News Scrapbook 1989

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F.st. 1888

an Diego, Tue

a ringer for one of George Bush's favorites

Riffle's help is one thing that has kept Helmich enthusiastic about horseihoe pit g this time around. ''I've seen I can improve if I do what he says,'' Helmich said. "I've written down everything he's told me ... down to things like how to approach the court and how to breathe. "He's the best thing that's hap- pened to the horseshoe club." Though Helmich has improved his pitching, he's still no match for hot- hots such as Gamble, who was among the seven members of the San Di o cl b ..1o ualify f r th shoe-p g o championships in Spearfish. Riffle plans to attend the tourna- ment, too - though not to compete. "I want to meet old friends, and see the new pitchers coming up," he said. Socializing with friends and com- petitors is something veteran pitch- ers consider one of the game's prime pleasures, along with "stringing it" - hurling, say, 10 double-ringers in a row "The game has a sOCJal aspect to it," said Tucker. "But also, a human being likes to do something well, and when horseshoe pitching works, it feels good."

Brothers unite to sell, service computers for legal profession By Richard Spaulding Tribune Fmane,al l!Tlter T II 1mmE Pfeffer brothers don t agree on the pronunciation of th 1r last name, but they have meshed their ta! nts well enough to found and build PDH Computer Systems a 5-year-old, 3 million computer service company Born a d raised in Blue Earlh, Minn, 41- year-old Pierre Pfeffer, pronounced with a hard P, was the first to venture west to San Diego in the early 1970s. He was followed by youngest brother Harry, 32, and middle brother Daniel, 36, both of whom use the ilent P.' All three went to college here; Pierre to UCSD then to the Uni it of San D1eg_9. for a law degree; Daniel to San I>1ego State University for a degree in marketing· and Harry to UC D, ft t in chem1 try then compu er sciences In July 1982 Pierre a on •man law of- fice, bid on and won San Diego County's first block contract for md1gent m1 - d mea dense As part of h1 bfd pac - age for the approximately 500,000 grant, Pierre calculated he would need a total of about 13 attorney to handle the caseload and that he would have to install a comput- er ystem In the latter case he said he had already been m contact with Damel, who wa m San Francisco who, 10 turn, recommended brother Harry, who was till in school. Daniel, who said his college degree "qual- ified me for no Job really," had tarted working locally after graduation for a busi- ness machine company, but quickly moved to San Francisco and went to work for Syn- trex Inc where 'I cut my t eth on comput- Please see COJfPUTE: AA-3, Col. 1

at their haunt In Balboa Park

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shoes, Riffle advised Helmich; it gives you a better grip. Helmich, 46, a professor of busi- n at the Ugiversity of San Dieg~. is one of the new faces at the horse- shoe club. Although he played horse- hoes mtensely in the mid-'70s, he gave 1t up for years before returning to competition last September be- cause he finds the game "challenging techruc lly." ' It's a lot of hand-eye coordina- tion," Helmich said. "There's no luck at all to it In tennis you have to respond to somebody's shot. Golf, you can get a good roll. But in horse- shoes, 1f you miss, )Ou're to blame."

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TribL photo by Howard Lipin

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The Pfeffer brothers, from left: Harry, Dan/ and Pierre

Lc,s Ang les. CA (Lo Angeles Co.) Los Angeles D,11ly Journal !Cir 5xW. 21,287) JUL 2 O1989 Jlll~,,·· ,. C 8

Civil Rights Nominee Fights for Senate Confir~ation 1 • (-. l{{continu from Page;l r------~-~-----.......,. I __, year. Lucas respondetl that career lawyers in J.4A•""i7"1 Similarly, he responded negatively to I the Civil Rights Division believe that the , questions about whether he had testified 1 1 rulini; v;il not undermine the efiectJve- m court on any matter or had ever been a ness of civil rights laws as critics have party to any ovil or criminal proceeding. suggested. Yet, his auestlonnaire to the Senate panel "I have a hard time believing that," re- revealed that he had "testified countless phed Simon noting that the deciswn times as an arresting officer and as sher- makes 1t more difficult for plaintiffs to use iff," and that as sheriff he had been named statistical comparisons to prove job bias m more than 100 lawsuits. under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of Lucas shrugged off the matter as •'an 1964. oversight." He said: "There was no in- 'A Sound Decision' nominated to head lhe Tax Division, the committee would have rejected him out of hand. Althea Simmons, Washington director of the_~. asserted that confirming Lucas would seiicrfbe wrong signal. "The present nominee's lack of background and I experience, I believe, sends a red flag to majority Americans, that this is affirma- tive action - if you are black, you don't I have to be qualified for the job."

