Jay La Suer Blog

I have had the pleasure of attending every debate between the candidates for San Diego County Sheriff.  I have heard some impassioned speeches as well as some politics as usual.  I have gotten to know the candidates so well that I could do my own one-man-show reciting each candidate’s answers and closing statements.  I follow this election because I believe that in San Diego County, there is a lot at stake in this election due to our unique location, political make up, and economic conditions.
The county’s sheriff represents more voters than any other local office.  More than any mayor, congressman, assemblyman, state senator, or county supervisor.  Not only does a sheriff develop policy, but he is responsible for implementing policy.  He is the highest law enforcement officer in the county whose authority supersedes every chief of police.  In San Diego the Sheriff’s Department has to be able to do everything from writing a speeding ticket to protecting our nation’s southern border.  The job of sheriff is a position that requires the ability to lead and not to be led.
With this in mind, let’s talk about the responses from two of the candidates during the Sheriff’s debate regarding three important San Diego County issues:
Las Colinas Jail – This is the women’s jail in the middle of downtown Santee.  Appointed Sheriff William D. Gore is looking to expand this facility from 14 subtle, tucked away acres to 45 property devaluing, eyesore acres in the center of Santee.  When asked why it is necessary to scar the city of Santee with this monstrosity, Mr. Gore said that the environmental impact report recommended it and the County Board voted for it so he has no choice.  This is a great example of shucking responsibility.  It is politics as usual.
Jay La Suer’s answer is that if elected he will stop this expansion because he respects the city of Santee’s mayor and city council who oppose the expansion.  Jay wants to build more jail space, but he wants to do it for a fraction of the cost in the form of secure tent jails.  In his words, “if tents in the desert are good enough for our men in the military overseas, it is certainly good enough to house the incarcerated.”  His stance accomplishes the goal of more jail space without stepping on the toes of the city of Santee and without spending hundreds of millions of dollars from the pockets of county tax payers.  This is leadership.
Carry Concealed Weapons Permit – Mr. Gore and I spoke about this issue over lunch last spring before the debates started.  He told me he was “not the kind of guy who believes just everyone should have a gun.”  After his first debate he got hit hard for his ambivalence on the Second Amendment and lack of knowledge around the issuance of CCWs in California.  He tried to “refine” his response to say that state law prevents him from changing the policy of San Diego County because California is not a “shall issue” state.  His hands are tied.  There is just nothing he can do.  Here again, is an example of shucking responsibility.
Jay LaSuer has stated repeatedly that if you can legally own a gun, are not taking any psychotropic drugs, and are not a felon, you will be issued a CCW permit for the reason of self defense if you wish.  California state law leaves the responsibility up to the County.  The applicant must have “good cause” and leaves that up to interpretation by local authorities.  It is a large responsibility given to the Sheriff to be in charge of issuing CCW permits and it might be easy to just not issue them.  That isn’t how Jay works.  He doesn’t brush it off or blame others; he takes the issue on headfirst and makes sure that the hard work of freedom and liberty is done on behalf of the people of San Diego.  This is leadership.
Illegal Immigration – Mr. Gore says it is not the job of the Sheriff’s Department to enforce immigration law.  He would much rather see ICE and the Border Patrol take care of those laws and leave Sheriff Deputies out of it.  The immigration and border laws are too much for his team of 2400 deputies and his hands are tied.  He simply doesn’t have the manpower to spend on protecting the border.  See the pattern here?  He is again, shucking responsibility.
As Under Sheriff, Jay had a “handshake deal” with the Border Patrol to cooperate with and enforce immigration law.  Deputies spend a lot of time in rural, border areas and are frequently in the best place to confront and stop illegal immigration.  Nobody wants bad people coming over the border to harm us and nobody wants the devastatingly poor to risk their life in a hostile desert in order to come to America.  Through a policy of coordination and a little elbow grease, Jay helped to solve the problem rather than avoid it.  This is leadership.
It is much easier to just blame others when a problem arises.  Mr. Gore has a long track record of pointing the finger.  At Ruby Ridge his sniper’s bullet ended an innocent life, but because his lawyer advised him not to testify, he said he couldn’t.  Before 9/11 he was told to concentrate his San Diego FBI field office on terrorism, but when it came out that three of the terrorists were living in Mr. Gores back yard and he was unable to catch them, he blamed the CIA for not keeping him informed.  And now we have his excuses from the campaign stump.  It is always someone else’s fault with Mr. Gore.  Is this the kind of leadership we want in San Diego in such a high position?
We need leadership.  We deserve a leader.  Jay La Suer’s track record as Under Sheriff, on the La Mesa City Council, and in the Assembly is as strong as it gets.  Jay doesn’t let things happen around him; he leads those around him to good decisions.  It is this quality…the very definition of leadership…that makes Jay La Suer the best man for the job of San Diego County Sheriff.  I hope you take this into consideration in June 2010 as you vote for a new sheriff.

Jay La Suer- THIS IS LEADERSHIP.