The final time Santa Clara County voters elected a brand new sheriff, Invoice Clinton was president and Seinfeld had simply ended a historic TV run. Now Sheriff Laurie Smith is ending her six-term tenure by retiring in January — although an in-progress civil corruption trial might push her out sooner — and two longtime law-enforcement leaders are vying to succeed her.
The race pits lately retired Palo Alto police chief Robert “Bob” Jonsen towards retired sheriff’s captain Kevin Jensen, who ran to unseat Smith in 2014. Jonsen stunned many because the lead vote-getter within the major with 32%, an surprising displaying since he was a comparatively late add to the race and lacked the institutional backing of Jensen, who was 1.5 factors behind. It's an open query for a way the rest of the vote, which was divvied up amongst two sheriff sergeants and a enterprise proprietor who was ineligible to carry the workplace, will reconsolidate.
Whoever wins will inherit a corporation beset by scandal — notably over operation of the county jails and longstanding criticisms of prioritizing loyalty over benefit — and going through political scrutiny from the Board of Supervisors.
Kevin Jensen
How he bought right here: Jensen, 59, spent 28 years with the sheriff’s workplace, serving an array of duties on the enforcement aspect of the group and in addition working as assistant chief of corrections. His whole law-enforcement profession was with the sheriff’s workplace; since his retirement a couple of decade in the past he has labored as a law-enforcement educator, and remained engaged in his former company’s affairs, whether or not it was working towards Smith himself eight years in the past or supporting her opposition in 2018.
How he defines himself: Jensen says his drive to be sheriff comes from a debt he says he owes an company that gave him a deputy job as a younger father attempting to interrupt out of a household cycle that included his personal father’s incarceration. He touts his assist from inside the company — together with endorsements from the patrol and correctional unions — as proof he has the traction to make quick reforms.
“I've the institutional information and belief of the folks there,” Jensen mentioned. “I actually consider no one is aware of the group higher, and no one’s extra certified or trusted by all events. I understand how to repair it. I've to face up and serve.”
How his opponents outline him: Jensen’s ties to the sheriff’s workplace have additionally been characterised by his critics as a legal responsibility, who level to it as proof he'll protect as a lot as he alters. However Jensen notes he has lengthy opposed Smith’s management, each whereas he was underneath her command and extra vocally after he retired.
“I don't consider that one in all Laurie’s insiders ought to ever have the job. I’m not a kind of folks,” Jensen mentioned. “I’ve solely been an insider to the mission of being a vocal and energetic opponent to corruption and mismanagement.”
Bob Jonsen
How he bought right here: Jonsen, 60, spent most of his law-enforcement profession with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division, working by a number of rotations on the enforcement and corrections sides earlier than retiring as a captain overseeing the Lancaster substation on the northern reaches of the county. After a virtually three-decade profession in Southern California, he grew to become Menlo Park police chief in 2013 and later served as chief of Palo Alto police from 2018 till this previous summer season, when he retired after advancing to the November sheriff’s race runoff.
How he defines himself: Jonsen says his profession with the most important sheriff’s division within the nation, in addition to his govt stints in Menlo Park and Palo Alto, make him uniquely certified to repair what ails its counterpart within the South Bay. He says these experiences, and his assist from county leaders who've spearheaded criticism of Smith, offers him a recent perspective untethered to the tradition he can be tasked with altering.
“There numerous alternative for progress, accountability and transparency. The neighborhood is prepared for change,” Jonsen mentioned.
How his opponents outline him: Critics have seized on his affiliation with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Workplace; former Sheriff Lee Baca, who promoted Jonsen was sentenced to federal jail for overlaying up an inmate-abuse scandal. Jonsen mentioned he met Baca solely as soon as throughout his profession in L.A. County, and that the “unraveling” he witnessed in LA offers him perception into find out how to deal with jail situations in Santa Clara County. Others have requested how a lot time it could take for Jonsen to rise up to hurry on the workings of this particular sheriff’s workplace to earn belief within the company.
“I've but to search out a corporation that opens their arms to an outsider. One of many issues I’ve finished in the entire organizations the place I’ve taken command is that I instantly have interaction the workforce,” Jonsen mentioned. “I instantly inform everybody their relationship with me begins at present, not what occurred previously or who they have been aligned with.”
