Editorial: Marin sheriff oversight commission selection process is promising

After years of debate, an oversight commission for the Marin County Sheriff’s Office appears to be off to a good start.

That start is the selection of the commission’s members. County supervisors have come up with a well-balanced composition for the new panel.

Its effectiveness will be tested by its broad membership of Marin residents who represent the varied segments, interests and concerns of our community.

The supervisors have done that in their selection of nine members. They include Winston Chan, a lawyer and former federal prosecutor; Linda Cleslak Sandoval, a fraud investigator for a technology and financial services firm; Solange Echeverria, who has served on the Marin County Hate Crimes Commission; Gina Fromer, CEO of San Francisco’s Glide Foundation; Felecia Gaston, a longtime Marin City leader; Doug Lee, an investment manager; Sara McEvoy, who works with youths transitioning from serving in juvenile hall; former San Anselmo mayor Tom McInerney, an attorney; and the Rev. Lynn Oldham Robinett, a director of the Marin Interfaith Council.

The supervisors have struck a strong balance. There is a solid mix of race, gender, professional and civic experience and perspective.

Formation of a civilian commission to oversee the sheriff’s office has been debated for years, mainly pushed by critics who say the department is insular, lacking effective public oversight in answering complaints about police abuse, fairness, racial profiling and equity in its priorities.

For many years, the county’s elected sheriffs resisted having an oversight panel, steadfastly objecting to giving up any control over the management of the department.

The county has had three civilian panels that could provide civilian oversight – the Board of Supervisors, the county Personnel Commission and the county Human Rights Commission – but advocates of a panel focused on the sheriff’s department said those fell short of effectively taking on the role.

The debate turned a corner when the state, responding to the 2020 Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd and the push for racial justice reforms and equity it generated, passed a law allowing counties to form civilian oversight commissions with legal powers to conduct investigations when needed.

Sheriff Jamie Scardina’s respectful approach and constructive response to the commission and its work will go a long way in bolstering its effectiveness.

Working with an open-minded approach, a transparent public process and deliberate community outreach to all segments of Marin will also be critical in building trust in the commission and its work.

The county supervisors’ full support for its work will also be important, especially in getting the commission up and running.

But when it comes to building a strong foundation, supervisors have done that in forming a membership that has the breadth of personal and professional background, experience and perspective that should help foster respect and support for the issues and concerns it takes on.

Getting started may be its hardest and most important task, but its membership has it headed in the right direction.