Chamise Cubbison returned quietly to her top county financial office on Wednesday for the first time since she was locked out 17 months ago.
No corks were popped or balloons blown up, but it was a triumphant return for a veteran county employee who risked a criminal conviction. Cubbison chose to fight felony allegations filed against her by District Attorney David Eyster in October 2022.
“I have returned to the office and look forward to getting back to the important work the people elected me to perform,” said Cubbison.
It was Cubbison’s first public statement since Superior Court Judge Ann Moorman dismissed her criminal charges on Tuesday.
Cubbison said she was “proud of what my team of employees accomplished in my absence, and we hope to continue their positive progress.”
Cubbison said she was pleased and grateful for Judge Ann Moorman’s decision to end 17 months of prosecution.
“I thank the court, my legal team, my family, and the community of supporters and interested citizens of Mendocino County,” said Cubbison.
After Eyster acted, and Cubbison was escorted out of her office and suspended without pay or benefits by the Board of Supervisors, the embattled Auditor decided to stand her ground. Cubbison declined the DA’s misdemeanor plea offer in return for her resignation.
On Wednesday, a half dozen county officials, including CEO Darcie Antle, did not return calls inquiring about Cubbison’s official status and whether she had been formally reinstated now that she is free of criminal charges.
Defense attorney Chris Andrian was the first to confirm that Cubbison had returned to work in her office at the county Administration Center on Low Gap Road in Ukiah.
“I can confirm she went back to work today, where she should have been for the past 17 months,” said Andrian. “I am very happy for her. She is a good person who did no wrong.”
Cubbison, by Wednesday evening, decided to make her public statement.
Judge Moorman opened the door for Cubbison’s return to public duty when by tossing out criminal charges a day before, delivering a blow to Eyster, and ending his bid to permanently oust the elected head of the combined county Auditor/Controller and Treasurer/Tax Collector offices.
Eyster had quarreled with Cubbison over his office expenses and publicly denounced two years before charging her in an extraordinary appearance before the Board of Supervisors. Cubbison supporters accused the district attorney of waging a “vendetta” against Cubbison for challenging his office expenses.
Moorman on Tuesday issued a scathing indictment of the prosecution, citing a variety of weaknesses in the felony misappropriation of public funds case.
Eyster targeted Cubbison and former Payroll Manager Paula June Kennedy in October 2023 in an alleged conspiracy to use an obscure pay code so Kennedy could collect about $68,000 in extra pay over three years during the Covid pandemic.
In her damning assessment, Moorman ripped what she believed to be “willful ignorance” among county officials who testified during a preliminary hearing, the soft investigation of what was an alleged white-collar crime, and the truthfulness of key witnesses, including retired county Auditor Lloyd Weer.
CEO Darcie Antle did not respond to inquiries about Cubbison’s status on Wednesday, nor did Cherie Johnson, the county Human Resources manager who testified at the preliminary hearing.
Morin Jacobs, the San Francisco attorney representing county officials in Cubbison’s pending civil litigation against the Board of Supervisors, replied via an automatic email that she was out of the office and unavailable.
Andrian said Cubbison’s return to work does not mean her pending civil litigation is on the back burner.
“We are going to keep the heat on because there was a great injustice here,” said Andrian about the legal efforts. They are enhanced now that the criminal case has been dismissed.
Therese Cannata, Cubbison’s San Francisco attorney, said Tuesday her goal was “immediate reinstatement” of Cubbison.
During the preliminary hearing, Antle, other county officials, and investigators testified that Kennedy had undoubtedly worked the hours she paid herself for. Judge Moorman found no evidence Cubbison personally benefitted from the extra pay or engaged in any crime.
Sometimes good people prevail. Happy beyond measure.
To the Editor:
The malicious prosecution case against duly elected County Auditor-Treasurer Chamise Cubbison has been dismissed. Culbertson. Now what?
Now, every county actor tainted by the Cubbison affair needs to go.
District Attorney Dave Eyster needs to be sued by Cubbison, and his conduct should be reported to the California Bar Association. CEO Darcie Antle needs to be immediately fired. Supervisors Maureen Mulheren, Ted Williams and John Haschak need to resign or be recalled.
