Caltrans Holds Lawyer’s Job--He’s in Prison

SACRAMENTO — The state Department of Transportation is holding a job open for a Caltrans attorney currently serving a federal prison term for his part in a San Diego drug ring, a Caltrans spokesman said today.

The spokesman, Chuck Mastin, said no special treatment is being offered Caltrans attorney Douglas Brown, who exercised his right to a leave of absence “due to personal reasons” last May before starting his prison term at the Metropolitan Corrections Center in San Diego.

Mastin said Brown expects to be freed by the time his leave expires Feb. 17. The state will then be required to give him back his job handling civil suits for Caltrans unless the State Bar lifts his license to practice law, the spokesman said.

“We’re not going out of our way or bending over backward to help a felon. We’re just following the rules,” Mastin said. “He was legally entitled to a leave of absence.”