This afternoon, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors considered and heard public comments on Supervisor Jose Medina’s motion to form an Ad Hoc Committee to explore Sheriff Oversight, but they failed to move it forward. The motion didn’t even receive a second. Over 78 people spoke on the agenda item with the overwhelming majority in favor, and still… the rest of Board chose to do nothing.
We’re frustrated. We’re disappointed. But we’re not giving up.
Adding insult to injury, the Board broke with their own longstanding practice of allowing three minutes for public comment. Today, they cut that time down to just one minute per speaker, while giving the Sheriff roughly fifteen minutes to speak unchecked, a stretch he used not to inform, but to grandstand and lash out.
This was never about party politics. It’s not a Democrat issue or a Republican issue. It’s about transparency. It’s about accountability. It’s about a community that deserves answers and a system that needs to work for everyone.
And yet, the only person who chose to inject partisanship into the discussion was the Sheriff himself. Worse, we heard the word “activist” used as an insult. As if caring about your community is something to be ashamed of. It’s not. It’s something to be proud of.
DGR President Freya Foley said it best:
“Calling people who care about their community ‘activists’ like it’s a bad thing is cowardly and tone-deaf. They showed up with facts, lived experience, and a deep belief in accountability. If that makes them activists, that’s good. We’ll all wear that like a badge of honor.”
We want to give our deepest thanks to Supervisor Jose Medina. He showed real courage and integrity by bringing this motion forward and standing his ground. He listened to the people, and he fought for what’s right. We are proud to stand with him, and we will keep fighting alongside him every step of the way.
At the same time, we are deeply disappointed in Supervisors Washington, Gutierrez, Spiegel, and Perez for choosing to keep the status quo. Some of them seemed genuinely surprised that this idea was even being brought forward, as if the need for oversight hadn’t been obvious for years. Rather than taking concrete steps, they fell back on the excuse that more talk is needed. But talk without action is how injustice stays in place. That is not leadership. It is complacency.
We thank every DGR member who made a call, wrote an email, or showed up to speak. You made your voice heard. You reminded our elected officials that we’re paying attention, and we expect better.
This isn’t over. We’ll continue to support the work of the Riverside Sheriff Accountability Coalition (RSAC) and keep pushing for real oversight. Stay tuned. Stay engaged.
We’re just getting started.
—The Executive Board
Democrats of Greater Riverside