Winking at Peeking-Supervisor Underpants Carrillo

[tree14]

Just when I thought I had seen everything, here comes another one: Supervisor Carrillo (aka, "5th District's Mr. Underpants") has gotten yet another reward from the local Democratic Party and his cronies on the Board of Supervisors, a plumb appointment on the Clean Power Agency board!

From the beginning with the Santa Rosa Police Department's failures on the morning of his break-in of a young woman's apartment in west Santa Rosa at 2 o'clock on a Saturday morning, Supervisor Underpants has gotten cush special person treatment! What is at stake here is far more than one politician's reputation. The SRPD not only did NOT do a drug test on him, they may have omitted doing any fingerprinting of the young woman's window! Perhaps I am wrong about that but we will NEVER KNOW since he is being allowed to get off with the lesser charge of "misdemeanor-peeking." In other words, NO PUBLIC TRIAL. NO PUBLIC RECORD. Almost, and probably, no punishment either! Certainly, if a guy is taken into custody and if the SRPD really did suspect he was trying to commit some sexual act to an involuntary, innocent woman, wouldn't they at least do a drug test!??

Instead of getting his day in court, he is obviously about to get off, almost "Scot free!"

And now on top of all this, he gets a job which will lead, I am sure, to lots of pay and benefits for just showing up at more meetings. Isn't it great that we have a one party political system in Sonoma County??

[jbox]

Just when I thought I had seen everything, here comes another one: Supervisor Carrillo (aka, "5th District's Mr. Underpants") has gotten yet another reward from the local Democratic Party and his cronies on the Board of Supervisors, a plumb appointment on the Clean Power Agency board!

From the beginning with the Santa Rosa Police Department's failures on the morning of his break-in of a young woman's apartment in west Santa Rosa at 2 o'clock on a Saturday morning, Supervisor Underpants has gotten cush special person treatment! What is at stake here is far more than one politician's reputation. The SRPD not only did NOT do a drug test on him, they may have omitted doing any fingerprinting of the young woman's window! Perhaps I am wrong about that but we will NEVER KNOW since he is being allowed to get off with the lesser charge of "misdemeanor-peeking." In other words, NO PUBLIC TRIAL. NO PUBLIC RECORD. Almost, and probably, no punishment either! Certainly, if a guy is taken into custody and if the SRPD really did suspect he was trying to commit some sexual act to an involuntary, innocent woman, wouldn't they at least do a drug test!??

Instead of getting his day in court, he is obviously about to get off, almost "Scot free!"

And now on top of all this, he gets a job which will lead, I am sure, to lots of pay and benefits for just showing up at more meetings. Isn't it great that we have a one party political system in Sonoma County??

Obviously you are too OLD to remember what is was like to be young and full of piss and vinegar. Or probably you never were, so sorry. Efren will have his day in court. With all due respect to you, you don't know shit about the circumstances of the event in question, OK? He had one of those dumb moments that happen to the best of us when we were young. He knows he fucked up and really nobody got hurt in this weird little episode.

He is, however, an impressive young man who championed the Sonoma Clean Power initiative from its inception and I got to say good for him. Why shouldn't he serve on the Agency board? Not because of one screw-up not on public time. I am so sick of you and all the other church ladies round here who rush to judgement and want to crucify this young Latino who has made a difference and won 2 elections. Shame on you and all the other so-called "progressives" who want to burn Efren at the stake.

[Thad]

One of the Enlightened conversations in the day of Burning at the Stake was how much wood to use

Too much and they would die too quickly, show over
Too little and the public display of torture would be too gruesome and put a taint on the Spectacle

Between the two was a happy mix of watching someone squirm.

Shame on you and all the other so-called "progressives" who want to burn Efren at the stake.

[tree14]

While it might seem to someone "that I am too OLD" etc., etc., etc., I am not too old (or too young either, for that matter) when it comes to the question of privacy and respect for the law.

Taking a swing at another guy in the street near a bar when you have had too much to drink is one thing. Crawling around with a cell phone in your hand in your underwear and trying to break in and enter an innocent young woman's apartment at 2 o'clock AM in the morning is SOMETHING QUITE DIFFERENT. I feel sorry for anyone who cannot tell the difference.

There are some things we can only learn when we are young. Knowing the difference between right and wrong is one of those lessons you learn at a VERY young age- long before you are a teenager and the hormones start to flow. OR, as is apparent in the sad case of Supervisor Carrillo, you do not learn much at all as a kid.

It could be that he can change. But I, for one, would like to see more evidence of a change in him than merely a public apology. Some acts cannot be washed away or forgiven by a simple public, "I am sorry!"

Maybe some do not care, or are ready to forget simple ethics and good sense when it comes to their behavior in public. I expect a higher standard of behavior not a lower one than my own when it comes to persons who are placed in high public office. If THAT makes me "Old Fashioned" than so be it.

[Sara S]

Hey, I'm old, but I still have enough "piss and vinegar" to try to combat a politician who got elected by claiming to be a liberal, then often sided with the business and money people. I don't want to "crucify" the little phony; I just don't want him as my supervisor, and I don't think he will be after the next election. If Carrillo had shown by his actions to be the progressive Democrat he pretended to be, I'd help pay for his lawyer.

