Tell us about yourself and the work
experience that qualifies you to
become Sacramento County Sheriff.
58 Lifelong Sacramento resident.
I was actually born in France.
My dad got transferred to Mather
so we came here to Mather was
still open so I grew up here.
I've got four daughters I spent 30 years
with the second County Sheriff's Department.
I retired to the rank of captain.
I spent ten years in narcotics.
So for five of those ten years
worked in the cover and bought drugs
every night undercover and worked
in the gang unit as a Detective
Sergeant and a captain and ran the.
And the actual division 15
years Eve grows first mayor,
so in 2000 to 2015,
so mayor and Council member,
so he got to build a city from the ground up,
which is amazing from our
own Police Department.
I've got a lot of experience there
and for the past eight years
I've been the state legislature.
I present South Sacramento,
Elk Grove, Galt and Lodi.
So about half a million people.
Lot of work, lot going on South.
I want to bring my experience
and use my experience.
What would be your top two priorities
as Sacramento County Sheriff
number one issue in Sacramento County
and statewide as homelessness?
We so far we've probably spent an
excess of $20 billion on homelessness.
It's gotten worse.
The public expects something to be done.
They're frustrated,
and they want government
to do something to fix it.
And then really, #2 is crime out there.
A lot of folks are scared and worried
about things and on the homeless issue,
it's not a crime to be homeless number one,
but a lot of folks are homeless.
And you Clark American River Pkwy.
Over 100 fires in the past two years,
large amount of resources dedicated
to deal with that.
We had our murder of the Rancho Cordova woman
on the Parkway and it's just gone on and on.
Folks that normally ride out there
and enjoy the Parkway and walk on
the Parkway are afraid to do that.
Most of that's in the counties
jurisdiction you've got to deal with that.
I realized the Boise decision where
you can't move someone unless you
have somewhere for them to go,
but at the same time you can enforce
the laws. And when I say that.
Enforce the laws.
Think about it.
There's a lot of drug dealing going on,
a lot of violence.
We see there a lot rapes and the homeless on
homeless murders you probably had about 9
in Sacramento County in the past two years,
so right now the Sheriff's Department
is not enforcing those laws there.
They're kind of hands off with
the homeless camps,
and you can't do that.
You have to go in and deal with that and
and try to make these people's lives better.
And also be a good partner working
with county agencies and other
local jurisdictions.
Crime hand in hand the shooting downtown.
The jails releasing.
Looks you've got to be cautious
in how you do that,
and go about that and never
should have happened.
Those individuals are
prohibited from owning guns.
I want to use my background 10
years of working in the game
unit and working narcotics.
I know who the players are and
what the issues are and really get
involved in depth and that and
and make a change because you know
some folks will change but a lot of
these individuals were dealing with.
That's their mindset.
Is that gang lifestyle and they're
not going to get away from it.
So we've got to address that issue
and make sure the public feels
safe and comfortable.
And just one follow up to that just
based on something that undersheriff
Barnes mentioned earlier this week.
He said that you have been a state
lawmaker for eight years now and
have had the chance as such to
affect change with homelessness.
And so his position is, well,
what can you do with sheriff
that you have in his words failed
to do as a state lawmaker?
Do an answer to that
number one state lawmakers
don't deal with homelessness.
It's the state provides the funding.
So we push the money down the counties.
So my job is to make sure we get
the laws passed in the capital.
But as far as funding goes,
you think about your police
departments and sheriff's departments,
your homeless outreach and services,
the housing for homeless,
the state funds that.
But the county administers it,
so he's greatly mistaken in that fact.
Why do you think you are the best
choice for Sacramento County Sheriff in
general and compared to your opponent?
I guess the big thing that I'm
running that I really point to
is experience and my opponent.
His is just the Sheriff's Department only.
And like I said, like I said,
you take my time in the
legislature on City Council.
In the Sheriff's Department my community
work, my community involvement.
Working with a number of
community based organizations.
It makes me more well rounded and
able to do those things and leverage
contacts and really work with
folks and bring about the change
and also bring about resources
that we need in law enforcement.
Right now, you're the sheriff.
You have relationships,
so I have the majority of the Board
of Supervisors that endorse me.
You work with those folks
when it's disturbing.
When I have Members that tell
me the only time I've seen this
sheriff in seven years is during
a budget hearing when he's before
the board asking for money.
It doesn't work that way.
You got to have relationships.
And work with these folks day
in and day out and get it done.
I'm supported by the majority
of the mayors of the big cities
in Sacramento County.
