Gallegos Wins

Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos spent Tuesday evening with approximately 200 of his supporters at the Lost Coast Brewery celebrating his third election victory in the past four years.

With 98.5 percent of precincts in the county reporting, the elections office said Gallegos had 52.6 percent of the votes, while his opponent Deputy District Attorney Worth Dikeman had approximately 48 percent.

“I feel good, I feel tired, I’m grateful for the people of Humboldt County and I am looking forward to getting back to work,” said Gallegos in a telephone interview from his victory party shortly after midnight.

Gallegos said now that the election is over, his priorities are focusing on work and spending time with his wife and children who have not seen him much during the election.

When reached at home shortly after midnight, Dikeman said he was going to wait until all the results were in to comment.

“I think if we’re going to overcome that lead it’s going to be a real uphill battle,” he said.

“Our campaign worked as hard as we could and we supported the candidate that we felt would do the best job,” said Suzie Owsley, assistant campaign manager for Dikeman. “I’m pretty sure that Worth will be back at work tomorrow, early, because that’s just the way Worth is.”

For the second time in as many years, Dikeman ran against Gallegos for the position of District Attorney.

During the District Attorney recall election in 2004, Dikeman received 56.19 percent of the votes for replacement candidates, but the recall failed with Gallegos receiving 61.21 percent of the votes, versus the recall which received 38.79.

Dikeman first announced his candidacy for the DA election at a news conference almost one year ago.

From the start, Dikeman made it clear he was running for the office because he did not think Gallegos was doing a good job.

In his opening statement, during a forum in which the two candidates participated, Dikeman said when Gallegos first came into office he was inexperienced. Gallegos now has experience, he said.
“That record reveals that he doesn’t understand the position he’s in or how to use it,” he said. “I too have a record, but that record revolves around excellency.”
During the same forum, Gallegos said he was elected to bring change to the office.
“I brought that change,” he said. “I have and will continue to place community safety as my top priority.”

Both candidates spent the evening at what were planned as victory parties, Gallegos at Lost Coast Brewery and Dikeman with approximately 125 supporters at O-H’s Townhouse.

Eureka resident Dave Walker worked for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office for 28 years, as an investigator with the DA’s Office for two years and now works as a court security officer for the Federal Court.

“I’ve been in law enforcement in this county for 36 years … and I’ve known Worth since he started (at the District Attorney’s Office),” Walker, who volunteered on Dikeman’s campaign, said. “He and I have worked together on all those cases and I just know he is a tremendous prosecutor.”

Gallegos volunteer Jim Klump said Gallegos is the type of person who goes out and talks to people.

“Before Paul Gallegos … in Humboldt County the District Attorney was just considered part of the police force,” he said.

Klump said Gallegos represents all the people in the county.

“I find that inspiring,” he said.