Todd Spitzer’s Two Sets of Laws:
Political Corruption at the Heart of the OCDA Office
In a glaring display of political favoritism, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has made it clear that there are two sets of laws under his watch. One set exists for his Republican friends and allies, while a much harsher set applies to Democrats and anyone he perceives as a political enemy. Nowhere is this more evident than in the handling of two nearly identical perjury cases involving Rancho Santa Margarita Mayor Carol Gamble and Fullerton City Council candidate Scott Markowitz.
The Gamble Cover-Up
Carol Gamble, a close personal friend of Spitzer and a fellow Republican, committed perjury when she falsely attested to the accuracy of her nomination paperwork for her City Council campaign. The violation is undeniable—she admitted it herself, stating that she signed paperwork “attesting to an inaccurate statement.” But instead of facing the consequences that such a serious offense should bring, Gamble was treated with “kid gloves” by Spitzer’s office. No arrest. No formal charges. No press release condemning her actions. Instead, Gamble quietly suspended her campaign and promised to resign if elected, a hollow pledge that voters are supposed to take at face value.
This so-called “withdrawal” from the race is nothing but a sham. Gamble’s name remains on the ballot, and she continues to deceive voters by offering a promise to resign if she wins. Where are the criminal charges? Where is the public announcement of her ineligibility, just like the one Spitzer made for Markowitz? According to investigators, there is ample evidence to charge Gamble. But the charges have yet to materialize. Why? Because Todd Spitzer has chosen to shield his Republican friend from the very laws he swore to uphold.
The Markowitz Crucifixion
Contrast this with the fate of Scott Markowitz, a Democrat* running for Fullerton City Council. Markowitz committed the same exact offense—falsifying nomination paperwork by claiming he personally collected signatures when he did not. But unlike Gamble, Markowitz faced the full wrath of Spitzer’s office. Arrested, charged with two felony counts, and paraded before the public as an example of electoral corruption, Markowitz was vilified in every possible way.
*ED. Note: Markowitz had recently registered “Republican” just before filing to run, but before that he was a Democrat, clearly put into the race by Democrat operatives to take votes away from a Republican candidate, and it was Fullerton Republicans who called on Todd to prosecute him. Just to be precise.
Spitzer’s office wasted no time issuing a press release, not just announcing the charges but also declaring Markowitz ineligible to run for office—an unprecedented move that interfered directly with the electoral process. “The decision to file criminal charges against the candidate prior to an election is not a decision I made lightly,” Spitzer said. He went on to frame Markowitz as a threat to democracy, claiming that his actions jeopardized the integrity of the election.
It’s hard to ignore the political motivations behind Spitzer’s aggressive pursuit of Markowitz. The Democrat was facing felony charges, spending a night in jail, and ultimately being disqualified from the race, while Gamble continues to enjoy protection under the Spitzer shield.
Two Sets of Laws, One Corrupt DA
Todd Spitzer’s selective enforcement of the law is nothing short of political corruption. He has two sets of rules—one for his Republican allies like Carol Gamble and another for Democrats like Scott Markowitz. By refusing to prosecute Gamble, despite the evidence against her, Spitzer is sending a clear message that the law is not applied equally in Orange County. If you are a Republican and a friend of Spitzer’s, you can break the law and walk away unscathed. But if you are a Democrat, Spitzer will drag you through the mud, arrest you, and vilify you in the public eye.
The hypocrisy is staggering. The same crime, committed by two different candidates, has resulted in two wildly different outcomes. Markowitz has been publicly crucified, while Gamble has been allowed to run what can only be described as a “Spitzer Stealth” campaign. She hasn’t made any real effort to alert her constituents that she is no longer running, and voters are left in the dark about her supposed withdrawal. This deception is being actively facilitated by Spitzer, who refuses to take the same actions against Gamble that he so eagerly took against Markowitz.
Todd Spitzer values his political career more than he does the law. His actions—or lack thereof—in the Gamble case are proof that he is willing to sacrifice the integrity of his office to protect his friends and maintain his political alliances. The public deserves better. It’s time for Spitzer to stop playing political games and uphold the law, equally and fairly. FILE THE CHARGES, SPITZER. If Carol Gamble committed perjury, she should face the same consequences as Scott Markowitz. Anything less is a blatant abuse of power.
The people of Orange County deserve justice—not a DA who operates with two sets of laws.
Apropos of Spitzer, people in Fullerton are wondering if he is even going to investigate farther into the Markowitz case, as in who actually did collect the signatures, and who supported this guy’s perjury.
Unlike the Gamble case, this involves ANOTHER felony – a conspiracy to suborn perjury and fraud. Who was in on it? The tentacles of the Markowitz situation may wrap around several people, including, perhaps Ada Briceno, Ahmad Zahra and even the candidate helped by the scam – Kitty Jaramillo. Ajay Mohan, former ED of Dem Central certainly knew he was helping a phony candidate pretend to be a MAGAnaut.
Now on the surface this would appear to be too deep for Spitzer to want to dig, especially if high-level Dems are involved. He holds a non-partisan office.
P.S. Markowitz wasn’t “crucified.” He committed a goddam crime.
Well, as did the Two Thieves who were also “crucified.”
And one was saved, one was damned.
If you believe in that sort of thing.
Important to note that while Sparky Spitzer fancies himself judge, jury, and executioner (and King of the world) he is none of these. He is merely a prosecutor
BREAKING: Gamble agrees to plead guilty to violating election law:
https://www.ocregister.com/2024/10/30/rancho-santa-margarita-mayor-carol-gamble-agrees-to-plead-guilty-to-violating-election-law/
Her campaign is already suspended, and she’s already agreed to immediately resign if God forbid she wins. “Rancho Santa Margarita could need to hold a special election to fill the District 3 seat if she is elected, according to the DA.” Cautious emphasis on “could.” Knowing Tony Beall’s gang, they’ll probably try to appoint a new puppet instead. So to avoid either an expensive special election or an appointed puppet, we hope RSM district 3 voters will vote this week for the fine, honest candidate Keri Lynn Baert, who tells me she was fully expecting to win anyway.
Among other things, Keri supports term limits in RSM, which they desperately need. Read more about Keri – https://baert4rsm.com/
What was interesting was when I talked to the kid at the OCGOP office about why they hadn’t taken down the endorsement yet. He told me that Keri was a Democrat, I’m like, no she isn’t. I forced him to look it up and he said “Why did they tell me she was a Democrat?” and then “I’ve been wondering why no one around here seemed to care about this.” I told him that Fred Whittaker was a Beall puppet. The other thing he told me was that if Gamble won, was that the OCGOP would pick the replacement. I told him there was no way that was true, but he was insistent.
So, what I’m told from my DA sources is that since Carol isn’t eligible to run, the council can’t replace her if she wins, because she hasn’t stepped down and that it HAS to be a special election and part of her restitution would be around the cost of that, which is why it won’t be assessed until after the election.
It is absolutely ridiculous that with her 25 years of experience and being the active mayor she is not spending a single night in jail and the charge was reduced. There was no reason at all to negotiate on the part of the DA. This was as blatant as it gets. She’s known for months about the problem. The cure was for her to drop out ASAP, not sit around and hope no one would notice.
Very helpful information, Shawn! Thanks!
Look at y’all, getting things done!