From my 15 years of City Council
and being in the legislature,
so I've got relationships with those
folks and they really work on that
and help move the needle on how we do it.
Law enforcement can't do it alone,
but you need relationships to deal
with some of these issues and I want
to use those and use my experience
and leadership to to really move
things in a different direction
because we're a pivotal moment.
I mean, like I said,
with the homeless crisis and there's
a lot of crime involved in that.
And for a long time crime was
down there 7-8 or nine crime
is number 2 in the public eye.
As as a big big issue,
so and I want to help change that,
you know, under Sheriff Barnes.
Has been called by you and
your campaign material.
You know the Trump candidate.
You know Sheriff Jones?
2.0 Do you wanna speak a little
bit to that about kind of your
your concerns about what voters
would get in barns? Well,
the biggest thing is he's Scott
Jones's handpicked successor.
The voters picked next year.
If you don't get to anoint someone that
picks that and you think about someone.
Scott Jones's things, he said,
BLM, or a bunch of terrorists
locking the Inspector General.
About lawsuits over $20 million.
In lawsuits, four women and two of
color sued the Sheriff's Department and
during a jury trial in federal court,
the department lost.
If it logged deaths in the jail with that,
so there's no way that he can
distance himself from Scott
Jones because got picked him.
And he's that guy he's
like I'm a different guy.
I was never involved in the stations.
Well, you are a manager and one
of the top managers over there,
so you're involved in that.
Either you're involved or complicit
in it so you don't get a pass on it.
That, hey, I didn't do that wasn't involved.
Yeah,
you were involved in that decision making.
If you didn't,
you didn't speak up and you should have
spoken up with some of these things,
so it's like who's running it.
They can't point.
Fingers at each other and like I said,
it's detrimental.
Like I said,
you look at the just go through
the newspaper and see the things
that have happened.
I'll give you an example.
The Rancho Cordova police chief,
the meme that was disparaging
of African Americans.
They let the county handle that.
If you Google that means and law enforcement,
you'll see cases in LA San
Francisco and reading those
law enforcement agencies handle
those investigations themselves.
They didn't pass the buck and resolved it.
Obviously it was passed the person
who's no longer with the shares
department was allowed to retire was
on paid leave for three or four months.
Getting paid to sit at home and
still the SharePoint could have
done a concurrent investigation
and then made it slap.
And can't get hired in law
enforcement anywhere else.
They fail to do that.
Someone owns responsibility.
Jim Barnes was her direct report.
He was her supervisor or manager.
He was over her so he failed to do
anything with that so and they wonder
why people mistrust law enforcement
because of actions like that and
not taking the correct action.
We're dealing with human beings.
They're going to do dumb things
sometimes they make mistakes and
you have to be held accountable
and something like that.
That that meme, which is very offensive,
they drop the ball on it and
it makes them look bad.
And it makes the community just
trust law enforcement even more.
How could the Sacramento County
Sheriff's Office build trust
with historically marginalized?
And over policed communities of color,
sure, as an African American, I get it.
I understand the feelings of the community,
but it's really working with those folks.
And one thing the public wants,
no matter what color you are.
Is transparency and that's so important
they want to make sure that you're
doing your job and it's transparent.
The Sheriff's Department
fired the Inspector General.
He was a person that didn't oversee the
share department, but was a a neutral
party that looked at things and hey,
can you do things better?
He issued report the administration
didn't like. They fired him.
That doesn't make sense.
I mean, we could agree to disagree on things,
but you just don't fire the
Inspector General who the public
trust that doesn't work that way.
Some of the rhetoric coming
out of Sheriff's Department.
You know it's just.
It doesn't belong there, it's it's.
It's so much easier to to
get along with people.
And we can agree to disagree.
We're still going to work together
and the shares department.
Posed off in the community and
doesn't have those relationships.
Look at diversity.
It's lacking in the Sheriff's Department.
I was there back in 84 when I hired on
yet 20 African Americans and now you have
less than 70 so needle has it moved.
They're down 140 positions right now.
Think about that.
140 deputy sheriff positions that
could be on the street dealing with the
crime issues and helping our homeless.
That's negligent,
there's no way they're gonna fill this
position before the end of the year.
They can't,
because right now we're competing with
everybody else in law enforcement.
And really,
it's a it's a candidate's market
you go to where you want to go,
and they're not the only game in town
as sheriff. What would you
do to help hire more people?
There are a lot of good candidates and good,
diverse candidates state they have
a law enforcement candidate program.
