I have to say today was interesting. Sheriff Smith, I would get your $17,000 back from your “political consultant” as soon as possible. I spent some time in the political arena in my past, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so ridiculously unbelievable as calling out Marc Klaas as little more than a misinformed political tool in regards to a search for a missing girl that has gone on for more than 3 years… that was the BOMB! Thank you.
That said, the reality is, you did not defend your investigation and search, you instead called people misinformed and accused them of misguiding a very intelligent capable man who has been involved in searching for missing children since he lost his daughter in 1993 as well as a woman, Harriet Salarno, who created and represents Crime Victims United of California who was so outraged by your attack that her organization sold their endorsement she felt she needed to come and stand with your deputies to personally to endorse Kevin Jensen. Why did you not choose to defend your actions and decisions? Why did you just not say there was a difference of opinion on how things were conducted and you disagreed with Mr. Klaas? Why would you haul out a political hack tactic like calling Marc Klaas and Harriet Salarno, two very experienced professionals, misinformed? Why would you imply that Marc Klaas, who was personally involved with the search for Sierra, was anything less than absolutely aware of the way he and his volunteers were treated? I’m sorry, question asked; I know I repeat myself, I know. But it just amazes me that anyone would actually do that, and do it on a news station no less!
I guess you could say I’m impressed with the lack of thought and effort that $17,000 will pay for these days in the Silicon Valley political circles. Attacks on the deputies, attacks on Marc Klaas and Harriet Salarno, endless and meaningless FPPC complaints. If that’s all you have in your bag of tricks, retire. The list of failures of leadership on your watch over the past few years alone seems endless and we have every intention of letting people know each and every one. We don’t have to attack you, call you names… we will call you incompetent and we will continue to back that up like we did today.
I want to thank Marc Class, Sierra Lamar organization and Harriet Salarno for their efforts on Friday. You are all very busy people with precious cargo in tow relying on what you do. Taking time out to stand with the CPOA and the DSA to help people understand the depth of dysfunction at the upper levels of the Sheriff’s Office is important, not just to the victims, but everyone in the county, whether they realize it or not.
It was refreshing to see that many people standing together, united in this effort. Even watching people come out on their off-duty lunch out to support the cause.
The sheriff’s response… or rather her political consultant’s response… including the misspelling of Sierra Lamar’s name, was indicative of virtually everything that is done by the sheriff and her confidantes these days, careless, with little thought or regard for the results.
It’s time for change. Vote for Kevin Jensen for Sheriff on June 3, 2014.
Casey Thomas' World 
This has been the mark of our local labor and police unions for some time now. Not that I have anything against unions, just these sort of tactics per se.
One tool they used extensively was James Rowen.
http://www.savesantaclara.org/James_Rowen.php
James took things a bit too far with his harassment of candidates, campaign workers, and anyone *not* supporting the 49er stadium. He claims he was hired by Rich Robinson to “Take people out” At some point I had been targeted by the guy, and even after my candidacy he continued lobbing attacks on me week after week. Eventually myself and a few other Santa Clara notable politicians took him to court for libel/slander/harassment and won. We suspect he’s since moved out of state to avoid paying settlements.
The other day Omar Torres posted a story on SJI, where he claimed Cadillac Drive was part of DTSJ. I snarkily called him out on it (didn’t call him names or anything) when another Labor lackey, Jordan Elridge came rushing to his aid calling me, “Annoying” and “An outlier of the Cortese family” A 3rd person named Jason Lundergrun showed up, slinging insults that I’ve only seen Rowen sling at me.
But these are the tactics of those running labors campaigns. Sure, it’s a fact, Cadillac drive is not in San Jose, but in some sort of Steve Jobs’esq “Reality Distortion Field” rather than own up to factual mistakes, they bring out the dogs to try and discredit anyone.
I for one feel stupid for entertaining their torts for a few hours. Normally I know better, these union lap dogs will not fight fair, or with facts. They fight with character assassination and discrediting of anyone who disagrees with their agendas.
Times are a changing though. If there’s one thing I learned working on a campaign for a candidate hated by labor, it’s that San Jose has gone from labor, auto workers, etc to high tech, engineers. These tactics are a huge turn off to these people, and the Klass remarks will have a huge impact on voters come June 3rd primaries.
LikeLike
Robert, to be clear, our “local labor and police unions” and their political arms… like say, South Bay Labor Council… are generally not affiliated very closely in their actions. Ben Field appears to have taken their political arm completely rogue in exchange for Chavez giving him this job after he was disbarred.
The DSA and CPOA has nothing to do with the above either.
I think it’s time we start separating the actual labor from the political conglomerates that are attempting to hide behind them to do things like this.
But yes, this is the typical tactic of trying to bully the little guy into what they want…
LikeLike
One thing myself and Chris Kolterman brought up at the DCC call to action was to not support candidates who have employed cyberbullies in the past. It’s one thing if you want to argue facts, a completely different thing if you want to argue with conjecture.
You’re right though, these organizations do a good job of distancing themselves from the less than savory side of campaigning. I think if Robinson Communications has paid a cyberbully like Rowen to harass people, he should be barred from use by any candidate seeking endorsement of the Democratic Central Committee.
