Letter on Efren Carrillo sent to Sonoma County Democratic Party

[Shepherd]

I have dispatched the following letter to the Sonoma County Democratic Party at [email protected]. I received most of it as a model drafted by a large group of 5th District activists. I suggest you or groups that you are involved with consider sending such a letter, by Monday, since the SCDP will meet on Tuesday to consider how to proceed. You could use the following as a model, eliminating at least the last paragraph. Your letter could also be a much briefer letter.

August 8, 2013

Dear Sonoma County Democratic Party,

The 5^th District no longer has a supervisor representing us. This is an unfortunate situation. We need one as soon as possible. Could you help the voters of Sonoma County get a person who would be responsible. An important next step would be to ask for the immediate resignation of Supervisor Efren Carrillo.

Since Supervisor Efren Carrillo was arrested in the early morning hours of July 13 for attempting to break into a woman's home, Sonoma County's Fifth District has been without representation. This is the second time that Mr. Carrillo has been arrested for a violent act in less than a year. This latest arrest occurred after Mr. Carrillo apparently frightened a woman so badly that she called the police twice. Whether he is charged or not, we are deeply disturbed and offended by his actions, and by his spokespeople's insufficient explanations.

Supervisor Carrillo was catapulted into the highest elected County office at a young age and at first seemed bright and able to meet the heavy burdens of office. In addition, it was certainly time for Sonoma County's Latino community to have representation on the Board of Supervisors. But it now seems sadly clear that Mr. Carrillo had not matured enough to handle the pressures of high office.

Supervisor Carrillo's disorderly and aggressive conduct has brought great discredit and embarrassment not only to the Board of Supervisors, but to the whole County. Any other employee of the County would likely be terminated for such misconduct. As Mr. Carrillo stated when he personally fired Agricultural Commissioner Kathy Neville for a lesser transgression: “You fail to comprehend the depth of the problem or the liability your conduct poses the county.”

If Supervisor Carrillo does have a drug dependency, we support his taking time to address it. Unfortunately, he was removed to rehab without an apology or explanation for his behavior. Conspicuously missing is an apology to the woman he had threatened, or to his constituents. We cannot accept that behavior, which looks more like a cover-up than a road to recovery.

If he really intends to seek rehabilitation, Mr. Carrillo will be absent for more than a month, and unable to participate in decisions having importance to his District and the County, leaving his constituents unrepresented. Until truly rehabilitated, he can no longer be a role model for any citizen.

Even before his current problems, Mr. Carrillo had not been as responsive to his constituency as had previous supervisors during my 20 years as a resident here. I am one of a number of citizens who have been concerned about the apple orchard to vineyard conversion on Watertrough Rd. in the Sebastopol countryside near five schools with around 700 students. We tried many times to meet with Mr. Carrillo for over two months. He was never available, perhaps because he was spending so much time in Sacramento. So we ended up going to the Board of Supervisors at least half a dozen times to plead our case. We need a supervisor responsive to citizens as soon as possible.

Thanks for your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Shepherd Bliss, Apple Roots Group
P.O. Box 474, Sebastopol, CA. 95473

[sandoak]

Shepherd,

While I generally respect you and all you do for our community, I am offended by your participation in trial by media for Supervisor Carrillo, and I will send a letter to the Sonoma County Democratic Party in support of due process.

The few facts we have about what happened on July 13 do not prove that Supervisor Carrillo was attempting to break into a woman's home, and in fact can be interpreted very differently. It is not up to us to decide the correct interpretation of those facts: it is up to a judge and jury to interpret them in conjunction with the many other facts that are not available to the reading and speculating public.

It is also completely inappropriate for you to add to your accusation the statement that "This is the second time that Mr. Carrillo has been arrested for a violent act in less than a year." The District Attorney's office in San Diego dropped the charges. I believe they did so not because they were stupid or bought off, but because the events of that case occurred as described in Supervisor Carrillo's statement. It is reprehensible to use against him an arrest where he was found innocent.

