Rival Transferred by Rackauckas Wins His Job Back

An employment arbitrator has concluded that Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas improperly transferred a deputy prosecutor who ran against him in the 2002 election.

The arbitrator ruled that Rackauckas must reinstate Wally Wade to his job as a senior deputy district attorney. The day after he won reelection in March 2002, Rackauckas transferred Wade to the office’s child support unit, which became a separate agency.

Arbitrator Michael Prihar ruled Sunday that Wade was not eligible for a transfer because he was an officer in the prosecutors union.

“It’s great. I am a career prosecutor. Now I get to go back and represent my favorite client, which is the people of the community. It’s a wonderful ruling,” said Wade, who for about 17 months has worked as an attorney with the offshoot Department of Child Support Services.

Rackauckas declined to discuss the matter and did not answer questions left with his spokeswoman.

Wade and Rackauckas have a history.

In 1998, Rackauckas, then a Superior Court judge, defeated Wade to become the county’s district attorney. Four years later, Wade challenged Rackauckas again, accusing his boss of interfering in cases to benefit political allies, and again lost.

After the second election, Rackauckas transferred Wade and several other prosecutors to the child support unit, which was scheduled to branch off into a new agency. Several of those who were transferred had campaigned for Wade.

Six of those who were transferred -- including Wade -- filed lawsuits against Rackauckas. Their cases are pending in state and federal courts.

An arbitrator ruled this year that Rackauckas improperly fired veteran prosecutor Michael Jacobs, who had accused the district attorney of criminal conduct during a 2001 meeting with state attorney general officials.

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Times staff writer Dave McKibben contributed to this report.