That’s just a start.
Everyone in the County Counsel’s office involved in the Cubbison case needs to go, too.
As a county, we, the people, need to ask: Leading up to Cubbison being charged, who was involved? Who fabricated a case against Cubbison?
And after she was charged, for the next two years as the case wend its way through court, who obstructed justice? Who didn’t respond truthfully to discoveries? Who destroyed or falsified evidence? Who perjured themselves? Who intimidated witnesses?
John Sakowicz
Ukiah
I don’t always agree with John Sakowitcz’s posts on here but I definitely agree with this one. The easiest decision should be the removal of CEO Darcie Antle, who appears to be, at best, one of those Moorman described as “willfully ignorant” or was an active conspirator in the scheme to remove Chamise Cubbison.
In light of the facts concerning this situation, the State should come in and take over. There is no legitimate County leadership in Mendocino County. The government is rigged against anyone who gets in the way. Ms. Cubbison was doing her job, and they ruined her and Ms. Kennedy’s reputations.
All this because of a $2500.00 bar bill.
This is some really sick shit.
Ask around…
Laz
From the first day after the suspension, as I stood listening to citizen outrage as a few folks huddled around the latest ICO stacked at the Point Arena co op, I don’t think it’s Kennedy and Cubbison who suffered hits to their rep. It’s the BOS, DA, and CEO who did. People far from the county seat feeling outraged.
Consequences can include reporting Eyster to the bar association and firing the CEO. What else?
All you mifos think you are so clever in judging this case and you’re all full of I-told-you-sos to the point you’ve lost track that there’s not another publication anywhere in the world like the mighty AVA! You thank Mike Geniella, and rightly so, but his own paper didn’t have the gall (or whatever it takes) to print his stories, only our esteemed editor stood up to the plate. So c’mon, credit where credit’s due.Three cheers for Bruce Anderson and god bless his inexhaustible gall bladder!
Bruce,
I’ve been all in from the beginning, denouncing this sordid misjustice on two innocent women.
Thank you to the AVA and Mike Geniella for having the guts to write and to print the facts as they played out..
Sincerely,
Laz
One can always dream that Hashack, Cline and Norvell will have the fortitude to hold Darcie, Ted and Mo accountable. Firing Darcie and censuring Ted and Mo would be sufficient. But watch as all of this is ignored and the elephant in the room, Dirty Dave, is untouched even by Moorman. They will throw the side characters in this saga under the bus: Porter, Weer, Rakes, Pierce, LCW and literally anyone who’s convenient. Moorman got them off to a good start. Way to not tolerate willful ignorance! Moorman treats Dirty Dave as though he’s Voldemort – She dare not speak his name! And unless Haschak, Cline and Norvell grow a pair it will all go on like autopilot.
Haschak voted to suspend her also. Are you excluding him because later he asked if they messed up doing so by not holding a hearing re that?
I thought he was the lone dissenting vote but my recollection could be wrong. I do remember him specifically being the most questioning of what was going on. As a former public school teacher, he should know about Skelly rights, presumption of innocence, etc. If he did vote to suspend, he really needs to trust his gut more and grow a pair to protect the purse, Cubbison’s rights etc. Pinches would have seen through this.
I checked local news articles from back then because even though I watched live on youtube ALL the Supes in a non chatty, subdued and quick manner vote to suspend her, my memory is housed in an aging brain.
At the subsequent meeting Haschak asked a lawyer if they had messed up. The lawyer said he would answer in a closed session.
Haschak voted No on combining the two offices. He voted Yes on suspending her without pay.
10/17/23 BoS suspension of Ms. Cubbinson.
At approximately the 4:02 mark, towards the end of the meeting.
It is what it is…
Laz
Thank you, AVA. I’m glad I made the cut…
Be well,
Laz
Thank you for the video of the crime.
I had been told that Haschak voted against the motion, but it was unanimous.
He has to go too, along with Williams and Mo!
Thank you AVA for doing such a good job with this story.