Not since her first election has Sheriff Laurie Smith faced this fierce a political battle. Anonymous bloggers supporting her opponent, retired sheriff’s Capt. Kevin Jensen, have pilloried her character, slinging cheap shots and exploiting high-profile teen deaths in political hits. There has been a lot of dirt but little substance to the attacks.
Unions representing deputies and jail guards have poured massive resources into supporting a candidate who worked for Smith before retiring a year ago to run against her. Jensen’s a middle manager without a public record to run on, so it’s anyone’s guess what kind of sheriff he’d be. He’s basically letting the unions and political consultants run the show.
Since she was elected as the state’s first female sheriff, Smith has reformed and professionalized the department. She hasn’t been afraid to hold the rank and file accountable, and that’s ruffled some feathers.
Smith has delivered cost-effective police services to Silicon Valley communities and helped turn around failing agencies, including the Medical Examiner/Coroner’s office and Valley Medical Center security. She also took over the county’s jail system, which was rife with dysfunction under Jensen’s watch as assistant chief. And she’s used Valley Transit Authority officers to clean up drug dealing at light rail stations when SJPD cut positions downtown.
Nobody’s record is mistake-free, but Smith’s accomplishments far outweigh any of the criticisms of her leadership.
No. I think it is time for a change not a life time sheriff. Voting for Jensen.
These is VERY MUCH SUBSTANCE to the criticism against Laurie Smith. Have SJ Inside done sufficiant research to determine otherwise? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvE19gAEAco
Watch the incumbent flounder with cheap attacks on her opponents wife and marriage in her only “public” appearance and decide for yourselves who belongs in office. http://bcove.me/u43uue2b
That is what is so great in this country to agree to disagree.
Never had a problem with people who disagree. I have a much larger issue with people who choose to make severely under-informed decisions, even more so when the decision is based on willfully remaining under-informed. If someone can validate a reason the incumbent is a better option, then more power to them; I’ve yet to see it happen. Now that the only “debate” the incumbent would do is out, people can see exactly for themselves how she reacts under pressure, what her leadership style is like and how she responds to questions about $2M in foreclosure, the collusion with Cortese on the “plan” to assist San Jose, etc., etc.
Video of Mercury News Sheriff Candidates Interview/Debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfVt5FJECxA&sns=fb&noredirect=1
No blogger or “professional” journalists to get in the way, add inflection, embellish, etc. etc. Just her and Kevin, the questions they’re asked, and their reactions, both physical and verbal.
“The state’s first female sheriff”
Was actually Beth Quinn who won her election June 5, 1998. Laurie had to go into a runoff and won in November of 1998. However she connived and got the incumbent to step down a month early so she could be sworn in before Beth Quinn and has since, after kicking Sheriff Quinn down the stairs, held on to that tarnished crown of “first woman sheriff”.
That’s our incumbent… women supporting women, but only when she benefits.
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19980605/NEWS/306059995&cid=sitesearch
I’m sorry…. I gave the wrong name it was not Beth Quinn. The first female sheriff in California was Virginia Vaughn Black who won in Yuba County, 5 months prior to Laurie Smith winning.
Yolo county you rufus, as usual only half truths from Casey…
You lost all credibility by endorsing the incumbent after watching her unbelievable meltdown interview with the Mercury News. Did your endorsement have anything to do with your relationship with incumbents Political Consultant R.R. who periodically writes for your paper?
No matter I believe a lot of people are waking up to the fact that the incumbent needs some help and needs to retire before the pressure gets to be too much. I wish her well and it is sad to see her like this, but the County needs a new Sheriff and we must move on to bigger and better things.
One last thing, last June 25, 2013 the incumbent told me in front of witnesses that the “Mercury News and Metro love me and have my back and I can’t do no wrong!” She actually spoke the truth that day and I at least give the Mercury credit for saying she should have retired in yesterday’s paper.
-Mojica
Laurie has done a great job, I have been working hard, talking to everyone I know or people who I strike up a conversation with. When I am done, they assure me they will be voting for SMITH.
This is the bad part, I post this comment and a bully from Kevin’s team will make some smart ass comment. Which tells me they lack confidence.
DO NOT VOTE FOR SHERIFF LAURIE SMITH ~ My search for Justice started 4 years before Joshua’s death when he was 6 after being called to his school by a women from child protective services, the day he was found with bruises all down the side of his body from being kicked down the back step into the trashcans by his father Santa Clara County Sheriff Deputy KW Klaver. From this day forth we entered into a world run by the Santa Clara County Sheriff Department and the Family Courts, both of which were more concerned about finding a way to deal with the abuse without damaging his father’s career as a Sheriff Deputy, by this I mean they did nothing to help Joshua, year after year they turned a blind eye from Joshua’s pain until his death at the age of 10, Joshua died by Hanging in a barn used for Slaughtering Cattle on his Father’s property the night before Joshua was to meet with a Family Court Judge about the abuse he was forced to live with for the 1st time in the 4 years we spent in the Court System. When Joshua died the Family Court had a meeting and wondered what they could have done differently that would helped to keep Joshua’s death from happening, The Sheriff Department’s way of dealing with his death was to have Sgt Jerry Egge rudely refuse me any kind of a investigation as he made statements to the media calling me a volatile type parent fighting over Joshua in child custody case, all this from the Sheriff Department who knew that their co-worker, Sheriff Deputy KW Klaver was Joshua’s Abuser…22 month after Joshua’s Death Sheriff Gillingham and Under Sheriff Laurie Smith sent Crime Scene and Homicide Deputies out to the barn where Joshua died for the 1st time and turned the information they collected from Joshua’s father,his abuser about what happened the night Joshua died over to the Child Death Review Board .http://justice4joshua.com/
After 25 years a investigation has been reopened into Joshua’s death, ask Sheriff Smith why after 62 days her office has not sat down to take a legal written statement with the witness who has come forward with information about the night Joshua died, I strongly believe that Sheriff Smith is dragging on taking a legal statement until after the election .. .
I want to know now did Sheriff Laurie Smith learn some of this new information that has come out about more Deputy misconduct in the investigation she headed up in 1990 all to fill out a report for the Child Death Review Board because the Dept had Nothing to turn over, Now that Joshua’s death has been reopened I think she learned many things, which she withheld from the Child Death Review report, Also, 5 years ago the AG’s Office forced S. Smith to meet with me, she told us that the information given to the Board is given in a verbal report, I have learned since that you lied to me. A packet is put together for each member. . .The Sheriff Department / Sheriff Smith gathered information 22 months after Joshua’s death, put that info but not all of it in a packet for the Board to Review. . .
Is this the kind of Women the people of Santa Clara County want to keep as their Sheriff
Keep going Kathy, Even if she wins we will campaign against this corruption and not stop.
Tired of Smith and all her B.S. , Time for a better change. Jensen gets my vote
I guess the SJ Inside couldn’t find a picture of her in uniform. Nor could I.
She needs to retire before she embarrasses herself and disgraces the department any more.
Did the Sheriff’s consultant write this? It looks more like a campaign flier than an endorsement!
Does the incumbent agree with her Political Consultant Rich Robinsons statement of repealing the 2nd Ammendment?