Like you, I often disagree with Supervisor Carrillo on issues. Unlike you, I respect the work he does for his constituents, particularly his intention and ability to bring together factions who disagree so that mutual solutions can be sought constructively.

And apparently unlike you, I believe no one should be subjected to malicious speculation and demands for punishment before exercising their right to a fair trial. Gossip is a terrible weapon, and one that is certainly unworthy of you.

As for "conspicuously missing is an apology to the woman he had threatened," has she communicated to you that he has not apologized to her? If not, you don't know. In this case, a private apology is more appropriate than a public one, and we have no knowledge of whether he's given it.

To me, the crux of the inappropriateness of your letter is failure to distinguish what we don't know. What we don't know is almost everything relevant in this case. Until we know the whole story, calling for Supervisor Carrillo's resignation is a premature rush to judgment.

Wishing you well,
Sandy

I have dispatched the following letter to the Sonoma County Democratic Party

[Shepherd]

I have always and continue to respect Sandy Eastoak and listen carefully to her points of view, even when we may disagree. I appreciate her seeing me before sending this letter in and our having a vigorous conversation about it.

Rather than respond directly to it with my own words, since I want to let her points sink in, I would like to send the following commentary from this week's Sonoma West. Rather than engage in a "trial," I do think it is the role of the media to discuss such matters and express different points of view. I appreciate Frank Robertson's description that "there’s a sense of disappointment, disillusionment and betrayal." I would also echo his comment that "The silence (by Carrillo) may be the most damning factor of all."

I genuinely hope that a credible explanation by Carrillo and his handlers is forthcoming soon.

¿Quién sabe? [Translation: Who Knows? - Barry]

https://www.sonomawest.com/sonoma_west_times_and_news/opinion/editorials/qui-n-sabe/article_4c6cc8ee-ffab-11e2-b1b3-001a4bcf887a.html

by Frank Robertson | Posted: Wednesday, August 7, 2013 2:49 pm
The West County’s reaction to 5th District Supervisor Efren Carrillo’s arrest on suspicion of loitering or prowling last month is running the full gamut from crazy mumbling to gleeful schadenfreude, as might be expected. There have even been some thoughtful comments calling for patience while the justice system goes to work.

So now we have the usual cyberspace lynch mob howling “off with his head” and loyal supporters urging him to hang in there; yet even among the wait-and-see moderates there’s a sense of disappointment, disillusionment and betrayal.
No matter what happens next in court, the great Efren Carrillo success trajectory seems to have fizzled.

It’s like the space shuttle blew up and we’re watching the pieces fall. It’s over and it’s sad and we want to know what happened and why.

What are the best-case worst-case scenarios? I guess from Efren’s perspective best-case is that no charges are filed, he owns up to what happened, his constituency forgives him, he remains in office and does a decent job as supervisor. Worst case is he’s found guilty of a felony criminal charge and can no longer keep his job.

The worst of it now is that Efren can’t talk or won’t, probably on advice of counsel. We’re waiting to hear his story, his version of events, some redeeming narrative, but we haven’t been offered much hope. The silence may be the most damning factor of all.

Instead we are left to our own fervid imaginations to fill the information vacuum. Was he on drugs? Which ones? The clothes he wasn’t wearing — where were they? In his neighbor’s house? If he’s got a drinking problem, was it apparent when he was running for re-election? And if so, who knew?

And what about the larger picture? Maybe there isn’t any larger picture. If you’re thinking of running for higher public office, such as state assembly, generally you’d want to avoid getting arrested on suspicion of prowling at 3 a.m. wearing only skivvies and socks, hoping to have a couple of beers with the woman next door who apparently wasn’t really expecting a house guest at that hour. Maybe there was a scheduling conflict.

At the moment, none of the scenarios for salvaging Efren’s political career have much credibility. There is too much unknown.

