Sonoma County’s Community Advisory Council wanted to bring together four candidates running for two open Board of Supervisors seats to talk about civilian oversight of the Sheriff’s Office. County lawyers said no. Now the council is holding the forum anyway — just without any county resources behind it — and the standoff has exposed a raw nerve in Sonoma County’s long-running fight over who gets to watch the watchmen.
The Sonoma County Counsel’s Office sent letters to the council on July 27 and August 6, raising concerns that even hosting the event could create the appearance of taking sides, according to The Press Democrat. Deputy County Counsel Kara Abelson wrote that even the perception of impartiality could place the council and the county at risk of a violation. The council, an 11-member volunteer panel appointed by county supervisors and the director of the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach, had planned to question candidates in the District 2 and District 4 races about their views on Measure P and IOLERO’s authority.
Despite the warning, the council voted unanimously to move forward, deciding to continue planning a forum without using county resources, with members organizing the event in their personal capacities on their own time. Lorena Barrera, according to the same report, said the forum was intended to let candidates answer questions rather than to endorse anyone. The council is now reaching out to the four candidates directly and is working with the group Community Law Enforcement Accountability Now on the event.
Two Open Board Seats, One Contested Measure
The dispute lands squarely in the middle of two competitive open-seat races. District 2’s four-term Supervisor David Rabbitt announced in March that he would not seek re-election, a decision Hoodline covered in the race for his seat wide open, and Joanna Paun and Sylvia Lemus advanced from the June primary to face off in November. District 4’s three-term Supervisor James Gore likewise chose not to run again, and Tom Schwedhelm and Melanie Bagby moved on to that runoff. Together, the two contests mean voters will pick half of the five-member Board of Supervisors this November — and, oversight advocates argue, will effectively decide the political fate of Measure P…