Rules Committee recommends William Monroe Palmer II for Sheriff's Oversight Board seat

The Rules Committee unanimously recommended William Monroe Palmer II for appointment to seat 3 on the Sheriff Department Oversight Board and sent his nomination to the full Board for confirmation.

Palmer told the committee he is “system impacted” and currently on parole, a status he said is under dispute; he described how that lived experience informs oversight by helping ensure the perspectives of people who have been incarcerated are represented. He cited work with the San Francisco Veil Justice Coalition and his interactions in jails in collaboration with Sheriff Miyamoto as informing his view of deputies’ efforts toward reform.

Colleagues and public witnesses endorsed Palmer. Julie Sue, a fellow oversight-board member, said continuity is important while the nascent board hires an inspector general and praised Palmer’s dedication. Caller Linda Parker Pennington, a commissioner on the Disability and Aging Services Commission, described Palmer’s work founding the reentry nonprofit Life After Next and his mural work at San Francisco County Jail No. 2, and urged the committee to support his reappointment.

Vice Chair Shimon Walton moved to forward Palmer’s nomination with a positive recommendation; the committee voted by roll call (Walton: aye; Safae: aye; Dorsey: aye) and approved the recommendation without objection.

What’s next: Palmer’s nomination will be considered by the full Board of Supervisors for final confirmation.