There’s always been something about Efren that was a little unknown. He was a complete unknown politically when he first ran for office. The front story: son of Mexican immigrants, raised in a Habitat for Humanity house; the whole up-by-the-bootstraps narrative leading to a UC Berkeley degree and his extraordinary 2008 election to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors at age 27 always seemed a little sudden, maybe just a little too fast.

At first some of us may have been cutting Efren some slack because of his youth, his freshness, his inexperience. Maybe it also had something to do with him being a Latino guy from Roseland. We wanted this all to coalesce into greatness, the result of what political observers such as former 5th District Supervisor Mike Reilly called “a great story.”

A Mexican Horatio Alger — the hardworking guy who persevered and succeeded and seemed to have the world on a string. What’s the story now? Who knows? Either Efren or his handlers have decided to say nothing further about it. What we have heard, such as comments from Efren’s colleagues on the Board of Supervisors last week, amounted to an implied no-confidence vote.

The talk now has turned to who might replace Carrillo as the 5th District Supervisor. We have three former supervisors still around, plus the whole gang who ran in 2008. It might be any one of them in the interim, until an election could be held, probably next June.

There is also the question of when we’ll have a working supervisor again. As things stand, the West County doesn’t have a vote on its own destiny. There’s a lot going on around here while our elected guy’s in rehab.

Frank Robertson’s commentary runs every other week in Sonoma West Times & News.

[sandoak]

Shepherd,

Your comment, "...since I want to let her points sink in," is a beautiful example of civilized discourse. Real communication only occurs when we let each other's points sink in.

This is why it's important to speak and write respectfully. If our points arrive with insult and malice, what healthy person lets them sink in?

You've expressed a characteristic of safe community: we continue to respect and listen carefully, even when we may disagree.

You've also expressed a wisdom: giving time​ for points to sink in.

Thank you,
Sandy

I have always and continue to respect Sandy Eastoak and listen carefully to her points of view, even when we may disagree. I appreciate her seeing me before sending this letter in and our having a vigorous conversation about it.

Rather than respond directly to it with my own words, since I want to let her points sink in,...

[Sara S]

I really want to write something funny about how your posts here are scaring me, but I don't have time.....

Shepherd,

While I generally respect you and all you do for our community, ...

[Helen Shane]

The following email was sent today to Stephen Gale and Don Frank, Sonoma County Democratic Party:

Greetings:

Sebastopol Tomorrow, founded in 1984, is a citizen group that endeavors to educate and encourage citizen participation in the decisions that affect our lives. We are committed to maintaining our community as a place we want to live today, tomorrow and for years to come.

The 5th District has no Supervisor representing us. This is an unfortunate, unacceptable situation.The details of Mr.Carrillo’s arrests reflect the behavior of an individual who should not be making important decisions that directly affect the lives of Sonoma County voters and their families, regardless of what happens in the courts.

We need to remedy this as soon as possible. An important step is to ask for the immediate resignation of Supervisor Efren Carrillo. We urge other responsible organizations to do the same.

Sebastopol Tomorrow

[meherc]

Yahoo, Sandy. I agree with you completely and on top of that Efren has been the only supervisor that mingles with the real community. You see him at every nonprofit benefit and personally, when I was in trouble, he was the only politician who would even talk to me. Efren went to bat for me immediately ,went to the courthouse and talked to she whose name shall not be spoken, on my behalf and on the behalf of many in the community. I saw in the PD the other day a letter to the editor, calling for his immediate resignation, saying she was a woman and a feminist and all women are afraid every single night of their lives.