It's been going on since 2015.
That's a great pool of local kids
to to draw from to be deputies.
I've been down there.
I've been down the program,
been involved as an assemblyman.
I've given certificates to those
candidates and talked to them.
They come out to help my annual
Turkey drive my backpack giveaway
and really being engaged and casting
that net wide to try and bring in the
most qualified pool of candidates.
Because law enforcement is tough.
I mean, think about it.
Who wants to be a cop these
days to get yelled at?
And you know some of the things that
that are said to law enforcement.
It's tough for the men
and women doing that job.
It's it's very stressful,
so it takes a unique candidate
to want to be a law enforcement.
Austin in this day and age
and cast the net wide.
A lot of departments are going
out recruiting the military,
going out of state,
doing signing bonuses or there
a lot of things that you can do
to get those quality candidates,
and the Sheriff's Department
is not doing that right now,
which which is detrimental
to Sacramento County
Sheriff is a nonpartisan,
elected position,
but political issues do come up.
What role do you think politics
should play in this office?
Really shouldn't play a role.
It was turned in by my opponent
into a a partisanship race,
and it really shouldn't
be at the end of the day,
you wanna make sure the residents
of Sacramento County.
Are protected and feel safe,
and that's really what it comes down
to and it comes down to resources.
The Sheriff's Department.
That's all my opponent knows is
the Sheriff's Department.
Nothing outside that not building the city
from the ground up and obtaining funding.
Not going back to Washington DC and lobbying
and not funding on the state level.
I've bought $1,000,000 for after school
projects for kids to to go in South
Sacramento and Meadowview four and a
half $1,000,000 for a food bank in Elk Grove.
Our kids that are most at
risk kids at high schools.
Take me on a Google,
Facebook and Levi stadiums talk about
jobs and stem so we do a lot of things
that really help kids and do that.
And like I said,
that's fine.
You work for the Sheriff's Department.
But what have you done for your community?
I've been on board for Big
Brothers and Big Sisters.
The boys and Girls Club children
receiving home and when you
services for homeless teens,
my passion is our youth to try and
help them and it's been a continual
fight with that so it's just really
where the rubber meets the road
and it comes down to to having
that experience and leveraging it.
To make Sacramento better for
everyone else and the Sheriff's
Department hasn't done that recently.
Your opponent says you are years removed
from law enforcement and development
in the field. How do you respond
and really, being on eight
years I'm heavily involved.
I am called the cops cop in the capital.
I'm always involved.
I've run 30 public safety bills that were
for victims for women and children and
to deal with sexually violent predators.
I'm work with statewide law
enforcement on a regular basis,
so I think I got my finger in the polls.
The laws that are passed,
we had lost passed because
of what the Sacramento.
Sheriff's done they wanted to
change the sheriff selection
to the presidential cycle year.
They wanted to allow anybody to run for
sheriff and that's because of issues
that people see here in Sacramento
because of the Sheriff's Department
here and some of the things that
have gone on and people want to change.
So it's 30 years a long time a manager
recommended every division in the
department more than Mr Barnes did,
and it comes down to experience
and that's the most important
I know how to be a leader.
I've done that.
30 years in the Sheriff's Department,
15 years is the mayor and Council
member eight years in the legislature
and what I'm most proud of.
If I was still out of touch,
the California Police chiefs
name me legislator of the year.
The District Attorneys Association,
all 58 DAS in California naming
legislator of the Year Crime
Victims United Crime Survivors.
I'm the crime victims legislator of the year.
So I could go on and on and
on the mayors of Sacramento,
Big Cities endorsed me a lot of
Council members endorsed me.
50,000 police officers statewide endorsed me.
30,000 firefighters endorsed me
so that was doing such a horrible
job and so out of touch.
Why are they endorsing me?
Because I've put in the work,
I'm not afraid to to go against the system
or anybody else to support victims rights,
and I've done that for the last
eight years and I'm proud of my
record of what I've done.
A lot of bills that were detriment
of the public safety I helped
modify or even change sometimes
and even kill some bad bills.
So I stand by my record.
I'm very proud of it,
and the Shubert also endorsed you, right?
She did. Yeah, Hubert. Yes she did.
And that says a lot when
the DA doesn't endorse him,
so I've worked with her on the DNA bills.
Obviously, the Golden State killer
was done here in Sacramento,
but to make sure we protect
women and children.
So I've worked with her my entire
time in the legislature and I
guess I would point to that.
And that's what I'm most proud of.
