By Bob Britton
Today, Tuesday, Dec 6, 2022, at 3:15 pm the Alameda County Board of Supervisors will hold a “Special” Board meeting to discuss the parameters of a potential Sheriff Oversight ordinance.
Please speak at the meeting in support of strong independent sheriff oversight. You can speak at the meeting over zoom.
A coalition of organizations including our Starr King Church affiliate, the Interfaith Coalition for Justice in our Jails (ICJJ) along with Alameda County League of Women Voters, ACLU of Northern California, Faith in Action East Bay (FIAEB), and the Coalition for Police Accountability (CPA) are organizing public comment to support a strong independent oversight ordinance.
The County Counsel is required under the County Charter to represent the Sheriff’s Office in all litigation. The County Counsel has taken the position that her office must provide and control the legal representation of any oversight body created by the Board even when her office is also representing the Sheriff’s Office. She refuses to provide any legal justification for her position, claiming it is “Attorney-Client Privileged”. In other counties that have enacted sheriff oversight, any disputes have been over the enforcement of subpoenas. An oversight body can’t successfully enforce subpoenas if without independent legal representation.
If you can be available to give public comment on Tuesday afternoon, please give me your mobile # and we will text you to alert you that public comment is happening. Each commenter will be limited to 2 or 3 minutes (most likely 2 minutes) so I suggest comments emphasize the need for independent counsel.
Instructions for how to comment over zoom
Zoom link to join the meeting
Here are talking points and a powerful letter from the Castro Valley Democratic Club by our own Mary Swain. Thank you Mary!