Green Light to Green Stuff

Three weeks ago we told you that then-District Attorney Mike Green would return to the office, as head of its Appeals Bureau.   That came straight from inside the DA's office.

In a press conference the next week, Green denied it.

Yesterday local media reported that ... Green's going back to the DA's office.   As head of the Appeals bureau.

Not to worry, reports the Democrat and Chronicle's Gary Craig.   You see, Green won't actually be doing the work of the Appeals Bureau Chief.   Just getting paid for it.

At $110,000 per year.

"I'm here for one purpose," said Green to the D&C.   "She asked me to help with the transition," referring to the new DA.

Green will be Chief of Appeals only because that slot just happened to be open "in the office personnel chart," explained the former DA.

Of course it was open.   The old Chief of Appeals was fired last month.  By Green.  For being a Republican, and to open the slot for Green!

Believe Green's absurd explanations, equivocations and excuses and you're eligible to be a reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle.

The D&C, of course, spouts the official party line, that at the time of the press conference on December 19, Green "did not forsee" going back to the DA's office.

Of course not.   See, kids, as late as December 19th it had just never occurred to anybody involved that they'd want the outgoing DA's help in transitioning to a new DA.

And there just wasn't any other "open spot in the personnel chart" whose work Green could not do, at less expense to the taxpayer.   Only a spot that pays $110,000, in order for Green to not do its work.

Yet D&C reporter Craig swallows it whole, not asking any of the blindingly obvious follow-up questions or mentioning them in his story.   That, or as is more likely, Editor Karen Magnuson cut the part of his story that asked the questions or connected the dots.

The D&C collaborates in the whole shambling pretense, beginning with the fine bit of anticipatory justification in its headline, saying Green's staying on only "briefly, to help Doorley."   Thereby seeking to explain away Green's lie at the press conference, and to say, "Hey -- it's only for a little while."

At $110,000 per year, we bet the "little while" will cost taxpayers a lot more than David Damelio's cigars.

What's surprising is how, when our self-proclaimed "watchdog," the newspaper, rolls over on its back to have its tummy scratched, our local broadcast journalists don't step up to the mark to ask the obvious questions.