Ad Hominem

AD HOMINEM… Squid sometimes uses court documents as a sleep aid – half the words are in Latin, and if you don’t have a J.D., it can be pretty dry reading. But sometimes, Squid reads something straight out of a contemporary drama, and Squid perks up.

So it is with the rapid-fire, back-and-forth filings in a 2013 federal case against the County of Monterey and Wellpath, its contractor providing medical care in the county jail. The class-action suit was filed by inmates seeking adequate conditions. Per a 2015 settlement, the county and Wellpath are supposed to be doing a bunch of stuff to make things better and safer in there, but plaintiffs’ attorneys claim that isn’t happening. It’s hard to know, because the 30-plus reports that illuminate the details are kept under seal and out of sight from the public, including Squid.

The latest chapter in this drama is a legal battle over whether to unseal those reports. Plaintiffs (and the Weekly) say yes; the county and Wellpath say no way. Meanwhile, Chief Assistant County Counsel Susan Blitch and plaintiffs’ attorney Van Swearingen are fighting about who said what when. Allegedly, per documents filed by Blitch, Swearingen agreed during a 2020 meeting to keep the reports secret. Then the accusatory emails start flying: “I am very disappointed to see the false statements that you made about me,” Swearingen wrote. Blitch responded: “I stand by my statement. You agreed to keep the reports confidential.”

Of course, Squid has no way of knowing who really said what when, but does know this sounds like two kids yelling it out on the playground. Meanwhile, people are incarcerated and they and their families want to know: Are the county and Wellpath living up to their promises?

POWER COUPLE… As Squid oozes around Monterey County, Squid regularly observes influential people (and people who wish to be influential) rubbing elbows. So it’s not necessarily surprising to see Rebeca Andrade, the superintendent of Salinas City Elementary School District, and Steve Carrigan, the city manager of Salinas, dining together.

What makes it look like something other than business is on the table is the little blue box that Tiffany is famous for, with diamond earrings inside. That’s not on the city/school district agenda… it’s just good, old-fashioned love.

Carrigan tells Squid’s colleague that he and Andrade are smitten with each other. They met via Zoom when Carrigan was brand new to Salinas and hosted a meeting with all four Salinas school district superintendents; when she logged in, meeting attendees say, he got a little googly-eyed.

It all sounds much more romantic than love in the world of cephalopods, and Squid wishes them the best.