While calling Los Angeles County “late to the party” when it comes to police oversight, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday discussed the role of a new oversight commission for the Sheriff’s Department but took no action.
The supervisors heard a presentation from a working group that has met for the past six months on the new Civilian Oversight Commission.
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who along with supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Hilda Solis supported the creation of the oversight board, said it has been “challenging” to get to this point and called L.A. County is “late” to the oversight party.
Two contentious issues yet to be resolved are the group’s recommendation that a ballot measure to amend the county charter be put to voters to give the oversight commission subpoena powers and the group’s recommendation that no former Sheriff’s Department personnel sit on the commission.
“My objective is to cause the commission to be effective, and my response and the way I ultimately decide on these matters is related to whether they service the effectiveness of the commission and if they honor what we fundamentally want, which is the restoration of public confidence, public trust,” Ridley-Thomas said.
Supervisor Michael Antonovich, who did not support the creation of the oversight commission, wanted to know if there would be drawbacks to amending the charter. He also questioned the group’s recommendation that no former LASD personnel sit on the commission.
“The blanket exemption would preclude those types of individuals from coming forward and wanting to serve,” Antonovich said.
Sheriff’s Department Executive Officer Neal Tyler, who represented the sheriff on the working group, said the working group’s recommendation “was a report that the sheriff is very proud of and stands behind almost all of it” — but not subpoena power.
“Until he has his chance as a newly elected sheriff, and he’s been in favor of this general idea since the beginning, he’d prefer not to see that ballot proposition take place,” Tyler said.
Tyler said the sheriff also had concerns about giving weighted consideration to a person’s immigration status when choosing members of the commission.
Inspector General Max Huntsman supported granting the commission subpoena powers, but warned supervisors that those powers might not be sufficient and that the commission still needs an agreement from the sheriff to release all requested documents and personnel records.
The board did not set a date for a vote, but Solis said discussions would continue “over the coming weeks.”
County counsel said that for supervisors to sponsor a ballot measure in the June 2016 election, paperwork would need to be filed by March.