Well, I'm a long time feminist, I am not afraid all the time, ,a big reason is because I am a feminist and I'm certainly not afraid of a half drunk Carrillo. Maybe it's because I'm from NY and used to not being intimidated but I'm sure when he's at work he's not downing shots of whiskey and playing liars dice. And if he was, probably half of those guys in suits would join him. They are just quieter drinkers and prefer to take $150,000 salaries and do nothing. So I support Efren, and have seen so many phony liberals running for office who are despicable in their personal lives though they might not be drunk in public. Guess who I would rather have representing me? Good for you, Sandy, for having the moxie to go against this lynch mob who don't have the info but are ready to condemn. Sandy, that's what a feminist is, brave enough to say what no one else will say.
Thank you.

[Shepherd]

Today's PD (see article here) indicates that Efren Carrillo's rehab has been extended for an uncertain length, during which time he will not be returning to work. This means that the 5th District and the County as a whole will not have someone representing it as crucial decisions are made in the coming weeks. After reading various responses to the Carrillo scandal and letting them sink in, I have written a second letter to the Sonoma County Democratic Party, which follows:

Dear Sonoma County Democratic Party,
Following upon my previous email requesting that you ask for an immediate resignation by Supervisor Efren Carrillo, I would like to add some additional points before you make a decision at your Tuesday meeting. According to an article in today’s Press Democrat, Mr.Carrillo’s rehab has been extended, so we no longer know when he will return to his duties. My points below are partly in response to respectful criticisms that I have received from others, who counsel patience as we wait for the courts to act.

1. True democracy thrives when citizens speak up freely and frequently, expressing diverse opinions and views, not only by voting once or twice a year. It is weakened by attempts to silence respectful dialogue and leaving decisions to the powerful, including those whom we elect. Our freedoms and democracy are deteriorating at the national level and must be carefully guarded and fully expressed at the local level, or we will loose our free speech and other liberties. We should welcome the active participation of citizens questioning officials, rather than try to limit it.

2. Our legal system favors the wealthy and powerful, especially those who can pay expensive lawyers. A recent example was George Zimmerman being found innocent of murdering black teen-ager Trayvon Martin, after which one juror admitted that “he got away with murder.”

3. Whatever the courts decide with respect to Carrillo, he has lost the confidence of a significant number of people, as revealed by the labor union letters representing some 60,000 workers. If the SCDC does not ask for his resignation, it will loose much of its respect by many people.

4. In addition to the legal courts, there is the court of public opinion. This is the court that my generation used to help end the American War on Vietnam, during which I was a U.S. Army officer, and to run President Nixon out of office. Mr. Carrillo will either resign or be run out of office by a recall for his inappropriate behavior, in my opinion. It will be partly your choice how you respond to the crisis he has created.

5. Transparency in our government and its officials is essential. It is my opinion that Mr. Carrillo owes his constituency a prompt and full disclosure of what happened in the early morning of July 13. His silence indicates that he is not transparent, as he was not in the previous San Diego matter. Instead, he and his handlers appear to be trying to cover-up the matter and concoct a narrative following what happened. It has now been a month since Mr. Carrillo has been in rehab, where it now seems he will be for a while longer. We have no date when he might return to represent the 5^th District. There is too much that we do not know that we deserve to know. The reason we do not yet know what really happened is that Mr. Carrillo has decided not to tell us. That is suspicious.

6. An appropriate role of the written and social media is not to engage in trials, but it does include an open, respectful, civil, and frank discourse of multiple points of view.

7. We should not rush to judgment regarding what really happened that early morning between Mr. Carrillo and a woman. We do know enough to know that Mr. Carrillo’s pattern of behavior is to withhold information and work behind-the- scenes to clear himself, rather than be forthcoming.

In conclusion, Mr. Carrillo’s behavior will forever leave a dark shadow over any future governing that he may do. My own associations with Mr. Carrillo have been that he is likeable and personable and has many skills. He tends to be an excellent communicator. So his recent actions and silence have left me feeling betrayed, disappointed, and disillusioned. This is not the first time this has happened with an elected official in my over half a century as a voter. However, this one is close to home and hurts.

