Supervisors advance charter amendment to create a civilian sheriff oversight board and inspector general

Supervisor Shimon Walton and co-sponsors won committee approval on June 29 to advance a charter amendment that would create a civilian sheriff's department oversight board and an Office of Inspector General. The amendment, as amended, would place the measure on the November 3, 2020 ballot for voter approval.

Walton told the Rules Committee the proposal responds to repeated allegations of abuse and misconduct in the county jails and would give residents an independent avenue to file complaints and receive reports. "This charter amendment will place an initiative on the November 3 ballot to amend the city's charter to create a civilian sheriff's department oversight board and Office of Inspector General," Walton said, and said the package is intended to "rebuild community trust." He told the committee the reform's cost is "projected to cost close to $3,000,000."

Sheriff Paul Miyamoto described conditional support for a community advisory board but urged care to avoid duplication with the Department of Police Accountability and other existing mechanisms. "We're not looking to say completely no to this whole thing," Miyamoto said, while urging that investigative workload and administrative burdens be coordinated.

District Attorney Chesa Bodine said his independent investigation bureau will continue to investigate officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths and that criminal prosecutions remain within the DA's authority; he urged voters be permitted to decide the charter change. Public Defender Mano Raju told the committee that secrecy around disciplinary and segregation decisions in jails has left incarcerated people and their families without timely information and that local independent oversight is needed to ensure transparency and timely remedies.

The Budget and Legislative Analyst provided a memo estimating annual costs of roughly $2,800,000 for an Office of Inspector General and $240,000 for the oversight board, noting the estimates are preliminary and subject to the Board's annual budget process. The amended charter text includes provisions clarifying that requests for records and disclosure of recommendations will be handled "to the extent permitted by state or federal law," and adds cooperation requirements with contracted legal-service providers that represent incarcerated people.

The committee voted to incorporate the sponsor's amendments and then continued the item to the call of the chair for final scheduling. The roll-call on the motion to accept the amendments recorded votes of Supervisors Catherine Stephanie and Gordon Marr, and Chair Hillary Ronan as 'Aye.'