Obviously you are too OLD to remember what is was like to be young and full of piss and vinegar. ...

[tomcat]

There we go again! Taking a few FACTS and adding imagined INTENT. Sorry, that does not fly.
Tom

trying to break in and enter an innocent young woman's apartment

[Barry]

I'd like to see do the most honorable thing and resign. But if chooses not to, (or not until his retirement package vests) then he might as well serve us until the next election.

Efren really only made one horrendous anti-progressive call - the Dutra plant. I'm sure there were some marginal small-bore ones you could add to the score. However, he also orchestrated two very large PROGRESSIVE WINS: Sonoma Clean Power and Preservation ranch. These are both huge wins, that he was instrumental in making happen. While Preservation Ranch was behind the scenes, Efren worked tirelessly for years to build support for Sonoma Clean Power. If he is going to remain on BOS, he should also be on the board of Sonoma Clean Power.

Hey, I'm old, but I still have enough "piss and vinegar" to try to combat a politician who got elected by claiming to be a liberal, then often sided with the business and money people. I don't want to "crucify" the little phony; I just don't want him as my supervisor, and I don't think he will be after the next election. If Carrillo had shown by his actions to be the progressive Democrat he pretended to be, I'd help pay for his lawyer.

[Valley Oak]

I agree 100%.

My feeling is that Carrillo should get a "time-out" from politics--at least one term away from public office. Then he can come back. He might win; he might lose. But at least he will have had a minimal disciplinary measure pressed against him.

But that is not going to happen, unfortunately. If he decides to continue in public service and win re-election, I don't doubt that Carrillo's intelligence and charisma can carry him not only to victory but also to higher political ground, such as Sacramento or even Washington (e.g. California State Senate or Assembly, US House or Senate, etc). And THAT is another one of the reasons why the "left" is fighting so hard for him. They see that he has promise to go far but this incident is going to follow him around for the rest of his political career.

Furthermore, I'm beginning to seriously doubt that Carrillo is going to run again for the BOS precisely because he has his political sights set on higher ground. I don't think we are ever going to see Carrillo again in the BOS after this term is over simply because the political playground is way too big for him not to consider his many options. Right here in Sonoma County he could run for any number of other posts. And he could just as easily run for a Cali state seat, etc.

I also think that it is important to consider his accomplishments, which is not only fair but also important for us as constituents. We benefit from the good things Efren has done.

Another observation I'd like to make is that I have never seen (not as explicitly as in this case) a uniquely divisive issue like this one where there were many conservatives and liberals on both sides of the issue. That is fascinating as well as it is rare.

It is obvious that the conservatives (including libertarians and "independents") dislike Carrillo simply because they look at anyone who doesn't think like they do as a godawful liberal. So they want him out based on that prejudice alone. This attitude was made public at one of the many BOS meetings where the public spoke and one eccentric conservative criticized that fact that Efren is a liberal. Period.

I don't really understand the motives of the conservative / libertarian / right-wing leaning / etc crowd in supporting Carrillo.

The progressive / liberal / left / green / etc crowd want him out because of what he did and how that affected a woman. If that's a mystery, just look at the video online of what former Santa Rosa mayor Susan Gorin and the other stated publicly. I was there and I agree with them as well.

And the same crowd supporting Captain Underpants want to support him because they feel that he is a true liberal / progressive 'whatever' and are willing to overlook his egregious conduct the same way they overlook Ted Kennedy's Chappaquiddick incident.

Carrillo is the only current supervisor with an entry in Wikipedia:

Personal life

On the morning of July 13, 2013, Carrillo was arrested in Santa Rosa on charges of burglary, a felony, and prowling, a misdemeanor while clothed only in underwear and a pair of socks. He was released the same day after posting $40,000 bail. He released a statement in which he attributed his attempt to break into a woman's bedroom to alcohol and he immediately entered a rehabilitation center.^{[5][6][7][8][9]} On October 31, 2013, Carrillo was formally charged with misdemeanor peeking in connection with the incident.^[10]

Finally, the County of the Sonoma is by far the LARGEST employer in The City of Santa Rosa (which is where--geographically--Carrillo works), much more than any other entity. This is important in estimating Carrillo's political options (which he severely and permanently damaged with his misdemeanor midnight underwear stunt). With the economic structure of Sonoma County the way it is (below), you can see what possibilities Carrillo has in BOTH the public AND private sectors. He may choose to drop out of politics altogether, which is unlikely.

Top employers

According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[31] the top employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	County of Sonoma	4,254
2	Kaiser Permanente	2,400
3	St. Joseph Health System	2,166
4	Agilent Technologies	1,400
5	Santa Rosa City Schools	1,345
6	City of Santa Rosa	1,329
7	Medtronic	1,200
8	Santa Rosa Junior College	1,175
9	Sutter Medical Center	1,097
10	Safeway	1,082

Finally, Carrillo's "left-wing" supporters stubbornly miss the point about Carrillo's shortcomings and consequences and the calls for his resignation. The "Efers" continue to scream that this is a legal issue (but don't pay much lip service to the fact that he was convicted of a misdemeanor). For the millionth time: This is NOT a legal matter as much as it is a democratic preference of the voters of Sonoma County (or the 5th District). Most voters don't want Carrillo in office anymore. Period. The legal aspect is completely irrelevant. It is a matter of democratic choice, not legality.

