Adding Insult to Injury

This is an update to the Illegal, Deceptive and Preferential Practices of the Ventura County Department of Child Support Services post.

January 24, 2014

On January 23, I heard back from Ms. Ayala of the Ventura County Department of Child Support Services and spoke with her personally on the phone. She confirmed that the department created an arrears account in my name based solely on a single form filled out by the mother, and with no verification or input from me.

Ms. Ayala also confirmed that, while the department will take the mother at her (blatantly lying) word, that they do not accept any evidence from the father, even if that evidence is bank statements and cancelled checks for the court-ordered amount of child support clearly cashed by the mother.

All of this she delivered with a bureaucratically smug and entitled attitude, oozing patience and a position of rationality.

So, Ms. Ayala, you've made it clear. It's your playing field. What can I do? 

She informed me that my only recourse is to hire an attorney and bring the matter to court. 

Nice. The mother, at no cost, can make any claim she wishes and have a grindingly powerful and invasive government agency do her collections for her. The father must spend $3500 or more to have valid financial documents even considered.

Well, maybe.

One thing I can do for almost free is... COMPLAIN.

Two Ends of Every Stick

I have tried to be responsive and fair in my dealings with the VCDCSS. I paid the actual arrears in full. But this stick has two ends.

I sent off my formal complaint to the California Dept. of Child Support Services, and with cover letters, the same complaint to the director of the Ventura County Dept. of Child Support Services, the Ventura Grand Jury, the Ventura DAs office, and Congresswoman Brownley and Senator Jackson.

Then I informed the mother in the case that if I hire an attorney, the "good bookkeeping" she claims she does will be in court against the cancelled checks she signed. If I have to follow this course, I will also be seeking not just recompense for legal fees, but damages. And not just against her, but against Ms. Ayala, her supervisor, Ms. Frahm, and Ventura County.

If I have not heard anything by the end of January, I'll be sending my materials to the Ventura County Star and local news stations. And I'll start posting the letters I've written to public authorities here.

By the way, if you need to contact Ms. Helen Ayala directly, being a public servant her phone number is very hard to come by. Her direct line is (805) 437 8151. If you can get me direct lines to anyone else in the office, especially Ms. Frahm, I would be most grateful.

Also, because the majority of people affected by this -- fathers without legal counsel -- are non-English speakers, I would appreciate a translation of this site to Spanish.