Page 10 - Sonoma County Gazette April 2018

Cannabis
Ordinance
at Risk!
A small and well funded number of residents opposing cannabis, particularly cultivation, has organized and is gaining traction to make the Sonoma County Ordinance extremely prohibitive. If these individuals are successful, Sonoma County will see an approximate 80% failure rate in
the existing permit applications. This continuation of the failed war on drugs rhetoric is largely based on fear and emotions, with little interest in balanced policy making.
Example of Demands:
1. Stop issuing ALL commercial cannabis permits until ordinance is changed
2. Permanently stop zoning permits (ministerial)
3. Only allow cultivation in industrial zones
4. Increase minimum parcel size or ban outdoor
5. Increase distance of cultivation site from neighboring residence to 1000 feet
6. Cap permits to only produce enough cannabis to supply Sonoma County consumers
7. Create exclusion zones for agriculture zoned properties
8. Increase groundwater study requirements
9. Disband Cannabis Advisory Group
10. Make changes to ordinance retroactive, applying to all existing permit applicants
PLEASE ATTEND: Board of Spervisors , 575 Administration Drive-102A, Santa Rosa
Tuesday, April 3rd- Board of Supervisors Meeting 8:30am. (Speak On: Items Not On Agenda)
Tuesday, April 10th - Board of Supervisors Meeting 8:30am. *Cannabis Ordinance, Phase 2
*Wear green, opposition will be in red.
I#2 - Inviting greater diversity in the Sheriff’s department keeps coming up – both in terms of ethnic diversity as well as gender diversity. Do you think it’s possible to have the Sheriff’s department re ect the gender and ethic diversity of the community it serves?
Ernesto Olivares
John Mutz
Women comprise 51.1% of Sonoma County’s population.
The Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO) audit of 2016-17 shows that of the 220 Deputy Sheriffs and Sergeants, only 5.9% of
Law Enforcement Deputies (13)
are women, and of the 13 Law
Enforcement Leadership, zero are women. The report also found that 9.5% of Deputy Sheriffs on patrol are Latino while Latinos in the county make up 30%.
This situation can and must be remedied. First, the department must take a sustained and pro-active role in this process. After identifying all underrepresented communities, we must identify skilled ambassadors
to develop long-term relationships with those communities. Those ambassadors would learn who has the potential to be a great officer and would perform regular outreach to attract and engage those great candidates.
Apprenticeship programs are another great approach. Engaging young people in hands-on experiences which orient them to the work that Deputies do is an excellent win-win for the community and the Department. The programs I’ve launched and supported were designed to teach leadership skills and build confidence in our young people. Some of those participants will use
their skills in the Sheriff’s Department and others will actually take that training back to benefit the greater community in other roles that they pursue. Sonoma also has a lot of opportunities with our community colleges and youth organizations to educate, engage and encourage.
The common dream for many a young girl or boy
is to become a peace officer. It stems from wanting
to be a hero and do good. If our Sheriff’s Department were experienced differently in the community — as a welcoming educational institution for those who want to make a positive impact in our community - we would have a Department that reflects and represents our residents.
Mark was unable to meet our deadline before press time. Please attend the candidate forums scheduled from now until the election. This is an IMPORTANT election - Please REGISTER & VOTE! Look for Mark’s
Establishing a strong culture of community policing can contribute to building an organization that values diversity and strives to creating an organization that is more reflective of the community we serve. Through a strong community policing philosophy, we can share with the community the responsibility to recruit, test
and hire for diversity. However, we must first work to implement some fundamental changes in recruitment and hiring practices.
The Sheriff’s Office currently lacks the full engagement of the County’s Human Resources Department (HR) in helping to identify the factors and barriers that contribute to a lack of diversity. Also missing is the engagement of the community in recruitment efforts. Just like building safe communities must be a community-wide effort, so
is the effort to recruit and hire employees that reflect our diverse community. If our goal is an organization that reflect the community, then we must engage the community.
Changes I would implement include the engagement
of HR as a proctor of the recruitment, testing and hiring processes. I would also invite members of the community to participate in the interviews of new deputies and in the interviews of employees seeking to promote.
I will ensure assessment panels for the promotion
of sergeants, lieutenants, and captains are diverse and include members of allied law enforcement agencies. Besides this promotional assessment interview, employees will be interviewed by a separate diverse panel of community members who will ask questions related
to the candidate’s engagement in community policing practices. Community panels could include but won’t be limited to, education professionals, community leaders, members of non-profit organizations serving youth or seniors, homeless service providers, victim advocates or other community members.
I have extensive experience in implementing these types of recruitment, testing, and hiring practices. In fact, you will find that many progressive law enforcement agencies across the country use these processes which are considered best-practices that contribute to increased diversity and public trust.
As it relates to active recruitment for diversity, we must also be willing to take diverse recruitment teams to outside venues. As the manager of recruitment, testing and hiring at the Santa Rosa Police Department, I have experience in bring recruitment teams to state and national venues including conferences of the National Latino Peace Officers Association, the California
Asian and Pacific Islander Peace Officers Association, the California Black Peace Officers Association, the Nation Women in Policing, and the National GLBT Law Enforcement Professionals.
Mark Essick
10 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 4/18
I also took recruitment teams to regional police academies around California to administer on-site testing and interviews for cadets who are unaffiliated with
a particular agency. This accommodation reduces the number of trips a candidate must take to Sonoma County for the various testing processes.
answers to these questions on our website @
SonomaCountyGazette.com
SHERIFF CANDIDATES cont’d to page 11