I'd like to see [him] do the most honorable thing and resign. But....

[Fillie]

Duuuuude! We have already covered this subject adinfinitum, it is solidly driven deep into the ground. Efren went through treatment, is in recovery from alcoholism, is in his 30s, which in Sonoma County is the age when the alcoholics shake out from the partiers who grow naturally out of over-drinking. The fact that he got help and chooses lifetime abstinence should just shut this whole witch-hunt DOWN. Among my recovering women friends, we say if he had shown up at our window, shitfaced, we woulda told him, " Efren, git yur ass in here before you get hurt. Put this blanket around your skinny ass, and go on home."

While it might seem to someone "that I am too OLD" etc., etc., etc., ....

[Thad]

Duuuuude! We have already covered this subject adinfinitum, it is solidly driven deep into the ground. Efren went through treatment, is in recovery from alcoholism, is in his 30s, which in Sonoma County is the age when the alcoholics shake out from the partiers who grow naturally out of over-drinking. The fact that he got help and chooses lifetime abstinence should just shut this whole witch-hunt DOWN. Among my recovering women friends, we say if he had shown up at our window, shitfaced, we woulda told him, " Efren, git yur ass in here before you get hurt. Put this blanket around your skinny ass, and go on home."

[Valley Oak]

There will be, inevitably, an unending number of comic "sequels" making light of Captain Underpants' escapades for as long as he lives and especially while he is in politics, as it should be.

That's politics, life, reality. And Efren will always be 100% responsible for the infinite number of jokes told about his running around half naked in public and drunk and then getting arrested (not to mention his being at the woman's window during the wee hours of the night. For what reason?).

A rich source of humor is what Efren is now. And his supporters are unhappy with critics exercising their constitutional right of freedom of expression. The last thing I would want to be is an Efren supporter because his actions are indefensible and he will always be responsible for his self-inflicted stain.

Efren's supporters hate it when people point out this stain because it is embarrassing and has no adequate excuses. Efren supporters insist that criticizing Efren is wrong and unfair and, therefore, the "Efreners" must attack, berate, and insult people who freely express their opinion of what a rat Efren obviously is.

But it's not the fault of the American people who exercise their right to freedom of speech. It is all on Efren; he's the culprit, not his critics. Efren supporters want this nightmare to go away and the critics to shut up about the truth but it cannot and will not go away. Never ever. It is impossible for Efren's humorous public spectacle to ever disappear. The gossip is simply too entertaining to forget. It is anecdotal as well as comical. It's a fun story to tell.

Duuuuude! We have already covered this subject adinfinitum, it is solidly driven deep into the ground. Efren went through treatment, is in recovery from alcoholism, is in his 30s, which in Sonoma County is the age when the alcoholics shake out from the partiers who grow naturally out of over-drinking. The fact that he got help and chooses lifetime abstinence should just shut this whole witch-hunt DOWN. Among my recovering women friends, we say if he had shown up at our window, shitfaced, we woulda told him, " Efren, git yur ass in here before you get hurt. Put this blanket around your skinny ass, and go on home."

[tree14]

It's not so much what happens to or with the supervisor that concerns me. While I totally agree with you, and have from the start, that he should have stepped back and out of politics for awhile, he is going to retain and increase his power as supervisor. His handlers will push him into higher office before he is really had the time to be rehabilitated completely. Binge drinking is not something you can stop or prevent from happening again in a few weeks of rehab.

It's the sanctity of life and protection of citizens' rights to their personal space, freedom from fear of predators, and privacy that causes me to be concerned about this whole incident. Your grasp of politics is something I find interesting, and we all can learn from the discussion going on and forward. That is how we progress or the opposite in society.


What also concerns me a lot is that Carrillo, through his access to the highest-paid, most competent defense lawyer or legal team and with the aid of the police who may have purposely bungled the required "investigation" (really, an obfuscation and coverup of the facts) it is certain now that the public will never know the facts or the whole truth about what happened. It is even possible the supervisor was not alone that morning; if so, there is even more of a reason to get at the actual truth. Obviously now, through his appointment to the Sonoma Clean Power board, Carrillo will one day be a wealthy person with all the rights and privileges that wealth entails. Because he has worked hard it is true that he may deserve to be rewarded. But A LOT OF PEOPLE WORK HARD AND DO NOT GET REWARDED FOR IT. Life is not always fair and justice does not come about easily in America today.

All of the supe.'s supporters have spoke out about, or at least they did at first, about his right to a free trial. Of course I support that also. But what about the young woman who called 9/11 twice? Doesn't she have some rights here also to a free and fair trial in which she can present her story??!!!