Gore faces challenger Myers in sheriff’s race

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore is facing challenger Dave Myers in the June 5 election.

With only two candidates, the countywide race will be decided during next month’s primary, unlike state and City of San Diego elections that automatically advance the top two vote-getters to November, even if only two candidates are running in a race, according to Registrar of Voters Michael Vu.

Incumbent Gore, 70, lives in the City of San Diego’s Mission Hills neighborhood. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of San Diego and master’s in public administration from Seattle University. He has been the sheriff since 2009, was elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. His campaign website is at GoreForSheriff.org.

His 47-year law enforcement career included 32 years in the FBI, where Gore became an assistant director and was the special agent in charge of the Seattle and San Diego field divisions. Following retirement from the FBI, he was a special adviser and chief investigator with the San Diego County District Attorney’s office before joining the sheriff’s department in 2004.

Myers, 56, lives in La Mesa. He has been with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for 33 years, has reached the rank of commander and earned his peace officer certification from the San Diego County Regional Police Academy. This is his first campaign for this office. His website is at DaveMyersForSheriff.com.

In addition to completing several sheriff’s department and Peace Officer Standards & Training management courses, Myers said he completed the Supervisory Leadership Institute training through San Diego County Employees Retirement Association, received management and finance training at the University of Pennsylvania’s Warton School of Business and Harvard University School of Business, and completed Stanford University School of Law’s Y.E.S. Program on not-for-profit management.

Gore said he would like to be reelected because “I want to continue to make San Diego the safest county in America. We continue to face challenges with mental health in our jails and in our community.”

Myers said he wants to be elected because “I believe we must invest in more proactive and modern policing.” He added, “I have witnessed a growing divide between our department and the communities we serve. We need new leadership to overcome this. Rebuilding trust will make our communities and our deputies safer.”

Gore said the three greatest safety issues impacting the county are the opioid crisis, mental health and human trafficking. To bring change to these, Gore said there needs to be “collaboration with law enforcement partners at (the) state and local level as well as other government agencies and (the) private sector.”

Myers said the three greatest safety issues are lack of trust between law enforcement and communities served, the opioid and meth crisis, and elder abuse on the rise. To change these, Myers said there needs to be a return to true community-oriented policing, plus service to all communities “with the same dignity and respect” in order to rebuild trust. In addition, resources spent on cannabis enforcement need to be redirected to fighting opioid and methamphetamines, to fighting the manufacturers and dealers, not consumers plus addiction needs to be treated like a disease, not a crime. He also calls for expansion of the elder abuse crimes unit, support for the volunteer network that visits the elderly and improved access to services.

When asked if the sheriff’s department has enough staffing, Gore said, “Through cooperation with the Board of Supervisors we currently have adequate staffing, but there are still unincorporated areas of San Diego County where we are looking to add staff and resources.”

Myers said if elected he would need to review the department’s staffing structure to see how human resources are distributed among department functions. He said there would need to be adjustments in certain geographic areas in order to improve call response times in remote areas and those with high crime rates.

Gore said he is satisfied with the amount of cooperation between law enforcement agencies in the region. “Our interagency cooperation is one of the keys to our low crime rate. I think we have a level (of) coordination second to none.”

Myers said the sheriff is the county’s chief law enforcement officer and “well-positioned to convene and engage law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders.” That person is responsible for forming relationships for various tasks and “as leader of one of the largest local law enforcement agencies in America, the sheriff needs to be doing more to lead by example and to foster cooperation, cross-training, data sharing, etc. where the law permits.”

“I’ve dedicated my professional life to public service at the federal and local level,” Gore said, when asked what he wants voters to know about him. “San Diego has always been home and it is important that we continue to make it the safest urban county in the nation. It has been my life’s work.”

Gore said voters should re-elect him because “We’ve worked very hard to make San Diego the safest urban county in America over the last eight years with crime at a 35-year low. I’m proud of that work and I hope that voters will give me another four years to continue to serve them.”

“I am a proud, lifelong San Diego County resident and I have wanted to be a police officer since I was a child,” Myers said. “The voters should know that I am committed to keeping our communities safe and expanding our relationships to the most vulnerable communities of San Diego County.”

Myers said voters should elect him because he has risen through the department’s ranks and understands its internal and external workings. “I am committed to increasing transparency and improving community trust,” he said. “I am prepared to lead a change in the culture of our department to one that is more appropriate for the 21st century. I will lead by example and will always be accessible to the public ... (and) ensure that every neighborhood ... receives the same high level of service ... and is treated with equal dignity and respect.”