Sheriff Oversight Action Alert

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Alameda County Sheriff Oversight: Your Action Needed

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors is considering how to implement the oversight of the County Sheriff mandated by AB 1185. Please contact your Supervisor by email or phone.

SAMPLE EMAIL MESSAGE

Dear Supervisor xxx,

I urge you to pass effective Sheriff Oversight for Alameda County. In order to ensure that the Oversight Board represents the whole Alameda County community, and that it has the power to produce the needed changes, I support:

  • A fully Independent Legal Counsel for the Oversight Board and Office of Inspector General
  • A clear statement of the power and responsibilities of the Board of Supervisors, the Oversight Board, and the Inspector General
  • Power for the Inspector General to investigate incidents without specific authorization from the Sheriff
  • An Oversight Board with 9 members to ensure that they can provide appropriate oversight
  • A budget that ensures the ability of the Oversight Board to do the investigative work necessary for effective oversight.

Sincerely,

Your name
Your address (this shows that you are a constituent)

Email addresses:

 

SAMPLE PHONE MESSAGE:

I am (name) and a constituent of Supervisor (name).

I support effective sheriff oversight in Alameda County. I urge the Supervisor to vote for Option B, and in particular, to ensure (choose one or more points):

  • A fully Independent Legal Counsel for the Oversight Board and Office of Inspector General
  • A clear statement of the power and responsibilities of the Board of Supervisors, the Oversight Board, and the Inspector General
  • Power for the Inspector General to investigate incidents without specific authorization from the Sheriff
  • An Oversight Board with 9 members to ensure that they can provide appropriate oversight.
  • A budget that ensures the ability of the Oversight Board to do the investigative work necessary for effective oversight.

Thank you very much for your work for the people of Alameda County.

Phone numbers:

  • District 1: (510) 272-6691
  • District 2: (510) 272-6692
  • District 3: (510) 272-6693
  • District 4: (510) 272-6694
  • District 5: (510) 272-6695

 

BACKGROUND: State law mandates that county boards of supervisors oversee sheriffs’ offices. AB 1185, which took effect in 2021, gave counties the authority to establish civilian oversight boards to assist supervisors in that role. It is a proactive step towards enhancing sheriff accountability and transparency. Counties throughout the state have either already established oversight boards, or are working to do so.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors is currently considering two proposals. The first (Option “A”) is a limited oversight board, giving significant power to both the Board of Supervisors and to the Sheriff. The option that the LWV is supporting (Option “B”) creates a more independent board with more power to investigate. The particular points that we are lobbying on are:

  • Independent legal counsel: It is essential that legal counsel to the Oversight Board be independent. The County Counsel’s Office also represents the Sheriff’s office, so should be excluded from representing oversight, since that would be a conflict of interest.
  • Clarity of power and responsibilities: Ensure the ordinance mirrors the actual law of AB 1185, by adding the language from the law directly into the ordinance. This would add clarity about the powers of the BOS, the Oversight Board, and Office of Inspector General (OIG) as it is enumerated in AB 1185. The language that should be added reads as follow:
    • The exercise of powers under this section or other investigative functions performed by a board of supervisors, sheriff oversight board, or inspector general vested with oversight responsibility for the sheriff shall not be considered to obstruct the investigative functions of the sheriff as defined in California Government Code § 25303.7(c)(2)-(d).
  • Investigative power: Allow the OIG to investigate specific incidents involving the sheriff’s office personnel without needing the sheriff’s request or authorization. Otherwise, the current language allows the Sheriff to deny authorization to any personnel investigation and render the OIG powerless, contrary to the intention and spirit of AB 1185.
  • Oversight board size: Allow the oversight board to be comprised of 9 members to allow sufficient capacity for the amount of work required to provide appropriate oversight.

Budget: The OIG shall have the budget and power to hire sufficient investigative staff.

 

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