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C . ·1 R~;tr~ vi 1g11ts Norn· ee Fights For Senate OK Lucas Asserts Life hrperience Should Balance Legal Gaps Chances Better Tha~ 50-50 :::-, 0 c.. By CharTey Rohen Dady journal Sta_(/R.t;•rt , WASHINGTON - Bnstling at ques- tions about his competence and commit- ment, William C. Lucas told a Senate confirmation heanng Wednesday that his hfo C)s-penence qualifies him to head the - •·• R1'.'hts D1v1s1on of the Justice ueo•nment. ": nave smelled the smoke of burning cros C5 anc seen the fear m people.'' said Luca , the first black sheriff of a major ur- lban ccunry. ·'I will be able to translate that mto motivation. That is real life.'' Deepening Concern L 1t some of his answers during more thari four hours of questioning by the Sen• ate Jud1c1arv Committee appeared to do htt1e to dispel doubts about his qualifica- t1on O - and some senators expressed deepening concern. ·evenheless, Lucas' chances of being confirmed appear better truill 50-50. But civil rights activists opposed to President Bush's controversial choice for the tmpor- cant and symbolic post said six senators on the 14-member committee support Lu- cas while the other eight remain uncommitted. Lucas, 61, a former FBI agent, was elected sheriff four omes and countv ex- ecutive once in Detroit before ru~ning successfully as the Republican candidate for governor of Mich1ga:-: in 1986. Since then he has pnct1ced law, although he ad- mm; he ha~_n1:ver VTltten a bne1 or tned a ca C,

1 Lad: of liugatJon e::penence wouldn't d1squal1ty him. said Sen. josepn B1den, D- De•.. who opened the all-day heanng, if Lucas could demonstrate a "driving com- mitment to civil nghts and thoroughness of thought on now the laws should be en- forced, even if 1t meant cal:mg on you: O\"n admm1strauon." But Sen. Charles Grassier, R-Iowa, said the commitment should be ooVJous. Lucas was orohaned as a teenager m Har- lem and earntd his law degree while sen·- mg as a New York policeman and raising a familv. Said the senator: "His life would Lucas testified that he gave up job se- curit:y and retirement benefits after nme years on the police force and took a pay cut to join the Justice Department in 1963 because he wanted to contribute to the c1vi nghts movement. (He spent 11 months at Justice as a le- gal assistant gathenng information on jchool segregation in the South. After fail- ing the D.C. bar exam. he had to leave the department. He worked briefly for the U.S. Civil Rights Commission in 1964 be- fore becoming an FBl agent for four years.) "\Vherever I have been," he said, "I have made a difference.'' Lucas took umbrage at the criticism of his competence and commmnent by civil rights organizations. "I resent (those who assert) that l was a potted plant in the ovil rights movement," he said. "I was not." en. Gordoil Humphrey , R-N .. , charged that the real objection to Lucas is that he does not condone reverse dis- cnmination: "I'm shocked and disgustec by the cheap shots being taken at yoi..," he said of the groups opposing Li.;cas. During the questioning, several sena- tors tried to draw Lucas out about his views on civil rights law and his reaction to recent Supreme Court rulings. Sen. Paul Sunon, D-Ill., asked Lucas for his opinion of the high court's ruling in Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio, 89 I Daily Journal D.A-f- 7191 (1989). /ee Page 24 - =E embarrass Horauo Alger.'' Wanted to Contribute

