<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 15px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; background-image: none !important; background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: white !important; height: 100%; text-align: left; clear: both; position: static; z-index: auto; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; "><div id="story_header" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px; "><h1 id="story_headline" class="entry-title" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 40px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Helvetica Neue'" size="4">This story is an inspiration to all of us who are attempting to influence public opinion through the media.</font></h1><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Helvetica Neue'" size="4"><br></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Helvetica Neue'" size="4">Tom Stokely</font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Helvetica Neue'" size="4"><br></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Helvetica Neue'" size="4">********************************************</font></div><h1 id="story_headline" class="entry-title" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#111111" face="'Helvetica Neue'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 40px; "><a href="http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/12/06/2639915/wanger-cuts-legal-ties-to-westlands.html">http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/12/06/2639915/wanger-cuts-legal-ties-to-westlands.html</a> </span></font></h1><h1 id="story_headline" class="entry-title" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 36px; line-height: 40px; ">Wanger cuts legal ties to Westlands Water District</h1><h2 id="story_subheadline" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 27px; line-height: 30px; "></h2><p id="story_bycredit" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; "><span class="byline" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(35, 35, 35); font-weight: bold; display: block; ">By John Ellis</span>- <span class="creditline" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">The Fresno Bee</span></p><p id="story_pubdate" class="published" title="" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Tuesday, Dec. 06, 2011 | 02:57 PM</p></div><div id="story_body" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 62.5%; line-height: 16px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px; "><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Retired federal judge Oliver W. Wanger did an about-face today, deciding not to represent Westlands Water District in a case pending before a state appellate court.</p><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; ">A legal brief last week showed Wanger had signed on to represent Westlands in a lawsuit filed against it by several northern California groups.</p><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; ">But while Wanger’s expertise on water law was acknowledged, the move also resulted in intense debate about judicial ethics. As a judge, Wanger had presided over dozens of legal disputes involving Westlands — though the agency lost as many as it won in those cases.</p><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Today, Wanger said in an interview that the ethics debate was “diverting attention away from the merits of the case.”</p><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Wanger made it clear the debate had nothing to do with his decision to withdraw from the case.</p><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; ">His new firm — Wanger Jones Helsley — said in a statement to The Bee that “recent media comment has raised confusion about the cases upon which former Judge Oliver W. Wanger may work as a private attorney.</p><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; ">“He cannot work on cases involving matters he heard as a judge. The rules do not prevent him from taking cases involving parties who previously appeared before him. No conflict or violation of any rule has occurred.”</p><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Tom Birmingham, general manager and counsel for Westlands, said in a statement that the agency “regrets that we will not have the benefit” of Wanger in the case.</p><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; ">“But we have the highest respect for his integrity and appreciate his strict adherence to the most exacting standards of legal ethics,” the statement said. “His decision not to proceed with this matter is entirely consistent with the meticulous attention he applied to all aspects of the law during his long career in the federal judiciary.”</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Birmingham concluded by saying Westlands hopes to work with Wanger in the future.</p></div></div></body></html>