Sincerely,
Shepherd Bliss, Apple Roots Group
P.O. Box 474
Sebastopol, Ca. 95473

[juna]

Will the feeding frenzy please stop!
There are 2 sides to every story.
Period.

[dzerach]

My intent was not one of harm nor repetition. Just the opposite. And no, it is not personal about the supervisor. No one can hear, so -- very well. Please know that you have simply not understood the post. Since my failure to communicate has been upsetting to several, I have deleted my posting.

Will the feeding frenzy please stop!
There are 2 sides to every story.
Period.

[Shepherd]

No, this dialogue will not stop. There are, indeed, even more than "2 sides to every story." There are many sides. Please do not try to stop the conversation. If the kitchen, using your "feeding" imagery, is too hot for you, then leave, but do not try to censor the rest of us.

Will the feeding frenzy please stop!
There are 2 sides to every story.
Period.

[photolite]

I see no efforts at censorship here. I see an individual exasperated with a lynch mob mentality and simply asking that the courtesy, and right, to due process is observed, and in the meantime we all cool our jets until we have the facts. Sounds reasonable to me.

No, this dialogue will not stop. There are, indeed, even more than "2 sides to every story." There are many sides. Please do not try to stop the conversation. If the kitchen, using your "feeding" imagery, is too hot for you, then leave, but do not try to censor the rest of us.

[Shepherd]

Your accusatory language like "lynch mob" is hardly "reasonable." There is no attempt to lynch anyone but to pressure an elected official to stop hiding and speak up. We voters deserve that. Efren Carrillo is obviously hiding something. I am angry and do not intend to "cool" until he resigns or is recalled. What is reasonable is that Mr. Carrillo speak to his constituency, rather than hide from us. He was caught with "his pants down," literally, as other politicians have been, figuratively. He is no longer believable. I do not intend to be silenced by your name-calling.

I see no efforts at censorship here. I see an individual exasperated with a lynch mob mentality and simply asking that the courtesy, and right, to due process is observed, and in the meantime we all cool our jets until we have the facts. Sounds reasonable to me.

[photolite]

lynch mob
noun [C]

Definition
› a group of people who want to attack someone who they think has committed a serious crime

(Definition of lynch mob noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

Your accusatory language like "lynch mob" is hardly "reasonable." There is no attempt to lynch anyone but to pressure an elected official to stop hiding and speak up. We voters deserve that. Efren Carrillo is obviously hiding something. I am angry and do not intend to "cool" until he resigns or is recalled. What is reasonable is that Mr. Carrillo speak to his constituency, rather than hide from us. He was caught with "his pants down," literally, as other politicians have been, figuratively. He is no longer believable. I do not intend to be silenced by your name-calling.

[sebastacat]

Definition of "ACCOUNTABLE," from Dictionary.com:


"Subject to the obligation to report, explain or justify something; responsible; answerable."

[photolite]

No one has suggested he shouldn't be held accountable.

Definition of "ACCOUNTABLE," from Dictionary.com:


"Subject to the obligation to report, explain or justify something; responsible; answerable."

[Valley Oak]

Huh?

No one has suggested he shouldn't be held accountable.

[Valley Oak]

Foti, everyone has a constitutional right to speak their mind; this right includes pro-Carrillo people such as yourself and people who want him out of office, such as myself. We can all express our opinions, even trying to get others to NOT speak their minds. You have a legal right to say things like that.

But most people want Carrillo to relinquish the charge of representing us because he is unfit to be supervisor. Indeed, the 5th District has NO representation now because Carrillo is indefinitely in rehab. The minority has a right to protest the call for Carrillo’s resignation. But the majority also has the right to free speech, to demand Carrillo’s resignation, and we will not be silenced by anyone.

