By Robert Haugh
Indicted Santa Clara City Councilmember Anthony Becker’s felony perjury trial starts in about two weeks. And I just discovered I’m on the witness list. Yup. Me. No kidding.
I read this in the Silicon Valley Voice a few days ago. They get a lot of facts wrong. But I think this time, it’s probably accurate.
It’s been 551 days since his indictment. But this is the first time I’ve heard that I may be called by Becker’s legal team in the trial.
I asked other people on the witness list. And most of them said they never received anything official. So they were surprised, too, about the possibility of being called.
Most of us are not close to Becker. We don’t know what we could possibly say that would help him. So it makes no sense to us.
Santa Clara business leader Kirk Vartan is on the witness list. He’s a frequent critic of Becker and the 49er Five.
Vartan found out he was on the witness list just last month. He was sitting in court watching a pre-trial discussion. The judge asked him why he was there. The defense team had to admit to the judge that they never sent him a subpoena. Whoops.
One legal source who’s been watching the trial closely said that Becker’s legal team seems “disjointed and even quite comical at times.”
Becker was appointed a Deputy Public Defender Christopher Montoya because he couldn’t afford to hire an attorney.
Then in a mysterious and unprecedented move, Becker got two private attorneys to help him.
Grant Fondo and Hayes Hyde are partners in the San Francisco-based international law firm Goodwin Proctor. They say they are working for Becker “pro bono.” Yup. Free.
Their work may be an illegal gift to Becker as an elected official, according to Ann Ravel, the former chair of the FPPC.
Having private attorneys as co-counsel with a public defender raised a lot of eyebrows.
People speculated that the 49ers were at work behind the scenes to help Becker – or keep him from fingering others to help himself.
After Fondo joined Becker’s legal team, a lot of stuff started happening but it didn’t seem well coordinated. Some Santa Clarans were subpoenaed for information. Others received no communication.
I know of a few witnesses that objected that Becker’s legal team was just on a “fishing expedition” for political information that wasn’t relevant to Becker’s defense.
Either the court agreed or Becker’s legal team withdrew their motions.
Becker may have gotten what he paid for with his legal defense.
So what have I learned through all of this?
1. Never again trust anyone associated with the NFL.
2. My Hometown is worth fighting for.
3. I’m not alone in this fight.
The NFL may have been able to screw over some other City, but Santa Clara is done.
No going back, no second chance.
Many of us have already voted. You still have a chance to register if you have not done so yet.
Then consider these 6 people when you place your votes in the next election.
Bob O’Keefe City Clerk (City Wide)
Cory Morgan Chief of Police (City Wide)
Satish Chandra Council D1
Teresa O’Neil Council D4
David Kertes Council D5
Kelly Cox. Council D6
Burt Field
mrhmyers —
It’s a “fishing expedition”. Team Becker were looking for stuff they can use against Gillmor and Watanabe. They didn’t really care about Becker. The legal strategy was doomed to failure but they got to spend a year digging for dirt and harassing people it looks like. Becker was always going to do some time. He was just being used in this game.
Dear Jeff Rosen,
Becker should serve a one year in prison. Then be on probation for another year.
Please send a message that:
it’s not okay to leak and lie,
it’s not okay to attack the grand jury;
it’s not okay to tell witnesses to lie;
it’s not okay to frame others;
it’s not okay to have the 49ers give you free legal help and hide it;
it’s not okay to vote on 49er contracts after you’ve been indicted, …
Maybe this will stop the corruption in Santa Clara.
If Becker gets a light sentence, the corruption will get worse.
Thank you for your time.
Becker created this witness list to make sure that certain individuals are not allowed to sit inside the courtroom.
That could make sense, I’m not familiar with the process and don’t know if witnesses would be barred altogether except when testifying. Seems like an extreme way to prevent it, but I can see why there would be some desire out of pettiness.
Witnesses in criminal court are barred from sitting in the audience if the trial they are a “witness” of.
Why so many witnesses? Are they trying to prolong the trial to put the jury to sleep?
where is this list! I’d love to see who is on it…..