I like apologies, and Efren’s statement to the Board of Supervisors is an unqualified, no-excuses apology. This is rare from a human being. From a politician it’s exhilarating fresh air.
I liked his statement when I read it; when I watched the video I was moved to tears. I completely support the effort of this young man to put right his mistakes, to heal himself from a challenging illness, and to continue to serve his constituency as an able and intelligent Supervisor.
If the court appearance on the 30th leads to criminal charges and conviction of a felony, of course, he will have to resign. I don’t believe that he committed such a crime, so I expect our options and his to be open.
I advocate the option of repair, not only because I care about Efren Carrillo, but also because I care about our community and our county. The prospect of a malicious and wasteful recall or any other sustained pressure to force him to resign already darkens our social interactions.
What kind of community do we want to build? Let it not be a community where it’s considered fun to tear each other down. Let it be a community where we give each other a hand up, again and again.
Let’s build a community where we recognize our frailty as human beings, where it is safe to acknowledge mistakes and repair the damage, where we can trust that we are each doing our best to bring our insight and skills to the challenges we face together.
I’m aware of the importance of Efren Carrillo to the Hispanic community, and the disappointment of Hispanic youth at his behavior. I’d like our young people to see not an idol struck down after a breach, but an imperfect hero correcting his errors and rising to serve ever better the people who chose him.
Efren faces difficult challenges. I hope that we offer our strength toward his success in meeting them, to our satisfaction and to his.