Sheriff Smith Faces Criticism Ahead Of Potential Re-Election

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith has faced criticism from her opponents leading up to the June 5 election where they are seeking to replace her. The candidate who has been the most outspoken about Smith, basing much of his platform on the mistakes of the current administration, is retired county undersheriff John Hirokawa. On his campaign website, Hirokawa says the office needs new leadership.

"The department has made a number of mistakes recently that cannot be repeated, caused by leadership acting with political expediency in mind, instead of public safety," the website reads.

Hirokawa's campaign manager Jeffrey Cardenas said in a statement that Smith lacks public trust and confidence to continue with her position because of "her efforts to undermine reform and independent oversight at every turn."

Another candidate, Deputy Joe La Jeunesse, said in a statement in April that it is "long past time for a thorough house-cleaning in the Sheriff's Office."

La Jeunesse called out Hirokawa for his criticism of Smith, specifically in an alleged investigation-tampering scandal she was allegedly involved with in 1992 that was recently brought back to the public's attention, saying that he found it suspicious that Hirokawa served alongside Smith for 38 years and didn't know anything about it.

Smith most recently issued a statement on an article that a local news outlet published in April, denying the allegations that she tampered with an internal affairs investigation into accusations that she discriminated against a male co-worker.

"The record of these nearly 30-year-old false allegations is clear," Smith said in a statement, which is posted on her campaign website.

"The county investigated the allegations and found no merit to them."

Former San Jose police Capt. Martin Monica, who previously ran against Smith for her position in 2010, has not publicly denounced Smith, the first female sheriff in California's history.

Monica has championed his original campaign cause of implementing community policing, an aspect that was discussed after Smith came under fire for an allegedly delayed response to a 2007 incident involving the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at De Anza College in Cupertino.

At the time of the 2010 election, Smith acknowledged that the Sheriff's Office could have dedicated more resources to the investigation but that their initial response was not slow and that the investigation was
thorough and complete.

Smith has faced scrutiny not just from her competitors, but also from the community this year.

Smith made headlines specifically when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were "mistakenly admitted" into the county's Main Jail in San Jose and interviewed four inmates, as well as when her office commissioned a report on jail reform that the county's Board of Supervisors voted not to hear.

Inmates at both county jail facilities also went into a nearly two-week hunger strike last month to demand better conditions.

All four candidates running against five-time sheriff Smith mention jail reform as one of their top priorities on their websites.

Former bailiff and candidate Jose Salcido described Santa Clara County jails as "in crisis," saying that morale in the sheriff's office is at an all-time low.

"It's time for a change," Salcido's website reads. "You deserve a sheriff that will bring the Sheriff's Department into the 21st century."

In Smith's candidate statement, she commented that she feels as though her experience can help in the "uncertain times" that the county and country are facing.

"We need a seasoned leader who can stand up for victims and protect our community," she concluded.

• RELATED: Sheriff Defends Jail Report, Denies 'False' Sex Assault Claim

By Bay City News Service

Photo: Shutterstock.com