tent of dec;eption. I'm sure it won't make a difference to the New York Bar." Violates ABA Rules Ethics experts, however, took a some- what different view. Stephen Gillers at New York University said the matter raises questions "about his integnty that cannot be discounted.'' And Donald Weck~tem, at the Uni~ie- said that under t1ie American Bar~ socl:ltion's Rules of Professional Conduct a false statement or omission of a material fact that cre;ites or fails to remove a mis- apprehension held by the bar examiners is grounds for disbarment. In a 1989 California case, Goldstein v. State Bar, S006541, the state Supreme Court cancelled an attorney's license for failing to disclose that he had been previ- ously denied admission on moral fitness grounds. · After Lucas completed his testimony, the committee began hezring from 22 oth- er witnesses. Law enforcement groups lined up to support him, while most civil rights organizations opposed him. A notable exception to the latter was Joseph E. LowreJl, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Confer- ence. Reminding senators that the reviled Reynolds was an "experienced" head of the division, Lowrey said his group was backing Lucas because of his commitment to the cause of civil rights. On the other side, Ralph Neas, execu- tive director of the Leadership Confer- ence on Civil Rights, charged that Lucas has no record on civil rights, and his legal , qualifications are so slim that if had bee!) /

Pressed for his own opinion, Lucas called the ruling "a sound decision, " and said he agrees with plan announced by the president and attorney general to monitor the impact of recent opinions. But Simon said Lucas' answer "dis- turbed" him. "I don't know a civil rights leader who would say that (Wards Cove) is a •sound' decision." he said. "If you were up for an ambassador- ship," said the senator, "I would vote for you. But what I see as a deficiency (for the the civil rights post) is any leading for other on · · ri bts. " Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., I picked up where Simon left off. Focusing on the high court's ruling in r:>atterson v. McLean Credit Union, 89 Daily Journal D.A.R. 7697 (1989), be sought a commit- ment from Lucas to help push legislation to overturn the ruling. The decision limited use of 42 U.S.C. , 1981 to providing remedies for private discrimination in job bias cases at the point when a job contract was formed. I Even William Bradford Reynolds, who was vilified by civil rights groups for his leadership of the division in the Reagan administration, didn't challenge the ap- propriateness of this remedy for inten- tional discrimination, said Kennedy. But Lucas said he wasn't prepared to back any legislative proposal until the monitoring of these decisions produced proof that such action was needed. Sen. Howard Metzenbaurn, D-Ohio, said he found Lucas' response unsatisfac- tory. ''While you study, time slips away," be said. Lucas' reluctance to find fault with the Supreme Court's recent civil rights deci- sions evoked bipartisan criticism as well. J Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the only Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee not already counted as a vote for Lucas, pressed the nominee hard to explain why he would not support legisla- tion to reverse the court's ruling in Lor- ance v. AT&T Technclogies Inc., 89 Daily I Journal D.A.R. 7513 7:989).

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William C. Lucas The Lorance decision, charged Spec- ter, eroded the Supreme Court's 1971 ruling in Griggs v. Duke Power Co., estab- lishing a disparate-impact analysis for dis- crimination cases. The new ruling requires proof of discriminatory intent be- fore blocking operation of a seniority sys- tem in employment. But like the court's other recent rul- ings, Lucas said he didn't think this one would have a significant impact on cases. He .asserted that the court, in these deci- sions, was simply going back to the plain language of the statutes, and paring away the embellishments of the lower courts. "In my limited venture into the law," said Lucas - giving critics of his legal ex- pertise more ammunition - "I don't see any change in these decisions." An unhappy Specter said that the court should have assumed that since Congress had not passed any legislation changing those lower court decisions, that they were consistent with congressional intent. In addition to Lucas' legal skills, sena- tors also questioned his integrity. Sen. Herbert Kohl, D-Wisc., zeroed in on what he said were misstatements by Lµcas on his application to admission to the New York state bar in 1981. On the application, Lucas disclosed that he had been an "unsuccessful candidate" (did not complete the bar examination) in New - York in 1962 - but he did not disclose I I that he had failed the D.C. bar the same I ' -