TimesOC: Orange County’s top prosecutor denies accusation of racist remarks
Good morning and welcome to the TimesOC newsletter.
It’s Friday, Feb. 18. I’m Ben Brazil, bringing you the latest roundup of Orange County news and events.
Orange County’s top prosecutor is in hot water this week after a former colleague alleged that he made racist comments about a Black defendant.
Ebrahim Baytieh, who was recently fired by Spitzer, claimed in a Dec. 3 memo that during a meeting in October, Spitzer said he knows “many Black people who get themselves out of their bad circumstances and bad situations by only dating white women.” The statement was in reference to the case of Jamon Buggs, a Black man charged with killing two people allegedly due to jealousy over his white ex-girlfriend.
My colleague Hannah Fry reported this week that Spitzer told her that he did not say what was alleged in the memo. He told Fry that what he actually said was that he has seen Black men date white women to “improve their stature in the community.”
According to the memo, Spitzer also drew on his own experiences and referenced a Black student he knew in college who he said only dated white women “to get himself out of his bad circumstances and situations.” However, in a Jan. 30 letter filed in Orange County Superior Court, Spitzer wrote the “only thing I stated was that I have seen Black men date white women in certain circles in order to have others around them be more accepting.”
“After reading his memo, I was completely and utterly disgusted by his characterization of a conversation regarding the race of Buggs ...” Spitzer wrote about Baytieh in the letter. “Not only was it inaccurate, but it attempted to show my statements in the worst possible light, without explanation or context.”
Baytieh was fired following an independent investigation into allegations that he withheld evidence from defense attorneys in a murder case. Spitzer believes the memo was written in retaliation for launching the investigation.
The disclosure of the memo comes as Spitzer is running for reelection against two former Orange County prosecutors. The lead up to the June primary has already had its share of political venom.
Peter Hardin, one of the challengers, called for Spitzer to resign this week in response to the remarks.
“Todd Spitzer’s consideration of race while deciding whether or not California should execute a Black man isn’t just appalling, it’s disqualifying,” Hardin said. “Our system of justice must be colorblind, and the chief law enforcement officer just showed himself to be anything but.”
Ada Briceño, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Orange County, also called for Spitzer to step down.
“Our justice system is supposed to judge people based on facts and evidence, not the color of their skin,” she said in a statement. “The chief law enforcement officer for the sixth most populous county in the United States made his racist beliefs clear to a group of senior prosecutors while deliberating the death penalty for a Black man.”
MORE NEWS
For many, chicken is not controversial. But when Raising Cane’s, a popular fast-food chicken joint, was proposed to be built next to an elementary school in Brea, it sparked controversy and a lawsuit. My colleague Gabriel San Román wrote this week about how a community group, Safer Avenues for Everyone, challenged it in court, citing the dangers of increased traffic and long lines next to a school. The popular restaurant chose to settle the matter. There won’t be a Raising Cane’s in Brea for the time being.
An Orange County task force this week released findings for a decadelong study looking at domestic-violence related deaths. Researchers found that although almost half of the domestic violence-related deaths in Orange County between 2006 and 2017 involved somebody with a known history of violence, only 9% of these cases had a restraining order in place. The study also found that financial issues and access to firearms increased the chances of domestic violence-related deaths.
The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve may become a part of Huntington Beach. The 1,200-acre piece of land is currently considered unincorporated county land, but the city will move forward with updating a study looking into the feasibility of annexing the sprawling nature preserve. My colleague Matt Szabo has the story.
An organization is rushing to house hundreds of homeless people in Orange County before its housing vouchers expire in the next few months. But United to End Homelessness, a program of Orange County United Way, is in need of funding and suitable affordable housing units. Since the organization started in 2018, it has moved 384 households. Now, it is tasked with moving hundreds more within a few months.
Next time you head down to Newport Beach you may see a host of new sculptures. The City Council approved the public artworks this week following a citywide vote wherein residents decided the final pieces. The vote was part of a recurring art program that began in 2013 that places sculptures at the city’s Civic Center Park. “When you have all 20 on display, you’ll see it’s a very robust group of sculptures and I think it’s proven to be very popular with the public,” said Richard Stein, president and chief executive officer of Arts Orange County.
UC Irvine will be investing more into researching depression after receiving a $55-million donation from a Newport Beach philanthropist who passed away in 2020. Audrey Steele Burnand had earmarked the money so the college would start a depression research center. It is believed to be the largest donation to a university in the country dedicated to the study of depression. “Nothing could be more exciting,” said Dr. Michael Yassa, a UC Irvine professor of neurobiology and behavior. “A gift of this magnitude is transformative, to say the least. It can really catapult our research in a positive direction.”
Newport-Mesa Unified parents have been pressing school officials about alleged inequities among academic course options between various campuses in the district. In response this week, the school district vowed to bring more electives to TeWinkle Middle School, where roughly 83% of the students are Latino.
LIFE AND LEISURE
Natalie Graham, Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ new vice president of community engagement, is hoping to make the center more inclusive, strengthen community partnerships and expand cultural programming. My colleague Sarah Mosqueda wrote that Graham is looking to engage with organizations that work with underrepresented communities. Graham was appointed Poet Laureate of Orange County last August, and she has toured the country with her collection of poems. “There two things that I keep thinking about, and the first one is inviting community members into the conversation about what they want to see. What they love, what they miss, what voices are missing?” said Graham. “The second thing is expanding into places we haven’t been.”
Mosqueda also wrote this week about the burgeoning vegan Mexican food scene in Orange County. These restaurants include casual taquerias to full-service sit-down restaurants specializing in plant-based Mexican food. Many of the restaurateurs’ reasons for turning to vegan food are also very interesting. Chef-owner Loreta Ruiz of La Vegana Mexicana, at Santa Ana’s 4th Street Market, adopted the meatless cuisine in response to her daughter’s struggles with autoimmune diseases, for example.
SPORTS
Eric Kay, a former Angels communications director, was found guilty on Thursday of giving former pitcher Tyler Skaggs the drugs that killed him on July 2019. The 12-person jury came to the decision that he had distributed fentanyl and oxycodone since “beginning or before 2017” and provided Skaggs the fentanyl that led to him choking on his vomit, wrote reporter Jorge Castillo. Kay, whose sentencing is scheduled for June 28, faces between 20 years and life in prison and up to a $1-million fine.
The Newport Harbor girls’ soccer team upset Capistrano Valley this week in a second round CIF playoff match. The team came out to a fast start, ending up with a two-goal lead at the half, eventually winning 3-2, wrote my colleague Andrew Turner. Newport Harbor will now face a test by going on the road for the first time in the playoffs to play No. 4-seeded Villa Park.
Corona del Mar and Edison girls’ water polo teams are advancing to CIF finals. While its a return to form for the Sea Kings, this is the first time that Edison is playing in a title match.
Before you go
The L.A. Times is launching a newsletter covering elections and local politics. Be sure to sign up for L.A. on the Record if you want the lowdown on Orange County’s neighbor to the north. Subscribe here.
Stay in Touch
If you have a memory or story about Orange County, we would love to read it (please keep your story to 100 words or less).
We want your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Send any tips or comments to benjamin.brazil@latimes.com or carol.cormaci@latimes.com.
Keep up with community news on our Orange County page. Follow us on Twitter at @timesocofficial.
Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get the TimesOC newsletter in your inbox, or invite a friend or family member to join.
Not a subscriber? Get unlimited digital access to latimes.com. Subscribe here.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
