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Councilors advance charter amendment to create sheriff oversight board and inspector general, with public demand for stronger reforms
Summary
Supervisor Walton presented a charter amendment establishing a Sheriff Department Oversight Board and an Office of Inspector General. Public comment was intense: many callers asked for abolition or stronger community control; committee approved clerical and appointment‑balance edits and continued the item to July 13.
Supervisor Shamann Walton asked the Rules Committee to move forward with a charter amendment establishing a civilian oversight board for the Sheriff’s Department and an independent Office of Inspector General to investigate noncriminal misconduct and in‑custody deaths.
Walton said the final draft adjusts appointment authority—giving the mayor four appointees and the Board of Supervisors three—to align with other city commissions, following consultations with unions, the sheriff’s office and stakeholders. He said the change ensures an independent oversight body that can report quarterly to the sheriff and the board.
Public comment was extensive and highly polarized. Many callers—particularly grassroots and abolition‑minded groups—told the committee they want to defund or abolish the sheriff’s department rather than create new oversight; others urged an independent board but objected to mayoral appointment dominance. Sheriff Paul Miyamoto and union representatives also participated and said they had engaged in bargaining and sought fiscal clarity on staffing and costs.
The committee approved a clerical fix to a code citation and voted to continue the item to July 13 for finalization and further review. Supervisor Walton said he would keep working with the sheriff, the unions and community groups to refine language before the full board considered placing the charter amendment on the November ballot.
