Your Safety at Risk: The Far-Left Seeks to Win San Diego Sheriff’s Office

Despite crime soaring across San Diego county, progressives seek to elect a “soft-on-crime” Sheriff — while several mainstream candidates jockey to make the November runoff

 

Across the country, far-Left Democrats have made it a priority to target and flip the offices of Sheriff and District Attorney in a number of counties. When they win these seats, the result has been catastrophic as their hand-picked candidates take over and enact sweeping policies that coddle-the-criminal in the name of “restorative justice.” 

With longtime San Diego Sheriff Bill Gore retiring in February, the residents of San Diego County will be asked to elect a new sheriff for the first time in 12 years. Progressive Democrats are now salivating at the chance to seize our Sheriff’s office to enact the same failed left-wing policies that have resulted in crime waves across the country.

Their candidate? Dave Myers — a controversial ex-Sheriff’s Deputy who even some fellow Democrats say is “unhinged.” The San Diego County Deputy Sheriff’s Association strongly opposes Myers.

Carl DeMaio, chairman of Reform California, says the possibility that Myers could be elected San Diego Sheriff is a significant threat to public safety.

“Dave Myers is a radical candidate that would put the safety of every San Diegan at risk,” said DeMaio. “He will cause crime to skyrocket in San Diego if elected,” he continued.

Myers failed in his previous run for San Diego Sheriff in 2018, losing by 10 points. But he’s back in 2022 with the endorsement of the San Diego County Democratic Party. 

Myers is also backed by Genevieve Wright-Jones, a Black Lives Matter activist who was backed by George Soros in 2018 in her failed bid for District Attorney. Wright-Jones says Myers will fix the “humanitarian crisis in our jails.” In all other communities where a Left-wing Sheriff has made that a policy goal, that’s been code for “release inmates back onto the streets.”

If Myers is elected, expect him to move quickly to defund community policing in favor of social workers, enforcement of constitutionally-dubious vaccine mandates, early release of criminals, relaxing of bail requirements, failure to enforce drug crimes, and politicization of the local sheriff’s department.

Who are the alternatives? Six candidates are vying to oppose Myers — two have institutional support, one has grassroots support, and three are not looking very viable. 

John Hemmerling is a Chief Criminal Prosecutor in the San Diego City Attorney’s Office. Hemmerling is endorsed by the Republican Party of San Diego County, and says he’s committed to continuing Sheriff Gore’s law and order approach to policing. 

However, Hemmerling has drawn the fire of the San Diego County Gun Owners, who have been critical of Hemmerling’s support for restraining orders to strip individuals of their 2nd Amendment rights. Hemmerling says Gun Violence Restraining Orders should be only used in “limited” cases where an individual constitutes a real threat to themselves or others. Other than that dispute, which may be real or perceived, Hemmerling does have a solid record of supporting Constitutional Carry rights.

Kelly Martinez is a Democrat who currently serves as the Undersheriff — basically the number two at the Sheriff’s Department. She has briefly served as Acting Sheriff after Gore’s retirement as well. Martinez is endorsed by various Democrats, including County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and State Senator Toni Atkins — and also has earned the endorsement of former Sheriff Bill Gore.

For the moment, Martinez embraces a Center-Left approach to policing that emphasizes “opportunities for treatment, education and real help instead of a law enforcement response.” While she’s probably not as extreme as Myers, Martinez does not seem to be willing to be a strong voice to push back against failed Left-wing policies that have resulted in the recent crime waves. Time will tell.

Jonathan Peck is a Peace Officer with 19 years of law enforcement experience. Peck says he’s running to be a “Constitutional Sheriff” and has outlined strong law and order policies. While not enjoying the institutional support that Hemmerling or Martinez have amassed, Peck has been gaining the support of a number of grassroots groups — so we list him as one to watch.  

Chuck Battle (retired Sheriff’s Sergeant), Juan Mercado (Combat Infantry Captain), and John “Gundo” Gunderson (Police Captain) are also candidates running, but so far they do not seem to have campaigns large enough to compete.

The top two candidates from the Primary Election, regardless of political party, will advance to face-off in the November General Election.

Martinez and Myers will fight for Democrat voters, while Hemmerling will have to work hard to unite Republican voters behind his candidacy. A number of combinations could be the result: Myers vs. Martinez; Myers vs. Hemmerling; or Martinez vs. Hemmerling.

But with crime already increasing by 21% in San Diego County this past year, selecting the best candidate to support public safety will be critical in both the Primary this June and the runoff in November. 

DeMaio and Reform California have identified the San Diego Sheriff’s race as a must-win race in November to ensure public safety. That’s why DeMaio is urging the public to support their campaign today to compete in and win key target races.

Join the Fight: Elect Candidates Strong on Public Safety

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