LikeLike
I’m not going to debate the generalities of the labor issue on the particular race I’m addressing in my blog. I really am only focused on the Sheriff’s race. If SJ and others want to bury themselves, that’s not really of interest to me in a direct manner; if they want to step in the line of fire, like Cortese with this unsustainable plan with the Sheriff, so be it. The unions that are represented in this particular race and that I speak out about in my blog are not “distancing” themselves from anyone. While I’m sure that has and does happen in any number of places, from all I see from my point of view inside the SO, not the case here.
Anyone is welcome to look at their political history, they are generally not politically involved outside a handful of donations. They haven’t “targeted” candidates or actively participated that through political arms in the past to much degree. While some of the past board members have, most have done so as the tool of other powers (ie, the Sheriff and her friends) rather than the union members. The last campaign, the body was furious at the actions of one DSA board member — and many were actually embarrassed what that person did publicly to support the Sheriff — a candidate at that point they were supporting, though half-heartedly.
It might also behoove us to point out, “labor” has not only gone against the associations involved, but has also attacked them in the process. That the associations actually protested SBLC’s kick off breakfast.
For people who think this is a ploy by a union to get some one in office more favorable to them at the negotiating table, I highly recommend they review the MOUs over the past decade and see that the deputies have willingly and repeatedly gone with 0% raises for years at a time, long before there were economic issues. The deputies have long been willing to work with the community when negotiating time comes, despite often getting the backlash of SJPDs unwillingness to work with theirs.
They could have fought the county for another 5 years to make the PERS changes, but they willingly negotiated that into their last contract — a move that literally put many of them in a situation where they are now taking home less than than they were 10 years ago.
This isn’t about “labor”, this race is about a seriously dysfunctional administration taking ugly measures to stay in office, and I hope voters peer past the generalizations about unions and see that for the truth it is. Because honestly, if they don’t, they’re going to have offices as empty as San Jose PDs.
In ~3 months, the SO has lost nearly 4% of their sworn staff — and that’s still with a graduated academy class now on the payroll. 4% may not seem like alot… for now. Assuming they continue at that rate, at minimum, if the sheriff wins, that will be a loss of 15% by year end. If she wins, by all I hear in the hallways and talking to deputies and correctional deputies, that rate of loss will increase.
And if you’re floating the idea that I’m a paid smear blogger for the Jensen campaign, you can rest assured, I am a person with an internal interest in the betterment of the Sheriff’s office. I am not being paid by anyone from any organization to blog anything.
I have offered to be a voice for people who have had their voice silenced through fear and intimidation by the local politicians and their powerful friends in this county. I am honored that they have chosen to accept my offer to speak out as their voice, even at times they haven’t wholeheartedly agreed with me.
LikeLike
Casey please don’t read into what I’m writing too much. My gut tells me you actually are a wife of a LEO, and not a paid hit blogger. Those are “allegedly” the tactics of Robinson Communications.
With that being said hopefully we can still continue with civil discourse and debate. Even if we disagree over Dave’s plan, we can still be cool with each other.
LikeLike
Your gut would be both right and wrong. I am not the wife of a deputy, but neither am I a paid hit blogger. I am a person affected by the sheriff’s lack of integrity and tired of it.
As for the plan, if the sheriff’s office was in better condition, I would likely agree with you. If the people in charge were more aware of the problems and addressed them rather than pretend they don’t exist, again I might agree with you. Most the deputies would likely get behind it as well.
Right now, from our perspective it’s another opportunity to use the agency for personal benefit by a couple politicians who don’t care.
I don’t have any issues with you, but I’ll be honest here, the deputies have tried hard to work with the county, often to their own detriment. To have some one come in and imply the DSA is just another labor organization playing union games is a bit frustrating. It’s also the tack the sheriff is expected to use…we’re “just another special interest group” to her.
LikeLike
So far in my interactions with you they’ve been pleasant, cordial, and professional, and I admit I might not know the situation as in depth as you do. (Hopefully having said this I can come across as reasonable) I still support Jensen for Sheriff, and hope to have a stack of pancakes with him this week.
LikeLike
Robert you come across as reasonable and I am happy to hear you support Kevin.
The incumbent has hidden the condition of the office for so long I don’t think people realize just how close to going over the edge things are there. The DSA may have been mistaken in trying to work with her for so long, but until her actions right after last election, I think there was still hope her derailment wasn’t intentional or going to become extreme.
Reality is if she wins, you’re looking at a mass defection out of there.
We surely can find a way to help San Jose, but it shouldn’t be to our own detriment. People need to understand that even if the sheriff refuses too.
LikeLike
Shame on anyone calling out Marc Klaas, the man has been the face of missing children since his daughter went missing and later found murdered. He has helped the in find Sierra Lamar campaign. A washed up political consultant calling anyone, anything, is just too funny. I respect both Marc Klaas and Harriet Salarno, and that they both support Kevin Jensen is a huge plus. Talk about paid off endorsements how about the SBLC endorsing the Sheriff. Time for change (I was going to say leadership) but that boat left the harbor long ago. Vote for honesty, integrity and accountability, vote Kevin Jensen.
LikeLike
Cannot believe she had someone speak up for her? Not even her undersheriff or anyone?
Weird how most of our admin will not make a decision that means anything without someone making it for them. I wonder where that comes from? Please do the right thing and just bow out of race…PLEASE, your a mess.
LikeLike