November 6 marked the end of a very active and busy 2018 in terms of political activity for the DSA. While our political action doesn’t end the day after elections, the close of the election season gives us a chance to slow down, evaluate our actions, and in the case of 2018, breathe a sigh of relief.
Thank you to the deputies that comprise our political action committee and to our political consultants John Wainio and Mason Herron for guiding the DSA in the right direction politically. While the committee didn’t always agree on everything, it was the debates, disagreements, and positive motivations of each person that ultimately helped us accomplish our objective.
How does the DSA gauge political success in 2018? For me, the answer is simple: priorities. We live in a time when law enforcement and criminal justice are receiving more public attention than any other period in recent history. This has led to changes in the way we do business and has been the source of frustration for many in our profession. The DSA’s political priorities always begin with the elected officials who have the most direct impact on us as deputies in the County of San Diego.
Our top priority for 2018 was ensuring our deputies had the right Sheriff to lead them into the future. This was a gigantic decision for our members, as no other election would have a more direct impact on their working environments. As we know, the DSA supported Sheriff Gore over former commander Dave Myers. It was clear at the time that the DSA made the right decision, and it has only become clearer in the months since the election – not only due to Myers’ public criticisms of our members during and after the election, but because of the steadfast leadership and vision of Sheriff Gore.
Another political priority for the DSA in 2018 was the County Board of Supervisors race. This is an important race for us because County Supervisors vote on contracts that directly affect our pay and benefits. Supervisor Ron Roberts in District Four and Supervisor Bill Horn in District Five termed out in 2018, and several candidates approached the DSA looking for support to replace them. Ultimately, the DSA endorsed Nathan Fletcher in District Four and current San Marcos mayor Jim Desmond in District Five. Congratulations to incoming Supervisors Fletcher and Desmond who were both successful in their campaigns. We’re confident we will have a great working relationship with these new leaders.
In all, the DSA made endorsements in a total of eight statewide elections, and five of those eight candidates won. Fifteen endorsements were made for city council candidates in contract cities, and 11 of those candidates won. For a complete list of DSA endorsements and corresponding results, see page 7.
From my perspective, 2018 has been a huge success politically. The DSA achieved its goal in all three top priority races and saw a high success rate in each campaign it supported.
But I don’t consider 2018 a success simply because we were able to pick the winners in a few elections. The DSA’s endorsement is valuable because it’s always principled. This isn’t like horse racing or sports betting where we’re just trying to pick winners and hope they’ll work with us; rather, the process is intentional. Candidates are interviewed by the board and selected as “Law Enforcement’s Choice” because we believe they stand with us and are the best choice to protect public safety and our deputies.
With this principled approach, the DSA will continue its political work to achieve positive outcomes for our members into 2019 and beyond.
If you want to get involved with the DSA Political Action Committee (and you’re an active DSA member), give me a call at (619) 206-1605.
President's Report David Leonhardi
David Leonhardi serves as the President of the DSA
I’ve been the DSA president for about two and a half weeks, and it’s already time to write a president’s report to provide an update on business. I’ve spent the first few weeks asking a ton of questions and strategizing how to provide the best service for our members. I’ve interviewed each of the board members and spoken with our staff. Based on all of those conversations, we’ve decided to make a couple changes, many of which will be incremental and probably won’t be noticed by the members. However, I’m excited to provide a preview of some of the new ideas and changes the members can expect for the remainder of 2018 and into 2019.
This is my last article, so I’ll keep it short. The Deputy Sheriffs’ Association has been around since 1954, and so have I (no, I wasn’t a member back then). Since that time, the DSA has focused on the membership in all its dealings. I know, from time to time, some have questioned that. But when you might disagree with decisions made by the board, I can tell you firsthand it’s not an indication that the DSA doesn’t have members’ best interests in mind. The strength of the association depends on our ability to disagree without ever losing our unwavering support of the organizational mission.
As summer rolls along, your association is hard at work on your behalf.
Ballot Results
DSA members vote to remain in PORAC; vote against the creation of a Political Issues Committee.
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