Cal Minor, a retired California Highway Patrol captain, who finished first in the primary election for Fresno County sheriff, has been endorsed by one of his opponents. That should be helpful in his runoff campaign. Sheiriff's Capt. Colleen Mestas, who finished fourth in the five-person race, has announced she is backing Minor. Here's the story.
Assistant Sheriff Margaret Mims, who finished second and is in the runoff with Minor, earlier was endorsed by sheriff's deputy Chris Curtice, who ran last. Only third-place finisher Jose Flores, a sheriff's captain, has not backed a candidate in the runoff election. "I'm weighing my options," Flores said in a story in today's Bee.
In the primary, Minor led the pack with 37.4% of the vote and Mims got into the runoff by polling 28%
This race is going to heat up now that it's a one-on-one contest between Minor and Mims. Both are law enforcement veterans and the two campaigns undoubtedly will be scouring their opponents' backgrounds looking for anything they can use in the general election campaign.
This is an open seat. Sheriff Richard Pierce announced in January that he wasn't going to seek a third term. But this race will be all about Pierce. The sheriff's political problems, including conflict-of-interest allegations, will continue to be key issues in the campaign.
Well, now that Asst Sheriff Mims is back to work, we will see how many of the "changes and improvements" that she promised on the campaign trail get implemented. My guess would be...none! Her inaction and commitment to the status quo will only serve to reinforce the fact that she is not the right person to lead this agency.
Kudos to Colleen Mestas for endorsing Cal Minor! Capt Mestas shares Cal's vision for the Sheriff's Department. Get back to the basics of law enforcement, until staffing can be brought up to acceptable levels. Once that is complete, THEN look at ways to improve crime fighting, which is what the public expects of us to begin with. Law enforcement is not the appropriate venue for liberal social services programs. If you want to be a social worker, transfer to County Social Services Dept where you can hug people and sing Kumbaya until you're little heart's content.
I can't see a change no matter who wins. Never saw changes made before. Thing just roll along.
Given that Mestas was a huge supporter of the preventative plans and school programs in place now, the turn around (AKA flip flop) is a bit confusing as Minor was thoroughly against them. He seems to be only about the law enforcement. Having less crime through education and having law enforcement earning the respect of one's community should be a number one priority. Simply by putting them in jail, is putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound. Giving them the option to not be shot in the first place would be a good thing.
Passing off such programs as those supported by Mestas, to other departments or personnel is passing the buck to areas that are already overloaded. There are programs that are already IN place within the Sheriff's Department that ARE working and supporting someone that has promised to diminish those processes is simply destructive. You can have one deputy show up to a scene and get all the respect from 'learned interactions' or have 10 show up and be disrespectfully run over due to ignorance.
The 1st level of force is 'presence.' The appearance of the uniform, vehicle in your rear view mirror, or law enforcement processes. Without programs to educate the kids there ARE other alternatives, from a commanding presence of a Deputy in a classroom, going straight to level 5 will be a given for future confrontations. As a kid I always paid greater attention when a full scale officer or deputy spoke to our class, so sending someone in that didn't carry such a presence, badge, or experience, just doesn't work.
Many believe the main reason that Mestas has backed Minor is that she can go farther with that administration than with Mims in charge. There are also a few other issues, non-campaign related as well that are factors. Her 'backing' has little meaning, knowing it's about her better future, and not necessarily the Department. Given that her own field officers didn't want her as Sheriff by their 114 union votes (not 500) I wonder how they feel about Minor being backed by someone they don't support.
As to Mims making any changes or improvements, the promises made during the campaign were for when she IS elected Sheriff. She's an Assistant Sheriff, not Sheriff, thus not the policy maker in the Department at this time. She's only allowed to do what's within her range of duties as an Assistant Sheriff. However how she conducts her daily activities, along with more in the next few months will show her dedication to the job and Sheriff's Department and County citizens.
With all the new programs, and knowledge of things needed to be addressed, Margaret Mims would be someone to finally make those changes (not made before) for the betterment of all concerned.
Rita, examine what you have said and apply it to your chosen candidate. Mims had two of the nearly 150 votes (about the same percentage as the voter turnout). Obviously the Deputies don't want her. The Correctional Officers don't want her either. They work for her now and have no faith in her abilities.
So far as "programs" as concerned, when liberals start talking about "programs," that is Democrat code word for throwing money at a problem instead of aggressively going after the cause. "Can't we all just get along?" No, we can't...that is why we have warriors in tan and green to protect those who can't (or in the case of liberals, WON'T) protect themselves.