We assume Carrillo’s innocence regarding having committed a crime. But regarding holding public office, I could care less that Carrillo may or may have not committed a crime because I DON'T TRUST HIM ANYMORE AND I DON'T WANT HIM AS SUPERVISOR ANYMORE! And that's it. A public officeholder does NOT need to commit a crime in order to be bounced out of office and this fundamental, democratic truth is what the pro-Carrillo group refuses to understand; the “Pro-Carrillos” are in denial. I don't want Carrillo in power anymore. Period.

Edward

I see no efforts at censorship here. I see an individual exasperated with a lynch mob mentality and simply asking that the courtesy, and right, to due process is observed, and in the meantime we all cool our jets until we have the facts. Sounds reasonable to me.

[sebastacat]

From the Press Democrat article yesterday comes this quote from Efren Carrillo's lawyer:

"I can't defend his overall behavior, and neither can he."

If he does not resign, it will be up to us, the voters, to make the decision if we want someone who has exhibited such poor judgment and engaged in this type of nefarious conduct to represent us. And that will have nothing whatsoever to do with any verdict which will be handed down when -- and IF -- this case ever goes to trial, which Sebastacat doubts highly that it ever will.

[photolite]

Edward, It's always a dicey proposition to draw too many conclusions from too little information. You refer to me as "pro-Carrillo". This is incorrect. I am pro-due process. You also imply I want to impede others from speaking their minds. This is also incorrect. I believe we should withhold judgement until we have all the facts and until we do I believe it inappropriate to leap to hasty judgements. Nonetheless, I will always support others' rights to free speech, at the very least in the interest of supporting my own. If you and I expect due process for ourselves then me must be willing to demand it for Carrillo.

Here are a couple of examples of how you misjudged my words and intent by making assumptions informed by inadequate information. In the end, I may very well be the loudest of the chorus calling for Carrillo's resignation but I'll hold my voice until we have as much information as possible to draw the best conclusions we are able. We're not there yet.

You also do not know that "most people want Carrillo to relinquish the charge of representing us because he is unfit to be supervisor". That is also supposition. This forum may embody such sentiment but wacco is hardly representative of the 5th district.
For the rest, you are most assuredly entitled to your opinion and I will always support your expression, if not the content, of same.

Foti, everyone has a constitutional right to speak their mind; this right includes pro-Carrillo people such as yourself and people who want him out of office, such as myself. ...

[riverosprey]

Dear Edward Mendoza, Shepherd and All,

(with gracious thank you's to Barry giving us all the ability to edit past transgressions :0).

I sometimes cruise by here but haven't posted in years on WaccoBB. Love Barry, SaraS and many posting here but have to add my 2 cents (probably regret it later :0) to this thread.

To Edward, while I appreciate your opinion and admire your abilities to opine so effectively, you claim, as some of the 15-20 people posting on this thread, out of the 50,000 voters in the 5th District, that a "majority" want Efren to resign. Excuse me, but it appears on your bio Edward, you don't live in the district (perhaps too harsh and I apologize), and though some may argue the bell tolls for thee, i.e. we are all affected by the votes of EACH of the Supervisors...with you not knowing Efren that well and you not living in the district, your strident efforts are perhaps a stretch; but it is your right to criticize and I defend you in so doing.

Thus far the few that have commented in the Press Democrat, letters, or on WaccoBB, strike me as not having supported Efren in the first place as he didn't vote as they wanted him to on one or two issues, or with the unions oppose Efren out of self-interest for him not voting in their interest on the airport expansion, or for retirement reforms that try to avoid laying off younger workers and in order to try to continue providing County services.

My wife, daughter and self continue to support and respect Efren with whatever decision lies ahead for him. Personally I think if Efren can quit drinking he can survive this debacle and continue receive the support and represent the majority of our interests in the Fifth District as he has done so very effectively for the last 4 1/2 years.

By all means put this to the voters with a recall, and I will give you odds if Efren can clean it up, he could continue to be a role model that the majority of us in West County would vote to continue to represent us.

With great respect and kind regards to all, especially Edward Mendoza (I look forward to buying you a beer!) !!