These folks endorsed me because
of what I've done and what I did.
They haven't endorsed Jim Barnes
and that to me, is a red flag.
Why aren't they endorsing him?
If he's current, he knows everything.
It's because I can get things
done and I want to.
I want to use my leadership to help do that.
What would you change at the
Sacramento County? Failed number
one be a good neighbor.
Downtown partnership businesses.
When folks are released,
have the jail they hang around down there.
Some commit new crimes and sure they get
a ride back to where they came from.
You know some can get family
members will pick them up,
some don't have rides, but do that.
That's very simple.
You've got the ride.
Share now with Uber and Lyft, there's a way.
If we can do it,
or the county can pay for it.
That's not a big deal.
Just think about this,
most folks have had cameras,
body cameras for a long time in
their officers, Elk Grove PD.
Citrus Heights PD fulsome SAC PD everyone.
The Sheriff's Department.
They still don't have body cameras in the
jail so these agencies have had for years.
And here you have your largest
agency in Northern California that
still doesn't have body cameras.
Fully implemented, LAPD does,
and they're seven times big.
There's 7000 officers.
LA sheriff's does,
so most folks had those cameras.
They were so resisted for so long,
which didn't make any sense
because the cameras protect the
public and protect the officer.
It tells a story, a portion of a story.
So why would you ever be
objectionable to having cameras?
And it really took so long?
Yeah, medical is separate,
but there's a lot of things
that happen inmates treatment,
so you think about that.
This is a federal judge who
said you're not doing your job,
so I'm going to oversee you and do your job.
So yeah, I get the medical part,
but this goes way beyond medical.
What that judge is telling them to
do because they failed at that they
had a chance to settle this lawsuit,
and because of their arrogance,
they didn't settle it.
And it cost the taxpayers 10s
of millions of dollars for that.
And it's wrong.
You have to have relationships
that board funds.
The Sheriff's Department board supervisors.
So when you majority that don't.
That don't have relationship
with the sheriff.
That makes it harder to build
additional facilities or gain
those monies or tax tax dollars are
going to get money from the state.
He's in a relationship with
this local state legislators.
They don't talk to him,
so that's the big issue.
That's why when I get a majority
of the Board of Supervisors,
three of the five endorsing me.
I can work with those folks.
I can work with the other two to
try and get things done and really
change the narrative with that.
And people know and that's just not.
It's not OK.
We've got to change the way
we do business
talking about both the homelessness
issue and letting people out of jail and
having them just kind of wander around.
What can be better done?
Any thoughts on something like
wrap around services or some who
might say homeless people like it?
Homelessness is not a crime and
the jail is already having issues
with overcrowding and whatnot.
We shouldn't be funneling people to.
You know jail who are having mental
health crises? What about services?
What about care for people who
maybe are dangerous on the street
but aren't necessarily criminals?
How do you? How do you walk that line?
That's
a good question and wrap around.
Services to me are very light.
They're heavy on the housing.
They're light on the mental illness
and substance abuse and what's crazy,
and I thought these folks
for the last eight years is.
Some people are so concerned about
freedoms they would rather have
someone walking around with no
clothes on in 30 degree weather and
be free and be the responsible adult
and take that person into protective
custody and get them hot meal,
a warm bed and some place to stay.
And that's the battle we fight with on that.
And I want to be the adult in
the room and be engaged in that.
Yeah, it takes working with everybody
else and being a good partner.
And not being an obstructionist,
not fighting with your Board of Supervisors,
fighting with your local electeds,
fighting with other county agencies to
get things done. This just doesn't work.
You've got to be a team player,
and the shares department is not
a team player.
You know,
the I'll tell you for the Inspector General,
he could be a big help in noting
deficiencies where the Sheriff
Department needs help to convey
that message to the public.
But if you're filing Inspector General,
you don't have a relationship that
Inspector General can't help you whatsoever.
And that's the frustrating part.
It takes a lot of effort to be
to be mean and angry.
It doesn't take a lot to be nice and
civil to people, and that's the problem.
I want to be that share of that
gets along with people.
And hey, we're going to agree to disagree.
Sometimes we can still be civil
and we can still get along.
And that's the big issue.
When you welcome oversight to an extent,
yes, I think especially does it right now.
They've got a sheriff's Advisory Board,
which is good,
and I think when you're transparent
and you're engaging people,
I think a lot of their fears.
Will slowly go away overtime and it's
just being engaged with people and
being real and not trying to hide the ball.
Thank you so much for your
time, really appreciate it.