‘Stay Away’ Hearing Could Become Problematic for Hume’s Reelection

Elected official, others to be called for hearing

One of the more interesting story lines for the 2010 Elk Grove City Council election might not be played out in debates or through ubiquitous campaign mailers.

Rather it could happen in a cramped courtroom in downtown Sacramento.

The next act in Elk Grove Council Member Pat Hume’s ongoing political drama will be staged during an October 1 hearing in Sacramento Superior Court when the District 2 councilman will seek an extension of a ‘stay away’ order on former companion and Elk Grove political activist Connie Conley. Hume originally was granted a three year order in July 2007 that has since expired.

This time around Conley, through her attorney Paige Hibbert, is mounting a strong argument that the order should not be re-issued and is unnecessary based on their contention that the original three year order had been repeatedly violated by Hume.

As noted in a previous EGN story, Conley’s court documents content that she and Hume had engaged in numerous lengthy telephone calls, one lasting over eight hours, that demonstrate Hume had repeatedly violated the order he sought.

Hibbert said the October 1 hearing will be a long cause hearing (lasting more than four hours). He plans to call “in excess of five witnesses” who will be asked to testify they saw Hume and Conley at several private and public functions.

“He [Hume] knowingly and willingly violated the order he had sought,” Hibbert said.

At the center of Conley’s defense is a January, 2009 fundraiser she organized on behalf of Hume at Roseville’s Crush 29 restaurant. According to campaign finance documents filed with the Elk Grove City Clerk’s office, deep-pocketed contributors at that event included, among several, Elk Grove Nissan owner John Driebe and Granite Bay real estate developers William Niemi and Craig Nagler. Both Niemi and Nagler have been large contributors in Elk Grove City Council elections.

“There will be several witnesses called,” Hibbert said. “There is going to be an elected official but I am not at liberty at this time to discuss who it will be.”

With the exception of Niemi, Hibbert would not say who else will be summoned to testify at the hearing.

Aside from the January 2009 event, Hibbert said he will show that Conley and Hume attended several public and private functions together and witnesses will be able to verify it.

“They went to private individual functions [together],” Hebert said. “It is not the fundraiser, there is much more.”

Communication with Hume

In the interest of disclosure, neither Hume nor his attorney was contacted for this story. EGN has repeatedly attempted to contact Hume regarding this and several other unrelated stories, most recently our story on Jimmie Johnson’s campaign finance proposal. Hume has not responded to any request even to decline comment. 

The last communication we receive from Hume was last spring regarding a story on his failure to properly record meals he accepted on his 2009 statement of economic interest. At the time Hume said he had misplaced the documents and promised to file an amended statement. As of Friday, that statement has not been filed with the Elk Grove City Clerk.