Tom Lynch
15940 Drake Road
Guerneville, Ca. 95446
707-394-5157
[email protected]

[Tom, AKA "Manure Man", is one of two appointees to the Sonoma County planning commission for the 5th district. - Barry]

"In India we have a saying, 'In the end everything will be alright; and if it's not? We haven't reached the end yet.' "
~ Manager of Hotel in movie "Hotel Magnolia"

[Valley Oak]

Tom,

First, I don't like your attitude in your post:

Edward, who are you??...you don't even live in the frigging district...unless you're afraid to post under your real name...

Is this an appropriate attitude for a man who seeks public office? There is not a whole lot of "With great respect and kind regards to all !!" as you stated.

Second, I would NEVER vote for you to become supervisor or for any public office.

Third, my name is Edward MENDOZA, not MENENDEZ.

Fourth, your question, "who are you??" What kind of a question and attitude is that coming from someone who aspires or aspired to represent the public??? So whenever you don't like what an American citizen (like me) and a Sonoma County resident (like me) says, you respond with, "who are you??" What exactly is that supposed to mean, Tom? Are you trying to imply that I'm a nobody? That my vote doesn't count? That I may not own a business or have some kind of social status acceptable to you? Wow! What an attitude! I hope you never run for public office again. Perhaps you only desire to serve an interested minority in public office but not all citizens, certainly not those who disagree with you, like the majority do over Carrillo?

Fifth, I do not live in the 5th district BUT because there are 5 votes on the county board, which DO affect me as a Sonoma County resident, it is very much my business who the 5th district supervisor will be. And I hope it is someone much better than Carrillo or yourself. Five supervisors vote and make laws that affect EVERYONE in Sonoma County, myself included. I care a lot about what kind of people are occupying those 5 seats.

Sixth, If you want to make bets, then I will bet that the majority of Sonomans AND 5th District voters want Carrillo out. I base this not only on the Wacco List, but also Press Democrat commentary, and a local paper in West County where they also have an online poll and approximately 2/3 want Carrillo out (2/3 on the Wacco poll also want Carrillo out). That is what I base my assertion on. Maybe I'm wrong but that is unlikely given the evidence.

If there were a recall election, Carrillo would lose it. Carrillo would probably lose the recall by roughly 2/3, reflecting the sentiment already expressed in local newspapers and website polls. Carrillo at the very least would lose the recall. Those are my odds. If there is a recall and Carrillo wins then I will publicly admit that I was wrong to everyone present at the Hopmonk, with a drink in my hand.

Seventh, Carrillo is NOT a role model that the majority in West County would vote for, as you assert. Carrillo has already demonstrated this on more than one occasion with his two arrests.

Eighth, I would rather not have people with drug dependency issues sitting in positions of great power affecting the lives of 50,000 citizens (again, his vote affects EVERYONE in the county, not exclusively the 5th District).

I could go on but I've made my points for now. Care to talk some more? It doesn't seem to interest you to do so, Tom. Especially if you seriously plan on running for public office again, these kinds of posts you publish don't improve your image. Your popular nickname, "Manure Man," is appropriate.

By the way, Tom, please don't forget to print this post of yours and distribute it among voters the next time you run for office.

Edward
American citizen, Sonoma County resident

Edward, who are you??...

...you don't even live in the frigging district...unless you're afraid to post under your real name...

Tom Lynch

[Valley Oak]

Due Process, Foti?

You completely miss the point. This has nothing to do with legal due process. Carrillo can be found innocent in court and he will still be unfit for public office. I want him out and so do most people. He doesn't belong in a position of power affecting 50,000 peoples' lives. Wake up.

Edward

I am pro-due process....

[sebastacat]

"Edward Menendez"?

"Friggin'"?

Geez............

[sebastacat]

A "role model"? For who? For what?

