On Friday, Voice of Orange County reported that Deputy CEO Alisa Drakodaidis took a voluntary leave of absence for undisclosed medical reasons. In addition, the attorney representing Drakodaidis has sent a scathing letter to county officials leveling additional damning allegations.
From the original Voice of OC report:
Rackauckas has publicly stated that he will continue his probe of county government to determine who knew what and when.
It seems Drakodaidis, the deputy CEO for infrastructure, might know plenty.
After Carbajal was fired, Drakodaidis, who supervised both Carbajal and Bustamante, abruptly left her post. By midweek, officials had received a letter from Drakodaidis’ attorney advising them that she is on a medical leave until Aug. 30, according to several sources that have seen the letter.
Drakodaidis’ letter levels a host of accusations against members of the county Board of Supervisors for interfering with hiring and contracts as well as conducting questionable campaign finance practices.
On Monday, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas allegedly told county officials to not publicly release the letter from Drakodaidis’s attorney. Voice of OC had requested a copy of the letter through a public records request.
“Both the CEO [Tom Mauk] and county counsel [Nick Chrisos] have said the letter cannot be released because the district attorney doesn’t want it released,” said board Chairman John Moorlach in response to a public records request by Voice of OC.
Rackauckas spokeswoman Susan Kang Schroeder declined to comment on the move, saying “I wouldn’t comment on any request that would have been made. I can’t comment.”
Voice of OC reports:
According to sources who have seen the letter, Drakodaidis, who supervised both Bustamante and Carbajal, alleges that members of the Board of Supervisors have been meddling in contracts and using their influence to secure spots within the county bureaucracy for their staff aides.
Sources indicate the letter also alleges that Rackaucakas pursued the Bustamante case because he is angry with Mauk over the CEO’s handling of issues regarding Public Administrator John Williams, who employed Rackauckas’ fiancee Peggi Buff.
Read more here.