Are you content to be a sheep among the wolves of our society? If so, get out of the way and let those of us who choose to face down the wolf get on with the business of protecting you.
Anon Deputy, I appreciate your take on that as you're out there doing the job that few can comprehend or appreciate at times. Few know how extreme it gets at times, so to find out that your leadership is less than expected, when you look up the ranks, can be frustrating.
As to the FDSA reference, when it's your (Mestas) area of command (Field) and your workers that deal with you directly and frequently don't support you it IS more of a statement than the lesser votes for the others. I am aware of all the numbers, but still given the way Minor ran his primary, I believe this was most likely a view of things to come if by chance he gets the nod from the voters come November 7th. Always pushing to the edge of the rules, feels all too familiar and not someone I want making the bigger decisions, when he can't handle the 'Minor' ones.
As to the Democratic reference, it's not a party issue when it comes to fighting criminal acts. No one person wants harm to come to them, their loved ones, or property. The cause of the problem of crime, is sometimes that they never learned that maybe there is a better, safer alternative lifestyle than the one they've chosen. Arresting them and signing off on the call, is the very definition of treating the symptom of a criminal action. Preventative medicine is called just that for a reason. It like law enforcement education, is to stop bad things before they can get a foot hold as a future problem.
We may not be able to 'all get along' but finding a way to lesson the population growth of new criminals, through educational activities, community programs, should be EVERYONE's goal. Believing that this can be done and facing down those that lure the innocents into crime is far from sheepish. The Sheriff's Department has the privilege and ability to reach a far wider area than any other law enforcement agency so why not accept the challenge and make it work?
Margaret Mims' foresight will be the future of the Department, NOT just focusing on the here and now of that current 911 call. In the long range her plans will lead to a reduction in crime, increased budgets, and fewer need for new jails. That's something one would hope everyone wants. Pride in one's community via programs to assist in these goals. Not doing anything to try to prevent the crime, will just lead to increased violence in that criminal act and at greater frequency.
Amazingly enough that was Mestas's stand as well, so her backing Minor now is questionable to say the least. Come November we'll see how much weight Mestas thinks she has with those that supported her in the primary. I think that anyone that took time out to actually vote even with such a poor turnout, REALLY cares about this race as it directly affects everyone. I want to support a Candidate that believes in going to the cause as you say, and NOT treating the symptom. The only one on the ballot now that will do that, is Assistant Sheriff Margaret Mims.
Now, if he would just clean up his signs...
Mentioned this on another Fresno Bee Blog topic about the signs left over from the Primary. Now that Mestas has supported Minor in his campaign, maybe she can help him out more so, in this area as many of hers are still up next to his or littering the ground in the same proximity.
I suggest that the Election office should step up and fine them as they are supposed to, for the removal of this 'litter'. Also even though in the run-off, the signs for the November 7th election can NOT be up earlier than 90 days prior to that date and are past the 'take-down' dates for all areas.
Good thing this race isn't for anything involving law enforcement, regulations, or rules of order aye? Oh wait, it IS!! Oopsies!! I'm sure this all is okay after all as it's such a 'little' thing right?
Maybe being 'fined' is a way that these Candidates have planned to bring more money via their own pockets, to the County system? Brilliant plan created by those that don't seem to care about our properties, dontcha think?
Rita, Rita. still going on from your other defeat (of your beloved candidate) lets talk some facts that the public is not aware of while you enjoyed your beverages on the 4th of July.
FACT: On 7/4/06, there were 4 DEPUTIES in the Fresno metro area (this includes Fig Garden, Sunnyside, Fraint, Malaga, Calwa, River Bluffs, Downtown Fresno). FOUR Rita covering some 1500 square miles. Normally calls for service that are holding are about 5 to 7. There were 21 calls holding at one point. Some of those call of the highest priority (P1) including a burglary in progress (your home is burglarized while your in it) a Stalker (a man was stalking an ex girlfriend and told her he was coming to kill her and he did go). It was not until the graveyard deputies were logged on that those calls were handled..hope you have a gun if you live in the county, the deputies aren't coming, they taking care of inmates and handling calls at the jail
FACT: All firework calls and shot fired calls were told to be placed on hold. In other words the deputies did not respond, so if you called 911 about someone firing off a gun next to you on the 4th, we couldn't go. Why? Because there were 4 deputies.