Here's what: For having incredibly bad lapses of judgment leading to ultra-bad behavior, then running for
duck-and-cover to a clandestine place where he and his "advisors"
can think up new and imaginative ways to conjure up even more incredible explanations in an
attempt to fool a supposedly gullible and unsuspecting public.

Oh, no, that's not it at all! What on earth was I thinking?

For a spot on that pilot show we're all looking forward to called "Politicians Gone Wild"! That could certainly provide Efren with a lucrative opportunity if he ever finds himself out of office.

Perhaps he can ask Anthony Weiner and the mayor of San Diego to join him.

(And, yes, Tom, I found the tone of your post pretty nasty, too. And I live in this district and have since 1961.
In fact, a significant portion of my family has lived in this district since the 1920s. And we all care -- and care deeply -- about the judgment -- or lack thereof -- exercised by our elected officials.)

[riverosprey]

My apologies to Edward Mendoza, Sebastocat, and All Posters to this thread,

I'm sorry, I was in a hurry today having read these posts and decided to post and did so without thinking. I did not mean to offend nor in any way lessen your opinions. I have toned down and edited my previous remarks and henceforth will be more careful with my passionate pronouncements.

As mentioned I rarely post on this site and when I do so it is my habit to do so under my real name and I get into trouble. My wife says, "...I can't take him anywhere." or "...he's been that way ever since the accident." :0P

Anyway I'll probably read my comments tomorrow and end up erasing them and disappearing for a couple more years.

kind regards to all...

Tom Lynch

p.s. To Edward Mendoza...if indeed there is a recall (which I question the merit of) I would wager you two rounds to one at Hopmonk that a large majority would support our Supervisor Carrillo IF he cleans up his issues.

[arthunter]

This has nothing to do with due process? ... sir, would you like to be accused of a crime which could affect your career without any chance to defend yourself? ... this is a violation of his 6th amendment rights ... could someone address this issue please ... how are you concluding that he is "unfit for office" without knowing the facts? ... seriously, I'm genuinely confused by this ....

Public consensus based on an article in the PD and a few confusing statements from the police? ... are you really concluding that he's guilty without any of the questions being answered? i.e.. why didn't the police test him for intoxication and why did they state that he wasn't that drunk? ... do you not wonder about these things?

We're now living in a world where anyone can turn in their neighbor as a terrorist ... and if this happens to you there's no due process, no trial, the matter is discussed in secret courts and you're not even informed ... is this progress? I don't think so ... is this fair? definitely not ... would you like this done to you? I doubt it .... I was taught to assume innocence until proven guilty, but I guess that these old fashioned ideas about justice are just incredibly outdated .... silly me ...

BTW, I bumped into a few old friends recently who also question the strangeness of this event, but they don't dare get on Wacco for fear of being verbally abused ...

Due Process, Foti?

You completely miss the point. This has nothing to do with legal due process. Carrillo can be found innocent in court and he will still be unfit for public office. I want him out and so do most people. He doesn't belong in a position of power affecting 50,000 peoples' lives. Wake up.

Edward

[Valley Oak]

roses are red
violets are blue
where in your head
is the presence of you

This has nothing to do with due process? ... sir, would you like to be accused of a crime which could affect your career without any chance to defend yourself? ... this is a violation of his 6th amendment rights ... could someone address this issue please ... how are you concluding that he is "unfit for office" without knowing the facts? ... seriously, I'm genuinely confused by this ....

[Valley Oak]

"American Citizen," a Youtube video:

Edward, who are you??...

Tom Lynch

[arthunter]

Edward,

Obviously, you'd rather compose little derogatory poems instead of answering my question about the 6th amendment ...

I withdraw my question ... this is a waste of my time ... you're right, due process is not going to help Efren ... the lynch mob has spoken and, in this case, proven facts, or should I say the lack of proven facts, have little bearing on perception ....

May you never be in the same situation ...

roses are red
violets are blue
where in your head
is the presence of you