Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 03192002 - D.1 DA HE BOAR► OF SUPERVISORS CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Date: March 19, 2002 Public Comment On this date, the Chair invited those who wished to address the Board for Public Comment. The following people presented testimony: :Jim March, '11 Emerson Court, Pittsburg, regarding the Contra Costa Sheriffs Posse and gun permits. Laura John, 4044 Sacramento Street, Concord, regarding funding for high schools in Contra Costa County. THIS IS A FATTER FOR RECORD PURPOSES ONLY NO BOARD ACTION WAS TAKEN MT.DI"L0 UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OLYWIC HIGH SCHOOL * 2730 Salvio Street Concord,California 94519-2599 (925)687-0363 OFFICE CIF TIDE PRINCIPAL February 21, 2002 ©ear Business Owner: Olympic High school is a Continuation Nigh school for students who have fallen behind in credits for many different reasons. Because of the nature and size of our school, it has been difficult for our Leadership group to finance a'prom or other social function for our graduatingseniors. With the support of our staff and parents, we were able to have a special'dinner to celebrate our graduate's'success. We decorated our multi-use room and created a simple menu served by our staff. We had raffles and prizes to recognize the many accomplishments of our students.' We would;,like to make this function a tradition at Olympic. In order to do this, we are once again asking for donations from local businesses and organizations to help fund this activity'.. We are looking for donations of supplies, gifts, andfor funds to support our efforts. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for helping us to make this a success and hopefully, a new tradition for the Olympic campus. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at 587-0353. Sincerely, Beverly Hansen AN EQUAL OPPOR'T'UNITY EMPLOYER FAX(923)'793-6317 rage i of J Article Last Updated: S€anday,March 17,2()02-3:47:49 AM MSF;, ARTICLE OPTIONS Sherr says 'guru nub' concealing the truth . Print tnisAiticle Being in the Passe doesn't guarantee weapons permit • E-Mail Article By Dwight King-Leatharn . lank this Article STAFF vvRrrER OTHER ARnCLES IN "'nils SECTION Ni Jim March is a self-described"gun rout,"frustrated because the Contra Costa County 3MS/2002 Sheriffs office won't give him a concealed-weapons permit. unions have Dower oyer energy Giants The towering redhead from Pittsburg has takenhis beef with the sheriff over the permit to federal court;saying county Sheriff Warren Ru f and a few police chiefs in 2000 violated Csve�rses his constitutional rights. retiVrnbered with rr4aatiail Last September a federal judge ruled March had no case. Stan-at-imine rrroms Last month,March stood before the county Board of Supervisors,unloading some of his rind sur>ort irr valley frustration. He said he believes that membership in the Contra Costa Sheriffs Posse rg nup pretty much guarantees someone getting a concealed'weapons permit. Lee For those not in the Posse, however, a permit is harder to come by,he said. Marttnez•Daiucchi "He's one of those people who once he grabs onto a fact,he builds a fantasy around that,"said Sheriff Warren Rupf. The longtime sheriff who is head of the auxiliary group, W►r�rr ouid uiv ear- the Posse,said fewer than half the 380 Posse members hold concealed weapon pertnits. oils-cause for war ret'teciion In preparation for court, March said he researched county elections records and looked Lj at who had made campaign contributions to the sheriff. He also looked into the sheriff'so�i.a° ° ssi°" practice of issuing concealed weapons permits: emergintrornsrrroice March concluded membership in the Posse seemed practically to guarantee getting a Fries permit,he said. Vaogyg ire Medical "The real problem is the law,"said David Beauvais,a Berkeley lawyer who brought Center.Pleasanton March's unsuccessful suit."Ali the unfettered discretion is with the sheriff to issue or not issue a perrnit,"he said. Modre-Densmore Beauvais said he believes the permits are granted without applying any standard. 'They're issued for(Rupf's)supporters,his boosters or to wealthy and connected Monde people,"Beauvais said. Tracy, 'There's enough there to be concerned how even the process is,"he said. The lawyer said his own politics"are not centered around ever having a gun. l aim sympathetic, however,with people who see this system working in a way that is not really'appropriate." 