Supervisors approve first members of San Mateo County Sheriff's Advisory Commission

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors appointed its Independent Civilian Advisory Commission to the Sheriff's Office at its June 11 meeting.

The initial commission, which received some pushback from the sheriff's office, will consist of nine members: five for a two-year term ending in June 2026 and representing each district in the county, and four for a four-year term ending in June 2028.

“We’ve been working on this for a long time,” Supervisor Warren Slocum said. He said there were 77 candidates.

The supervisors each appointed one member, the sheriff's office appointed another member, and the commission's board liaisons appointed three at-large members.

The members appointed are Marco Durazo, Rob Silano, Kalimah Salahuddin, Shirley Melnicoe and Alexis Lewis, for a two-year term.

James Simmons, William McClure, Mike Fisher and Rebecca Carabez will complete the four-year term. Fisher was the sheriff's office nominee.

The commission, which was approved in December, will not participate in disciplinary matters but will provide feedback and facilitate transparency from the sheriff's office.

The commission will hold public meetings to facilitate community engagement. According to the county website, meetings will be held at least four times a year.

“It’s such an important task,” said Nancy Goodman of Fixin’ San Mateo County, an organization that pushed for the commission’s creation. “We have been working on this for two years. On the board of directors, you took a historic first step towards oversight. And thank you very much for that.

Leslie Wambach of the National Alliance on Mental Illness also spoke positively about the committee finally approving its members.

“More attention leads to higher quality services and better outcomes for county citizens,” Wambach said. “I applaud your actions, especially considering the extent to which our local jails act as de facto mental health facilities. »

Sheriff Christina Corpus also addressed his concerns prior to the commission's confirmation.

“We're working on a new change, a cultural change,” she said, adding that many new programs are being put in place to address issues such as suicides and deaths in the county jail.

Recruitment for the positions began in January and all members were unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors.

The first meeting should take place this summer.

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