Briefly in the news

-- Deepa Bharath

Costa Mesa Councilman Chris Steel’s arraignment on felony perjury

charges was continued from Tuesday to Aug. 8 because the assigned judge

was on vacation.

Defense attorney Ron Cordova said he asked for a continuance because

he believed Judge Ronald Kreber would probably have a better

understanding of the case than Judge Rick Stanford, who was filling in

for him.

“This case is a bit out of the ordinary,” Cordova said outside the

Santa Ana courtroom Monday. “I believe Judge Kreber will have a broader

perspective and better be able to put the issues in context.”

Steel was charged by the Orange County district attorney in May of two

felony counts for allegedly allowing a resident to sign 2000 election

nomination papers for his wife and because Steel signed for a legally

blind woman during the 1998 council election, which he eventually lost.

Another Superior Court judge threw out a civil case in which Costa

Mesa resident Michael Szkaradek made similar allegations against the

councilman. Judge Thierry Patrick Colaw said Szkaradek did not prove

Steel had deliberately falsified the nomination papers.

Cordova said Steel’s defense has been strengthened by the outcome of

the civil trial.

“It confirmed that proving a mistake doesn’t prove a crime,” he said.

Cordova said the burden of proof in the upcoming criminal trial will

be much greater for the prosecution than it was for Szkaradek in the

civil trial.