November 2022 Guide for County Sheriff, Assessor, and Treasurer Races

It Breaks My Heart to Say This: Vote Nobody for Sheriff

California’s Constitution says the role of county government, as a political subdivision of the state, is to deliver services mandated by the state and federal governments, including health, welfare, criminal justice, elections, recording of documents, weights & measures, and agricultural enforcement.

San Diego and thirteen other counties are chartered, which means they have greater flexibility in how they provide these functions, provided they do not conflict with state law.  Counties are governed by Boards of Supervisors, which are usually limited to five individuals, unless a county amends its charter to say otherwise. (See my section on this year’s Supes contests.) 

The offices of Assessor, Treasurer, Sheriff, and *District Attorney are elected positions, the thinking being that having to face the voters every four years should serve as a check on bad conduct and possible malfeasance by the Board of Supervisors.

I have no quibble with electing a “County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk” and “Treasurer-Tax Collector” for San Diego. They’re responsible for overseeing the administration of financial matters, and usually non-controversial.

The two positions relating to law enforcement are problematic in my opinion, in large part because the traditional means of ascension to those offices is mostly an inside job. It’s easy to cover up past mistakes or malfeasance when an elected official is (unofficially) empowered to pick their successor.

(*San Diego County’s District Attorney Summer Stephan is running unopposed this year, and is therefore not included in this voter guide.)

For purposes of this year’s election, I’ll focus on the office of Sheriff, although much of what I have to say can be generally applied to the District Attorney position.

***

San Diego County Sheriff

Anybody who’s read my postings over the years can tell you I’m all about voting. So it pains me to say this, but you can skip over the County Sheriff part of your ballot. Or you can write somebody in.

The names that appear on this year's ballot for sheriff are a testament to just how bad things can get at the county. And, while things aren’t as bad in San Diego as they may be elsewhere, the choices offered are shameful.

There was a concerted (and successful) effort on the part of a bunch of elected officials to block former Sheriff Commander Dave Myers from getting past the primary election this year. 

I’m led to believe it’s because of a perception that he didn’t play well with other politicians. He did, I think, have a different vision for the Sheriff’s office, one that didn’t include repeating the mistakes and bad policies of the past.

One local politician was reportedly saying Myers is crazy.

Maybe he is. But I think the real reason had to do more with protecting the office as much as anything else. Just as politicians these days feel obliged to run in the other direction whenever they hear the term “defund the police,” nobody wanted to be anywhere near the promised mass rebellion among the Sheriff Dept. rank and file with Myers in charge.

Looking at the bigger picture, many Sheriffs Departments are functioning as a Fifth Column in the fight against democracy.  

County sheriffs nationwide have refused to enforce laws they don’t like, from gun control laws to immigration enforcement to lawful orders issued governors and county health officers aimed at controlling the spread of the coronavirus.

On the extreme end of the political spectrum, a growing movement of “constitutional sheriffs” argues they have supremacy over other law enforcement agencies. There is overlap with members of anti-government groups, including Posse Comitatus, the Sovereign citizens, and various tax protesters. 

Out of these fringe groups come the Trumpanistas, who have all but declared war on federal agents, health officials, and even librarians. Recent research shows that a county sheriff’s affiliation with the constitutional sheriff movement is associated with more violence against federal employees.

In California we have sheriffs who won’t discipline deputies for out-of-control brutality, refuse to require deputies to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and won’t discipline deputies who become involved in paramilitary or ideologically extreme groups like the Proud Boys.

No elected office in the state is less accountable, or more reliable in producing scandal. And it’s no wonder. A sheriff in California can’t really be fired. And those most liable to complain about sheriffs — inmates and those accused of crimes — have trouble gaining the public’s ear.

In San Diego, we have a county jail system that’s a national disgrace; a place where prisoners die, medical and mental help is scarce, and the extent of drug trafficking is made obvious by the number of overdoses.

Our “elections” for the position of sheriff are a sham. The outgoing office holder picks their successor, the local political establishment falls into line, and incumbency amounts to a virtually guaranteed preposition for as long as the person holding the office wants it.

So locally elected Democrats have coalesced behind Kelly Martinez, who was promoted into the chain of command by the outgoing sheriff on his way out the door. Republicans have John Hemmerling. 

I can’t tell the difference between the two. You might say that one has promised to wear a velvet glove while pummeling prisoners and the other promises to transparently use a bare fist.    

I know there will be readers that think I’m overstating the case here. Here are snips from two stories from this past week from different outlets; these are systemic issues and there is plenty of documentation via news accounts and legal testimony to back up this assertion:

Lawsuit alleges harassment and retaliation in Sheriff’s Department 10 News

• According to the lawsuit, “Instead of disciplining or terminating Sergeant Silva, the Department followed its pattern and practice and allowed Silva to retire before it reached these sustained findings.”

• “They heard from 24 people about this guy’s conduct, all corroborated,” said attorney Alreen Haeggquist. “So, what was the action you needed to take? It was very simple what they needed to do, but they refused to do that.”