What concerning the jails?
One of many driving forces that led to the political cloud over Smith, which by her personal admission influenced her determination to retire, has been a gradual stream of scandal involving the county jails. The 2015 killing of Michael Tyree by three jail guards, who have been later convicted of homicide, accelerated ongoing authorized scrutiny over jail situations that led to a federal consent decree in 2018 that compelled enhancements underneath the watch of an unbiased monitor. Since then, jail operation underneath Smith — which started in 2010 after she satisfied the county to present her the reins with guarantees of serious value financial savings — has often endured scandal and at the least $20 million in county jail-injury settlements.
One of many corruption counts for which Smith is at the moment on trial alleges she stalemated a civilian auditor’s investigation into an inside probe into a kind of jail damage instances abruptly ceased, and plans for a brand new jail seem like on maintain after vigorous board and neighborhood debate over how the brand new facility will accommodate the truth of jails being full of folks in want of mental-health therapy somewhat than incarceration.
Each Jonsen and Jensen assist extra vigorous and complete mental-health analysis and therapy within the jail system.
Jonsen mentioned discussions concerning the new jail ought to be placed on pause, and provides means within the brief time period to growing methods to “cope with the state of affairs we've.” He additionally helps growing mental-health response groups on the enforcement aspect to redirect folks out of the jail monitor if their major problem will not be legal. Considered one of his extra quick proposals is to launch in intern program for psychiatric clinicians to present them occupational expertise and quickly enhance the system’s horsepower.
“That alone might dramatically enhance our entry to care exponentially,” Jonsen mentioned.
Jensen says a brand new jail is critical, however “to not incarcerate our means out of the issue,” and that value overruns have wasted lots of of tens of millions of dollars that would have been dedicated to mental-health therapy.
“There’s a large spectrum of mental-health points, and never all of them should be in a strictly mental-health facility. There are serial offenders who should be in a hard-locked safe facility with mental-health applications and therapy,” he mentioned. “I'll by no means say we'd like a jail on the expense of psychological well being. We'd like each. Both-or will not be working.”
What's the fundraising state of affairs?
Jensen is the clear chief when it comes to political warfare chest and monetary assist — a useful resource distinction evident in his marketing campaign’s a number of adverts. Primarily based on the newest filings, Jensen’s official marketing campaign has obtained greater than $240,000 in donations. That doesn't embrace the assist he has gotten from the political motion committee “Public Well being & Security Coalition of Santa Clara County Supporting Jensen for Sheriff 2022, sponsored by Regulation Enforcement and Labor Organizations,” which has collected almost $500,000, with $150,000 and $188,000 coming from the sheriff’s workplace patrol and correctional deputy unions, respectively.
Jonsen’s filings present that his official marketing campaign has gathered about $112,000, $30,000 of which got here from a marketing campaign mortgage from the candidate himself.
The campaigns and their backers have mined contributions for political ammunition. A evaluate of filings present that Jonsen has obtained contributions from donors who beforehand backed Smith, together with the Santa Clara County Public Security Alliance, a PAC ensnared within the legal indictment alleging Smith’s commanders brokered a pay-to-play alternate buying and selling concealed-carry weapons permits for political funding. That has contributed to critics’ portrayal that Jonsen is Smith’s most popular candidate.
Jonsen has shot again, saying no contribution will steer “my path, my management, or my trigger,” and questioned union affect, saying “it doesn’t take that sum of money to stroll upstairs and say we need to be extra clear.”
Endorsements:
- Jonsen’s endorsement checklist consists of outgoing county Supervisor Joe Simitian and present Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, who've been two of Smith’s most vocal critics on the board. Different endorsers embrace Rep. Anna Eshoo, Assemblymember Evan Low, a number of elected leaders in Menlo Park and Palo Alto, and a number of other retired Bay Space police chiefs. Former major candidate Sgt. Christine Nagaye can also be backing Jonsen.
- Jensen’s endorsers embrace former county supervisor and present state Senator Dave Cortese, outgoing county Supervisor Mike Wasserman, massive labor and police unions together with the sheriff’s workplace rank-and-file unions and the San Jose Police Officers’ Affiliation, and a number of other present and retired South Bay police chiefs, and Rev. Jethroe Moore, previous president of the NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley.