Santa Clara Sheriff's Race Boils Over for the First Time in 12 Years

Twelve years is a long time in any political administration. Twelve years without competition or critical examination is even longer. It appears by all indications this is the luxury that Sheriff Laurie Smith of Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office has enjoyed. Three candidates have entered the race for Sheriff against her and all but one has indicated they have every intention of giving Sheriff Smith a run for her money.

This election race has caught my eye, even this early in the game; it's promising to be a race to pay attention too. With a local newspaper embattled with ownership and fiscal issues, the public seems to be experiencing the lack of information flow that would enlighten them in a bitter race with three candidates being accused of a equivocal behavior, including the incumbent. This series will address the qualifications, accomplishments and explore the oft unsubstantiated accusations. This series will start here with a brief synopsis of the candidates and their current situation from my point of view and the information I've been able to obtain or view for myself.

Sheriff Laurie Smith, according to her site, www.SheriffLaurieSmith.com has been in law enforcement since 1973. She claims on her resume 16 years in top management and 10 years as a department head, but provides no further description of the positions and accomplishments during her 36 years. Her list of accomplishments as Sheriff on another page seems fairly anemic and oblique for a person who has held the office of Sheriff for 12 years and been in the top management for many more. Sheriff Smith has appeared, with her counterparts, in two Q&A forums to date. She is fighting for the endorsement of her own Deputy Sheriff's Association (DSA) and the Correctional Peace Officers Association (CPOA) of the jail system which she heads. She has both times seemed unprepared, according to sources, even stating at the DSA Q&A appearance that she did not know what they wanted to hear. This is surprising for a leader who claims to be in touch with her department's needs. In her second appearance, all candidates were provided the majority of questions to be asked. The video of this appearance can be seen at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/5011256 . Sheriff Smith comes across as unprepared for the questions in many ways and her body language appears very defensive for a person saying that she has attempted to work with the people she's addressing. Her address left me with far more questions than it did answers.

Richard Calderon is a former SJPD officer according to his site, http://richardcalderonforsheriff2010.com/. His resume seems to be more filled out in comparison to Sheriff Smith's. He has held all the ranks between officer and Captain before retiring. He lists involvement in many different divisions, though is less specific as to his accomplishments in them. He appears to be community involved, holding positions on a variety of community group's boards. There are rumors hanging over his head though. After his retirement from SJPD he took a position in Gustine, CA as the Chief of Police. He was released from his contract after a short period of time under a cloud of suspicion. Mr. Calderon has also appeared at both the DSA and CPOA Q&A evenings with the Sheriff. Sources indicate that he brought Gustine officers to the DSA evening and offered deputies present to talk to them, rather than offer his own argument on the circumstances. I intend to take him up on the offer of investigating the situation further. Sources also indicate he was mechanical in his speech and appeared to be discomfited by the environment. Some claim because he wasn't being honest, others because he's not a politician. The video of his CPOA appearance can be seen at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/5013031. Here he seems more confident than described previously. He addressed the officers and doesn't read from notes or come across as mechanical. He appears to believe in what he's saying and his community involvement appears to support what he states he believes. His address leaves the clear idea that though not all the problems the CPOA wants addressed are clear cut he is open to finding ways to working with them to solve the issues at hand.

Martin Monica is another retired SJPD officer after 18 years. His web site at http://martinmonica.com details an impressive law enforcement career, including Security of the President of the United States and like Calderon has an impressive compliment of community involvement. Mr. Monica also has a cloud of suspicion over his head, having been fired from his position as Chief of Police with Parlier. A claim he states was due to his refusal to push aside an investigation of a department Sergeant for child molestation; yet another area to explore for our series. Again, he also appeared at both Q&A evenings. Sources indicate that his first appearance appeared to be based solely on an aggressive attack on the Sheriff, culminating in a letter he says was given to him to step out of a prior race against her and she says she doesn't remember why she wrote the letter of recommendation. This appears to be a matter that the people should know more about and while there are questions, many of these stories are turning out to be harmless dramas. His second appearance, at the CPOA, Mr. Monica is decisive in his statements though he opens his conversation in attack mode, he leaves no doubt as to his position on the issues. At times, Mr. Monica comes across as almost to decisive. We're clear on what he believes, but he leaves the impression that all issues will be solved in a manner satisfactory to the body he's addressing. Some of the issues appear more complex than a simple yes or no solution, so to speak.

The fourth candidate, Joe Charvez, is a deputy with the Santa Clara Sheriff's Office and has held that position for 25 years according to his campaign site. He has served on the board of the DSA as a Deputy Representative and has been President of the Santa Clara County Peace Officer's Association (SCCPOA) since 2004. He appeared at the DSA Q&A night and by all accounts, stated he wasn't a real candidate in the race. Some state that Joe Charvez has been the perennial distraction candidate, running to divert votes from any potential competition against the Sheriff. Reviewing his election site, much of it seemed dedicated to helping viewers find contentious information on Mr. Calderon and Mr. Monica. Mr. Charvez did not appear at the CPOA night due to the fact coordinators were unable to make contact with him. Mr. Charvez' campaign has not released a statement regarding his unavailability for the event.

These are the highlights of the candidates opening salvos in what promises to be an information filled race. We're hoping that you will join us as we outline the accomplishments and accusations posed by each candidate and follow this race to its conclusion. We believe voters should go to the polls educated about their candidates, whatever their choice may be in the end.

We extend the offer to communicate or clarify a position or correct any information for any of the candidates running for Santa Clara Sheriff at any time during this race.

Casey Thomas

Casey.Thomas.Reporting@gmail.com