By Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee

In the 375-page El Dorado County grand jury transcript of The People v. Raymond James Nutting, a prosecutor took aim at two checks that an official from an obscure local resource district co-signed on behalf of another agency.

Deputy District Attorney James Clinchard asserted the state fire prevention grant checks paid to Nutting in 2009 were evidence the four-term county supervisor was guilty of a felony conflict of interest.

Ray Nutting

Yet now, following the release of the grand jury transcripts, two El Dorado County resource districts – and a former official who co-signed the checks to Nutting – wonder about the prosecution’s assertions.

They question authorities’ theory of political corruption that connects Nutting’s grant income to his votes to fund two other local districts that handle conservation projects.

They contend the local resource districts have been unfairly tainted by the Nutting controversy and – as a consequence – have temporarily lost their county funding until the matter is sorted out.

“I want to assure you there is no collusion going on and no special favors,” said Al Hubbard, who served until 2012 on the Georgetown Resource Conservation District, a local board that pays state and county money to contractors for fire safety, water and habitat projects. “I can promise you that.”

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