FACT: There were 11 inmates at the University Medical center and there were 12 Deputies at UMC. Asst. Sheriff Mims helped create and put this unit in place (SDU). She boasts that she helped reduce the overtime at the jail. FACT of the matter is she gave it to the deputies who cost more! She just shifted the overtime from one budget to the next!
FACT: There were 5 jail battery calls at our jail. The deputy that covers Malaga, Calwa, Sunnyside all the way to Belmont and Academy was unavailable. Capt Jones (Mims' sidekick and cronie) helped create this problem as well. FACT is the deputies have taken over 800 calls at the jail in the last year for fights and illegal alcohol (pruno) and only 11 have been filed and prosecuted. All because Capt. Jones wants to hold inmates accountable. Uh excuse me...isn't that the correctional officers job who already do a great job? The county wastes hundreds of thousands of dollars by duplicating its efforts and deputies write a report and correctional officers write a report about the same thing! AND the deputies can't even see those reports because they're in a different computer program!
FACT: No one from the administration cares, so the public needs to start asking questions about why this happening and why Asst. Sheriffs Hollis and Mim's are allowing this?
Those of you who live in those comminutes I encourage you to call the area two substation at 559-292-1132 and ask Lt Hernandez why he allowed the administration to let you down on the 4th.
These are not made up, these are facts and you as the community have a right to know what is going with your tax dollars. Rita all I gotta say is call that substation, please and come on a ride along and see what the real working people of the department are doing and ask them how they feel, I challenge you to do that. Maybe then you'll realize why the deputies are endorsing Mr. Minor. They want change, they want an administration that cares and why now more than ever we need to revamp our entire second floor. Frank.
P.S. This only covers area 2, there are 3 other areas that were also depleted of their deputies because they too were guarding inmates, that's another story, which will be posted here, and those facts as well.
Well hello all some more news from the political arena. This week Sheriff Pierce adopted Cal Minors plan! At the Fresno County Board of Supervisors meetings this week Pierce had a hard time with several of the board of supervisors and it got kinda nasty. At the end Pierce proposed changes that were straight from Cal Minors campaign flyers and from the first meeting Cal had the Fresno Deputy Sheriff's Association. Read today's Fresno Bee section. Plus you can also watch the board of supervisors meetings on the public channel.
FACTS: Pierce is pulling the deputies from the jail and the hospital and redeploying them to patrol. (that's about 30 deputies) WOW! They finally listened (the 2nd floor) they will hire correction officers at half the Deputies rate to watch inmates again. They are going to put these deputies on the street to respond to your calls and beef up certain detective units in bad need of more bodies (property detectives, identity theft detectives, ag crimes detectives)
FACT: Pierce is pulling the cops from schools program for the meantime until he can fill it or have a CSO fill it. A lot of bad rumors came from this, let me clear them up. Mainly for you Rita, pay attention. A Deputy and CSO (community service officer) dress the same except form the gun and other law enforcement equipment on their belts. A Deputy and CSO get the same training when it comes to teaching schools and ESSP programs. Okay here is where it is different..... A Deputy comes to your house when you call 911, a Deputy, goes into your house when there someone standing over you trying to kill you, a Deputy does his job when he is on the street not in a class behind the desk. The CSO can do the same thing and the kids will not know, period.
FACT: After Cal came up with a plan to combat metal thefts and how they are affecting the farmers and the Ag community; the department came up with its own version of Cal's idea, " Operation Heavy Metal." They adopted his strategy, his ideas, his philosophy of making sure everyone is held accountable (including our own 2nd floor) and most of all the department finally did some thing! After Cal came up with these ideas of course.
Why these changes folks? Because Both Cal Minor and the Deputies have been educating the public about how bad been things are working for the FSO. The FSO administration is finally realizing that the Deputies were right. They have heard the Deputies complaining about the LOW LOW moral problems, the millions of dollars it costs the citizens..YOU...to pay the Deputies to guard inmates and most of all that events like the above 4th of July fiasco means you do not get a deputy at your house because there are none of them available!
A lot of these changes are going to take time top make the changes but looks like they are going to happen. Just remember it is was CAL MINOR who came up with the ideas, he came to the real working people and asked them for their input and together they came up with Cal's plan that now the administration has adopted. I also know for a FACT that some members of the 2nd floor (the administration) called and thanked Cal Minor for his ideas because that's where they came up with these changes.