• In June 2022, the department released a nearly 400-page internal affairs report sustaining multiple findings against sergeant Silva.

• Those sustained findings include sexual harassment, discrimination and sexual harassment, and multiple violations of discrimination.

Persistent medical staffing shortages in San Diego jails are causing lapses in care, driving down morale SD Union-Tribune

• Some nurses work five 12-hour shifts per week, or more, and regularly juggle multiple assignments, the rosters show. Sometimes entire jail units operate without even one nurse on duty. Other key positions are persistently vacant, even though they are labeled “essential” on internal records.

• On June 6, 2021, 11 of the 18 day shifts at the Las Colinas women’s jail in Santee were unstaffed, including all three nurse shifts assigned to the psychiatric security unit, according to staffing rosters.

• The same day, 30 miles south at the George Bailey Detention Facility in Otay Mesa, not a single nurse was on duty in the medical observation unit, where the sickest people are housed, records show.

Believe me when I say an account fives times as long as this post wouldn’t cover all the malfeasance at the Sheriff's Department. It’s corrupt. It’s mean. And it’s a sacred cow.

The candidates for County Sheriff in 2022 are:

Kelly Martinez - Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter
Media profile worth reading: Kelly Martinez: Key to running the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department will be transparency
My two cents: Virtually every big name Democratic official in town endorsed her, not because she’s going to actually do anything. Nobody wants to commit political suicide by crossing the Deputy Sheriff’s Association and other Copaganda organizations.

John Hemmerling - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook / Instagram
Media profile worth reading: John C. Hemmerling: San Diego County needs a sheriff that will set a higher standard
My two cents: He’s a retired Marine Colonel who oversaw prisons in Iraq and apparently had less scandals than retired Sheriff Bill Gore. He was chief criminal prosecutor for the SD City Attorney’s office (Not a plus if you consider how screwed up that office is) and former SDPD officer. His pitch is that he’ll be a better manager. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Republican who promised good management actually delivering. 

***

County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk

The assessor’s tasks include discovering, listing, valuing, and listing properties on the local assessment roll. It’s their job to annually determine each property’s proper taxable value to  generate the correct amount needed for the support of local government. They are independent to resist pressure from supervisors to maximize tax revenue or to help out a constituent.

The recorder-clerk part of the position are obvious add-ons, and involve constituent service to citizens with documentation needs. In San Diego, that happens to include civil marriage ceremonies.

The position is ultimately about management and needs someone who can successfully handle a budget, make personnel decisions and complete projects. While it’s “officially” non-partisan, political parties play a large role in getting their favored candidates in front of the voters.

Incumbent Ernest Dronenberg, Jr. is retiring after more than a decade. It’s been business as usual as far as the public is concerned, although employees in his office tell a different story, including examples of incompetence and poor caseload management. Dronenberg made the spotlight back in the day when he filed (and later withdrew) one of the last court challenges against overturning Proposition 8, the state ban on same sex marriages.

The candidates for County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk in 2022 are:

​Barbara Bry -  Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook
Media profile worth reading: Bry announces campaign for San Diego assessor-recorder-county clerk
My two cents: She knows the lay of the land politically, has name recognition, and a track record as a manager. I’m not sure why she wants this position, but she’s definitely a better choice than the alternative.

Jordan Marks - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Media profile worth reading: San Diego County Taxable Property Reaches Record High $679.15B
My two cents: Marks and retiring bossman Dronenburg were the subject of complaints in 2020 by the League of Women Voters and Alliance San Diego for using taxpayer resources to illegally campaign against Proposition 15, which would have allowed for periodic re-assessments of larger commercial properties. So, yeah, if business as usual and the host of business organizations backing Marks are your thing, by all means vote for him. 

***

County Treasurer-Tax Collector

“The Tax Collector’s role is to administer the billing, collection, and reporting of property tax revenues levied annually throughout California for not only the county, but also cities, schools, and special districts.” – California State Association of Counties

Both candidates for the position are barely visible beyond the websites of the political parties backing them. What’s curious is the amount of money involved in campaigning for such a low profile position.

The candidates for County Treasurer-Tax Collector in 2022 are:

​Greg Hodosevich - Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website 
My two cents: According to disclosure reports, all of the $35,000 raised by Hodosevich has come out of his own pocket. He does have business experience related to the position being sought. I’m not sure what Treasurer-Tax Collector has to do with homelessness, but the subject does get big play on his website. 

Dan McAllister * - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
No internet presence.
My two cents: He’s been in office for two decades. Assumes that incumbency will get him re-elected. And he’s probably right. I’m not sure what his plans are for the $45K he’s keeping in his campaign kitty.

Previous voter guides:
(More coming soon)

California State Officials
California’s DC Delegation
State Senate races
State Assembly Races
SD County Supervisors

***

Email me at WritetoDougPorter@Gmail.com