Letters to the Editor -- October 15, 2020
This is what Prop P is about
Dear Editor,The information from the “No on Prop P” campaign is so skewed I felt I needed to add some actual facts. This proposition has nothing to do with defunding the Sheriff. It is about strengthening the citizen oversight group that offers independent review. The funds for the group come from the general fund, not out of the Sheriff’s budget. And, FYI, the Sheriff’s Office paid out more than $6.6 million in civil rights lawsuit settlements regarding excessive use of force in the past year alone, while the budget for the group is estimated to be around $1.8 million. Proposition P is intended to:
- Increase oversight and accountability over the Sheriff’s Office by insuring that the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO) has the budget and staff it needs to function.
- Give IOLERO the power to subpoena records to allow for a full and independent investigation of officer-involved shootings.
- Allow IOLERO to recommend disciplinary action for officers found to have committed misconduct.
- Mandate that the Sheriff’s Office cooperate with IOLERO, providing them with the information needed to conduct their independent reviews and investigations.
- Require IOLERO to audit all racial profiling data collected by the Sheriff’s Office, to analyze trends and correlations between enforcement and demographic data.
- Elevate the role and importance of the Community Advisory Council, to further improve community oversight.
Thank you,
Judy Helfand
Kenwood
Gina Cuclis for School Board
It has been an honor to serve and work with Trustee Gina Cuclis on the Sonoma County Board of Education. I have had the privilege of witnessing Trustee Cuclis in action and I have seen firsthand the passion she has for our children, teachers and public education.Trustee Cuclis is constantly engaging her constituents, supporting local education and community events, and advocating at the state capital, and in Washington, D.C., on behalf of education in Sonoma County.
She has been incredibly involved at the state level serving as a current Board Member to the California County Boards of Education (CCBE), Delegate Assembly to the California School Board Association (CSBA) and was recently appointed to the CSBA Climate Change Task Force, becoming one of 14 school board members statewide to tackle climate change and education.
In the last four years, our County has gone through so many events that have impacted our schools and education. Fires, floods, power shut offs and now the pandemic – Trustee Cuclis has stepped up during every challenge to support our most vulnerable families. She is the leader we need, and poses the experience we need to move our education forward. I am proud to be supporting my colleague, and friend, Trustee Gina Cuclis!
Herman G. Hernandez
Sonoma County Board of Education,
Area 5
Santa Rosa
