville Industrial area raise serious questions about the safety associated with certain activities. We have prosecuted illegal toxic material burning in North Chico and insured that a propane truck explosion resulted in compensation to the victims living along the midway. We prosecuted the illegal removal of lead contaminated paints at Gridley High School. The environmental protection unit prosecutes all violators on the basis of the harm their activities pose to our children, the elderly, and our community. No one who commits these crimes in Butte County is above the law or beneath the safety net of its protection. Drug Courts "The Butte County Drug Court is an adult criminal drug court that began operation in June 1995 with support and funding from the U.S. Department of Justice. Methamphetamine has been the drug of choice in Butte County for nearly 30 years. In 2003, 7,072 criminal cases were filed in Butte County that resulted in approximately 1,800 felony probation cases. Of those felony cases, more than 60 percent are methamphetamine involved. Currently, 87 percent of the drug court clients are methamphetamine users. The Butte County Drug Court Program includes frequent and random drug testing, assertive community supervision, and intensive case management. Communication with treatment and the court team is virtually seamless and is conducted in an immediate fashion, or in real time. Response to client behavior is always therapeutic, evidence based, and applied in a manner consistent with the research on behavior modification techniques. This level of accountability is an excellent strategy for addressing methamphetamine addicts. The court and treatment services are structured to maximize motivation and meet the challenges unique to methamphetamine addicts in early recovery. Approximately 500 participants have graduated from the Butte County Drug Court over the past 9 years, with an aggregate reconviction rate for any misdemeanor or felony of 14.9 percent." +from the U.S. Department of Justice, "Drug Courts: An Effective Strategy For Communities Facing Methamphetamine," C. West Huddleston III, 2005

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: May 4, 2010 09:32
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