An attorney for the board of supervisors is withholding surveillance video taken in a county parking garage showing the arrest of Supervisor Donald Stapley. The attorney is threatening to release a video of a minor fender bender involving prosecutor Barnett Lotstein if the demand for the Stapley video is not withdrawn. The Stapley video is needed for law enforcement to assess a potential criminal case against Stapley. The attorney making this stunning threat is Ed Novak, a criminal defense attorney and former president of the State Bar.

Also, the board of supervisors has set a date for the possible appointment of special prosecutors investigating their own, potentially criminal conduct. That date is New Year’s Eve , a date when no board meeting is scheduled. They have provided no assurance they will approve the request even then.

An  email documenting these latest actions by the board and their employees and representatives is below.

Novak-email