Arizona Daily Star from Tucson, Arizona • Page C005

TUCSON REGION C5 ARIZONA DAILY STAR Sunday, August 26, 2012 NEIGHBORHOOD BRIEFS considerations that we review. In deciding whether to take a case you also have to look at the defendant's background, criminal history, whether or not the violation of law that we're investigating can be prosecuted by any other political entity, or whether we're the only ones. Qj When you took this job, were you hoping that you would be able to serve beyond a change of administrations if that happens in January? No, the political winds will blow, and whatever happens is OK with me. I don't have any particular job expectations or term of office. I have a four -year appointment, but of course if there's a change of administrations, they can and usually do change who's in the U.S.

attorney's position. It doesn't always happen. I know it's a possibility, and that's fine. Star reporter Kim Smith contributed to this report. Contact reporter Tim Steller at 807-8427 tstellerazstarnet.com LEONARDO Continued from Page CI flux at the U.S.

Attorney's Office that has continued into this year, with seven people leading the office over six years. Here are excerpts from the Star's interview, at Leonardo's office in Tucson's federal court: Do you plan to be based in Phoenix or Tucson? Of course, I have responsibility for the whole district. And traditionally the U.S. attorney has been in Phoenix, although it's not without precedent that the U.S. attorney has been in Tucson, but not since the '70s.

So my plan is to spend two days in Phoenix at least for the first several months until I get a handle on the whole office. Did you bend some ears to get the job? I don't think anybody gets this job by somebody coming to you. I reached out to the congressional delegation and expressed my interest. And fortunately it was met with a favor able reaction both by the congressional delegation and the two senators. They were very helpful.

It just seemed like this was the right time, the right circumstances. Didn't you have any doubts considering the political climate, Operation Fast and Furious and the office's reputation? I understand what you're saying, but all the more reason for someone with my background, I think, to step into the breach, to bring a larger perspective to the position. I was asked the other day, 'Do you think this is a political Obviously, politics certainly enters into your being in this position in the first place, and it seems to have had an effect on how you leave and when. But the point is, the daily function of this office shouldn't be political. It ought to be apolitical.

The decisions as to whether federal criminal statutes have been violated have no political aspect to it. Those decisions are factual. And when investiga tions are conducted, either somebody violated the law or didn't. Most of our staff, everybody other than the U.S. attorney himself or herself, doesn't come and go with administrations.

That's the strength, I think, of the U.S. attorney system throughout the country, that it hasn't been political. Qj What do you think of Operation Streamline and the way the office handles immigration cases Obviously, the basic problem is we have a tremendous volume of cases that are coming at us constantly. You're speaking about immigration, but drug cases is the same thing. And we have never had sufficient resources to prosecute all those cases.

So we've always had to use prosecutorial discretion and try to figure out how can we possibly deal with this number of cases. And it's even more difficult at present because we have fewer resources. We're down 19 assistant U.S. attorney positions over what we had a couple of years ago. That's a result of a hir ing freeze that's still in effect.

We can't replace those people, so it becomes more and more difficult to address this constant volume of cases that result from our shared border with Mexico. So we're constantly having to monitor that and try to determine how to deal with it. That's an ongoing process. I'm not sure we're dealing with it well. There's a lot of stress on those people that are handling those cases.

It's certainly going to be one of my earlier priorities to see if we can't be more effective in that area. Qj Over past few years, the handling of drug cases has changed. There's been a weight threshold for taking cases, and there's not been a threshold at times. What's your view on that situation? We can't do them all, and somewhere you have to draw a line I think it was in -appropriate and will be inappropriate to draw a hard line and say we only take cases over a certain amount. The amount of drugs is only one of the DOWNTOWN Workshop will prepare teens for driving test AAA Arizona is hosting Permit Prep 101, a free workshop that prepares teens for their written permit test and educates families on what they need to know before their new driver takes the wheel.

The workshop is at 6 p.m. Sept. 10 at Lohse Family YMCA, 60 W. Alameda St. To register, email or call258-0518.

Those registering via email should include their name, teen's name, email address and phone number. Reception will mark Women's Equality Day The Pima CountyTucson Women's Commission is hosting an executive reception to celebrate Women's Equality Day today from 5 to 7 p.m. Special guests include Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson and Lisa Lovallo, vice-president of Cox Communications. The purpose of the event is to foster executive networking, to proclaim Women's Equality Day and to celebrate the Arizona Centennial for women's right to vote. The event is being held at the commission building, 240 N.

Court Ave. For information and to RSVP, call 624-8318. EAST SIDE Neighborhood group meets 7 p.m. Sept. 5 The Eastside Neighborhood Association is having its quarterly meeting at 7 p.m.

Sept. 5. The meeting will include discussions on changes in recycling, water quality and water harvesting. Door prizes will also be given out. The meeting is being held at Eastside City Hall, 7575 E.

Speedway. For information, call 296-1023. NORTHWEST Loss-of-hearing group sets initial meeting The Adult Loss of Hearing Association is introducing its Oro Valley Chapter with its first meeting at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 6.

Audiologist John Cobb will speak on the topic "Use Your Hearing Aids or Your Brain Will Rust." The association teaches hard-of-hearing people how to become their own advocates for accommodations in their private and public life. The Oro Valley Chapter will meet on the first Thursday of each month at 2:30 p.m. All meetings will be held at the Santa Catalina Catholic Church in the Ocotillo and Cholla rooms, 14380 N. Oracle Road. For information, call 795-9887.

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