By Robert Haugh

On October 31, the YWCA held its big annual fundraising lunch. Christine Blasey Ford was honored. So was Dolores Huerta. 

But a $4,500 check from San Jose attorney Jim McManis was not.

The YWCA returned the McManis check earlier this month, according to a story on SanJoseInside.com:

McManis was one of the most prominent defenders of Aaron Persky, the judge recalled from the bench in 2018 because of the brief sentence he gave (Brock) Turner two years earlier. (Michele) Dauber, who led the campaign to oust the jurist, has been an outspoken critic of McManis ever since he made comments that disputed settled facts of the case against Turner and cast doubt on Miller’s claim of victimhood.

Among other offensive remarks during the campaign, McManis told a Vogue correspondent that Miller “was not attacked” and “had been drinking before she arrived at the fraternity party.” He also claimed that the impact statement she read in court was penned by someone else, though he acknowledged that he hadn’t “independently verified” the allegation.

McManis is a co-founder of the McManis Faulkner law firm in San Jose.  He’s controversial in Santa Clara, too.

He was the attorney for Vice Mayor Patty Mahan in 2018 when she was a Councilwoman. He unsuccessfully defended her. Mahan was officially admonished by the City Council. That’s the first time that’s happened in Santa Clara history.

McManis was also the attorney who sued Mayor Lisa Gillmor in 2018.  He filed a lawsuit on behalf of Brian Exline, a Santa Clara University law school student who no one has ever heard of before or since. Ann Ravel also worked on the lawsuit. She’s now a candidate for State Senate in District 15. That district doesn’t include Santa Clara.

They argued that Gillmor didn’t disclose all her income sources on a state form. That lawsuit was thrown out for being frivolous.