In short order, George Martinez went beyond simple representing Bernie Shaw in his divorce to replacing Bailey and Johnson as Patricia’s lawyer. Martinez recognized that Patricia’s legal options had run out. She could petition Judge Orrick for a reduction in sentence, but that was a long shot. Her only real hope was so audacious that it would not have occurred to most convicted felons—a commutation of her sentence by the president of the United States. But most convicted felons lacked the resources and connections of a Hearst.
Randy and Catherine had formally separated around the time Patricia returned to prison, but they found a common cause in the effort to win their daughter a commutation from Jimmy Carter. They formed an organization called the Committee for the Release of Patricia Hearst, under the nominal leadership of he Reverend Ted Dumke, an Episcopal priest whom Patricia had known back in Berkeley. The family did bipartisan political outreach, with Catherine appealing to Republicans and Randy to Democrats. Catherine made the case to Ronald Reagan, her old sponsor, that Patricia was the victim of the evil counterculture; to Democrats like Lou Ryan, the congressman who represented the Hearsts’ district, Randy argued that her punishment was excessive. Both ultimately endorsed a commutation. Charlie Bates, chief of the local FBI office, who had kept vigil with the Hearsts in Hillsborough, retired from the bureau and became an outspoken advocate for Patricia’s release. Bernie Shaw persuaded dozens of his fellow cops to sign a petition of Patricia’s behalf.
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