Politics 2022 Preview: Dave Myers Campaign for Sheriff Gets a Boost, Lorena Ain’t Dead
The local consensus has been that campaigning for office in 2022 couldn’t really get started until The Great Redistricting process was over. It’s done, except for the inevitable lawsuits, most of which are going nowhere.
Today’s biggest story is one unaffected by redistricting.
In terms of how the government actually works at the granular level there is no 2022 contest more relevant than County Sheriff. Elections are, practically speaking, the only real oversight of California’s constitutionally mandated law enforcement fiefdoms.
Despite an effort by Democratic Party insiders, the local party has endorsed former Sheriff Commander Dave Myers for Sheriff over current Undersheriff Kelly Martinez.
Several important local dems personally endorsed Martinez right out of the box, and La Prensa reported the Deputy Sheriffs Association was waving around $25,000 in support to try and influence the process.
Myers, who lost to Gore in 2018, is an openly progressive candidate who’s made a point of pointing out political hypocrisy by local politicians.
Martinez is the anointed candidate for the position. She was a Republican until November 2020, and was promoted to Undersheriff in February, 2021.
Other candidates – to be covered in future stories– include:
Assistant City Attorney John Hemmerling, who also left the GOP (he’s now No Party Preference), was a San Diego Police Officer and is currently head prosecutor in the Criminal Division of the City Attorney’s Office.
UPDATE: Hemmerling has gone all-in with local Republicans, former Mayor Kevin Faulconer endorsed him at the GOP's annual Christmas Party/superspreader event.
Sheriff Deputy Kenneth Newsom with 20 years of experience in law enforcement, who says he won’t run the department from behind a desk.
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The status quo for County Sheriffs, in San Diego and throughout most of the state, is that elections are little more than a rubber stamp for succession plans worked out behind closed doors. The incestuous nature of this process makes change difficult, if not impossible.
Incumbent Bill Gore is retiring. San Diego’s jails, operated by the County Sheriff, lead the nation in inmate deaths. The latest research (requested by Gore) confirms what’s been glaringly obvious to many for years, namely that the agency’s racism remains unchecked.
The Police Scorecard, which uses publicly available data from 2,878 sheriffs departments and 13,147 police departments to evaluate performance, is less than favorable for the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, ranking them at 496 out of the bottom 500 departments.
Here are some numbers worth paying attention to:
21 KILLINGS BY POLICE - Based on population, a Black person was 3.3x as likely and a Latinx person was 2.6x as likely to be killed by police as a White person in San Diego County from 2013-20.
446 CIVILIAN COMPLAINTS OF POLICE MISCONDUCT - 3% were ruled in favor of civilians from 2016-20.
170,751 ARRESTS MADE -34% of all arrests were for low-level, non-violent offenses from 2013-20.
COMPLAINTS OF POLICE DISCRIMINATION - 123 Reported | 0% Ruled in Favor of Civilians
MORE FUNDING -Per Capita than 80% of comparable CA depts
SIZE - More Officers per Population than 92% of comparable CA depts
It’s also obvious to any clear-eyed observer that there is an insular culture within the department willing to accept behavior outside the bounds of what the public should reasonably expect. In too many instances, there is tolerance for unethical and even illegal actions.
The department’s relationship with concealed carry permits, evictions driven by political connections, and a history of sexual misconduct/violence are all things the public needs to consider.
Worst of all is the political bludgeon wielded by the rank and file protection racket known as the Deputy Sheriffs Association. They’ve long been a force to be reckoned with in local politics; getting their backing meant having a significant number of the department’s four thousand-plus sworn personnel were (mostly quietly) advancing a candidate. The opposite was true for anybody daring to question the status quo at the department.
Politicians considered to be liberal lions have bowed down to this power, even in an era where overt relationships with police unions have fallen out of favor.
The Dems endorsement of Dave Myers is going to make this race noisy if nothing else. Expect the Deputy Sheriffs Assn to fill dump trucks full of mud to sling at him. Expect their elected supporters to actively aid their cause, regardless of the party affiliation.
I can’t wait to see Democratic Congressman Juan Vargas endorse anti-Myers ads proclaiming that George Soros funded hordes of Antifa are massing at the county line.
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In a now-deleted (Ok I found it) Tweet Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez reminded the world that she’s still alive, following former City Council Member David Alvarez’ decision to run for the AD80 seat.
https://twitter.com/LorenaSGonzalez/status/1473483623575666692?s=20
Former City Council President Georgia Gomez also made it known yesterday that she’d had a respectful conversation about representing the 80th whenever Gonzalez bows out. (She’s termed out in 2024)
https://twitter.com/SDGeorgette/status/1473489847641784323?s=20
Gonzalez has been in the news quite a bit lately. The State Labor Federation wants her to take over the leadership position when Art Pulaski retires (supposedly in 2024, but the early endorsement raises questions).
She barely skipped a beat while having a double mastectomy, raising thousands of dollars for a local diaper drive, and joining striking trash workers on the picket line at Republic Services.
One problem for Gonazalez, who has won past re-elections with margins near or at 2 to 1, is that redistricting has moved her City Heights residence out of her district. The thing to remember about her is that she usually gets what she wants; she’ll move if she sticks with her decision to run for a last term.
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Finally, congratulations to Congressman Darrell Issa, who now has a dream district for life. Post redistricting, Republicans now have a 19 point margin in voter registration in his district.
All local Congress critters gained partisan ground, with Levin only gaining one, Jacobs gaining five, Peters gaining fifteen, and Vargas gaining sixteen points in party registrations.
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This week I’ll post Thursday, take the weekend off and then you’ll see me irregularly through the first of the year.
Hey folks! There’s a change coming to Words & Deeds in 2022. I’ll be moving from Wordpress to Substack, which hopefully will mean just a few changes in formatting. Stay tuned for exciting details.