After more than 150 years, California shouldn’t change Constitution to have sheriffs appointed
By William Carlson
William Carlson
In the Oct. 7 issue of Morgan Hill Life, you recommended having the county supervisors select and appoint the county sheriffs instead of the voters electing them.
Voters have been electing our sheriffs for more than 150 years. You are suggesting a very dangerous change to the rights and freedoms of the citizens of this country.
Elected sheriffs are our last line of defense in the rule of law and protecting our United States Constitution.
Sheriffs who are duly elected by the voters are “sovereign” sheriffs and take a sworn oath to protect and uphold the rights and freedoms of the Constitution of the United States, and they are not under the control of any local, state or federal government official, but appointed sheriffs will only be “employees” under the control of the local county supervisors politicians and not the voters.
I am shocked that your editor suggested turning the Constitution on its head with this change.
Yes, we do need an honest sheriff in Santa Clara County, and the problems that we are experiencing with our current sheriff is of her own doing and the courts of law will decide her guilt or innocence. But changing the way we elect sheriffs should not be changed.
If anyone is to blame for our current sheriff’s problems, maybe it is partly because of the local media and politicians in office that supported her campaign in the last election.
California state officials are running this state into a huge financial hole that they can’t get out of.
The state is in debt more than $120 billion and getting worse every month, and it looks like the only solution is to cut vital services and raise more taxes and fees.
Our schools are closed, not because of a virus, but because the state has no money. There is also talk of defunding the police and fire.
The problem with West Coast forest fires is that there is no forest management to prevent fires, and our state forests are burning out of control because there is no money to fight them.
Beyond the northern border of Washington state, there doesn’t seem to be a problem with forest fires in Canada. Why is that? It’s because of poor state government on the West Coast.
Did you notice that our local Superior Court building on Diana Street (off Butterfield Boulevard) is empty and hasn’t been open in more than a year? No money?
Our state leaders are diverting needed state infrastructure funds to their own pet social programs such as sanctuary cities and unfunded trains to nowhere.
Our state and local dams and reservoirs are crumbling and on the verge of collapse if not repaired soon. Farmers and ranchers need that water and our state leaders are just emptying the dams and letting the water flow out to the Pacific Ocean.
Now you want those same inept and corrupt politicians to select and appoint future sheriffs. They can’t even run the state properly.
Protect our last line of defense for our rights and freedoms and don’t let these inept government officials appoint our sheriffs.
William Carlson has been a Morgan Hill resident since 2008. This column is his rebuttal to an editorial on page 2 of the Oct. 7 issue of Morgan Hill Life.
