Journalist, Erin Baldwin, Looks to Assemblyman Paul Cook to Help Her Reinstate 1st Amendment Rights

April 9, 2012 - PRLog -- Erin K. Baldwin
Post Office Box 3141
Beaumont, California 92223
(678) 997-6893
efightgoodfight@aol.com

Via Certified Mail

April 5, 2012

Assemblyman Paul Cook
34932 Yucaipa Boulevard
Yucaipa, CA 92399

Dear Assemblyman Cook:

I was referred to you by a dear friend whom you helped last year in her fight to recover her teaching license and save her job.  She encouraged me to write to you saying, "He's the one to get it done.  He worked fast and wasted no time when no one else would help me."  I have lived in Banning for 2 years now and love it here.  I was thrilled to read your mission statement because it sounds like you stand for the same principles as me:

"I've spent my lifetime defending America and the values that make us strong.  We need leaders with the courage to stand on principle and fight for our values. That is my mission in Congressional District 8."

This letter and the subject of my request is probably one you will not soon forget but to say you are the last house on the block is no understatement.  I have been trying for two years to reinstate my First Amendment rights and my Section 1983 case is now in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals against all odds.  

My hope is that you may be able to intervene for me as pro se litigants are given so little respect in our court system.  Also, I am unemployed and cannot afford counsel.  Even if I had money, however, it would be impossible to find a California attorney to represent me because one of my primary defendants is the State Bar of California.      

In January of 2009, I began to write and publish truthful, factual, and legally-substantiated journalistic articles and investigative reports about matters of great public concern; i.e., loan modification fraud and landlord-tenant abuse.  I wrote and published this information anonymously, free of charge, and for the sole benefit of consumers in foreclosure and California residential tenants (specifically the tenants of UDR, Inc.).  

I did not accept advertising income, donations, gifts or any other form of remuneration; rather, simply encouraged beneficiaries to pay it forward and help someone else for free.  I also exercised my First Amendment right to assemble and associate with people similarly situated for the purpose of petitioning the government for a redress of grievances.  

In addition to warning and informing consumers about loan modification and landlord-tenant fraud, I organized two separate causes to ensure that they received restitution.  These ideas quickly gained support amongst folks who had lost their homes to foreclosure or had been financially harmed by UDR, Inc.   They were:

   1.   A Petition for Writ of Mandate requiring the State Bar of California ("State Bar") to make restitution to consumers financially harmed by its members through its Client Security Fund; and to require the Department of Real Estate ("DRE") to make restitution to consumers financially harmed by its members through its Recovery Account.   

   2.   A Class Action Lawsuit against UDR, Inc. on behalf of its California tenants financially harmed by UDR's illegal California leases.  

As the direct result of my altruistic approach, the high quality and accuracy of my information, and my ability to convey vital information effectively to vulnerable consumers, I made an extraordinarily positive impact and gained nearly 200,000 followers in less than five months.

Fearing massive financial liability and personal accountability, the State Bar, DRE, and UDR, among others, launched a full-scale attack on my First Amendment rights in order to silence my speech and disable my ability to publish the truth; put an end to my promoting assembly and association for the purpose of uniting against lawlessness and oppression; and placed endless roadblocks in my path to prevent me from petitioning the government for a redress of grievances.

In addition to direct violations of my First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, The State Bar, DRE, and UDR, Inc., also violated other constitutional rights, all of which make up my Section 1983 Complaint filed in district court on August 16, 2011.  A small sampling of the nearly 50 lawsuits and actions brought against me in the form of civil and criminal First Amendment retaliatory prosecution during the last 3 years include:

    1.   The unlawful seizure of my automobile and the sum total of all my personal property on three separate occasions in two years to destroy credible evidence and prevent me from defending myself;

   2.   A premeditated and ruthless beating in custody by five male Big Bear Sheriffs deputies resulting in an emergency room medical report stating three times that I had been assaulted.  California State Bar Investigator, Tom Layton was present on the scene and used his former Los Angeles County Sheriff's connections to orchestrate the beating;

   3.   Two Orange County Superior Court permanent injunctions issued by Judge Franz E. Miller in two defamation actions.  One was brought by UDR, Inc. and the other brought by a loan modification predator that is no longer in business, Parsa Law Group.  Due to the fact that I am neither an attorney nor a real estate professional, the State Bar and DRE could not take action against me directly, so it funded the Parsa Law Group case.  In the end my speech was permanently enjoined representing an unconstitutional prior restraint of my protected speech.  Judge Miller also issued monetary judgments against me totaling $709,000.00 when he knew I was never legally named as a defendant in the case and as such, he had no jurisdiction over me;

   4.   False imprisonment for thirty-five days during which time I did not receive a preliminary hearing nor was I charged with a crime; and

   5.   Three years of judicial cover-up, fraud, and criminal obstruction of justice spanning Orange County, San Bernardino County, the California Court of Appeal, Central District Court of California, and now the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

I could go on and on but the bottom line here is that Judge Miller took a financial incentive from the State Bar because he, like most judges in California are indebted and unethically loyal to the State Bar for their appointments to the bench through the strong influence of the State Bar Judicial Nominations Evaluations ("JNE") Committee.  

Amongst California state judges and federal judges sitting on the Ninth Circuit, it appears to be an unthinkable action of ruling against the State Bar and extraordinarily deleterious to their career.

I filed a civil rights action in federal court in August of last year and while I had high hopes that the federal judiciary would be more respectful and honorable, I was sadly mistaken.  They are more interested in pledging allegiance to the State Bar of California than they are to the United States of America.

I have never given up and have risen above what most would consider insurmountable odds.  However, at this juncture I need help - I need a voice.  I need my representatives to stand up and say: "This is not right and I will not tolerate such abuse against a citizen of my district."  In a February 7, 2012 Article you were quoted as saying:

"In Congress, we need to lower the debt and clean things up," Cook said. "People have lost faith in government, especially folks in San Bernardino County. With all of the scandal and corruption, I want to help restore integrity and honesty. We need someone who isn't afraid to take on difficult issues."

Again, your vision for the future is directly in line with my specific issues and although my issues are "difficult" I know you're the one - you really came through for my friend; I look forward to you working "your magic" for me.  Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Erin K. Baldwin