'The harm is really drivers by patronage,where'people who have connections can get a. permit,while others caril. "if you live in a mice area with a lot of money,and occasionally travel to Richmond,you can get a permit. But if you live in Richmond,forget it,"he said. Federal District Judge William Alsup threw March's claim out before it got to trial, noting http://wwwtr`€valleyher d.coin/eda/articlelcdaNMOAr cleDetait/0,1046,10671%7E46 89150/(... 3/19/02 raga z of i that March had also been denied permits by the cities of Richmond�and Pittsburg, The judge called March'sresearch "opinionated"and"not appropriate for consideration." "Nor do these records demonstrate on their face a causal connection between wealth, employment status or donations to Sheriff Rupf s campaign and issuance of a concealed weapons license. The way Rupfs office handles concealed-weapons permits is not that unusual in the state,said state Department of Justice spokesman Michael Van Winkel. He said attorneys with the California Department of Justice have described the power the law gives sheriffs and police chiefs as"unfettered discretion." Still,;applicants must first pass a background check--the same one used on anyone wanting to buy a gun, and then must still win the approval of the police chief or sheriff with the permitting power,Van Minkel said. Van Winkel said he knows nothing about the Contra Costa Sheriffs Posse. "Without saying it fringes on joining a particular group,there's total discretion after passing the background check-it's totally up to them,"Van Winkel said. That freedom accounts for some of the variation in permit numbers, he said. For instance,San Francisco issues five to 15 permits a year,while`"in Kern County— little Nashville—the law enforcement heads,the sheriff or police chief,grant about 4,000 a year.Shasta County issues 3,000 in any givers year. "I think Los Angeles County with all its millions only approves 1,000 a year,"he said. Van Winkel provided a list of concealed weapons permits issued county-fly-county that showed Contra Costa County's permits cropped from a total of 314 in 1987 to 163 in 190,the lest year complete records are available. During the same period,Alava County's permit totals dropped from 158 to 143; Kern County's,from 3,943 to 2,961;San Diego's,from 2,042 to 1;268;and rural Shasta County's from 2,958 to 2,373. Five'years ago the former police chief of Isleton was typically issuing about 1,000 permits a year to residents from all over Sacramento County'—at a charge of 153 apiece.That brought in about$150,000—"that's$150,000—the whole city budget was about $300,000,"Van Winkel said. The Legislature soon thereafter amended the law to limit the fee to the reasonable cost of administering the program,he said. Meanwhile,Contra Costa County currently has a total of 179 concealed-weapons permits outstanding,said Contra!Costa County Sheriff's Lt.Dale Varady. Varady,who hearts the professional standards unit and administers the permits program, said his office takes applications only from those living in contract cities like Danville and San'Ramon along with those in unincorporated parts of the county. He said applicants must pass a background check,which can include a psychological review and are tested on gun handling and grin safety. http'liwww.trivalley emId.co /malarticle/cda MOArticleDetail/01446,10671%7E4689i5°f... 3/19/02 Page 3 ot�3 About 80 permit-holders are reserve officers,working as reinforcements doing certain types of police work, he said. Other permit-holders include judges or former law enforcement officers—for whom the usual$266 fee is waived. "There's no profit in it,its all to cover the administrative process,"Varady said. Varady said he knows little about the Sheriffs Posse."it's a private organization, much Li like the Elks or ons,and is separate from the office of sheriff.I believe Sheriff Rupf is the president." "I don't know what their makeup is,I dont go to their functions.Membership in the Posse isnI considered in applying,"Varady said. http 1/w w.triv lleyherald.com/C-da/article/edaNMOArti ieDetail/0 t04E,10671%7E468915°/4... 3119102