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District 1 Supervisor Roger Gitlin refused to vote Tuesday on a proclamation “in support of equality and accountability.”

Each of his colleagues cast “yes” votes on the proclamation, submitted to the Board of Supervisors in June by Department of Health and Human Services Director Heather Snow. When asked to state his position, Gitlin said, “I am present, that’s my vote.”

Gitlin repeated himself when Chairman Gerry Hemmingsen asked him to clarify his vote.

“I vote present,” Gitlin said.

His “present” was treated as an abstention.

Snow’s proclamation “In Support of Equality and Accountability” was the second of two similar statements on the Board of Supervisors’ consent agenda. The first statement, a resolution “In Support of Law Enforcement and Public Safety,” passed unanimously, though there was also conflict during that discussion.

District 5 Supervisor Bob Berkowitz, who had written the resolution with Gitlin’s help and submitted it to be placed on the agenda, took issue with the removal of two clauses.

Hemmingsen said he had removed the clause beginning with “whereas, law enforcement is under siege in the United States….”

“You’re trying to take something that is not controversial and make it controversial,” Hemmingsen told Berkowitz. “You’re trying to say that in the United States, law enforcement is under siege. I don’t see that in the 3,000 counties in the United States or the 19,000 cities. There’s maybe a handful of counties and cities that are having issues. You’re trying to put in something that’s not there. You’re trying to make this like it’s an infestation throughout the whole United States; I’m not interested in going there.”

Berkowitz, who questioned if the statement “law enforcement is under siege in the United States” is controversial, agreed to having Hemmingsen’s name on the resolution he had initially written.

“I was just concerned that my name was on something that I had not written or spoken,” Berkowitz said.

Hemmingsen’s statement drew backlash from Gitlin who said another sentence had been deleted from Berkowitz’s resolution supporting law enforcement and appeared in Snow’s proposed proclamation on equality.

That sentence, according to Gitlin, had to do with the Constitutional rights of all people. He insisted Hemmingsen reinstate Berkowitz’s original sentence about law enforcement being under siege in the U.S.

“I’m very concerned that what you’re doing is you’re speaking for the Board without taking a Board count, so I’m going to make a motion now to reinsert, ’Law enforcement is under siege in the United States,’” Gitlin told Hemmingsen. “Also, everyone, please open your eyes and look at what’s going around this city. We in Crescent City and Del Norte County, we do not live in a bubble and I think it’s important that we identify this and defend our law enforcement and that they are in fact under siege.”

Snow said she provided a draft of her proclamation on equality to the Board of Supervisors, including Gitlin, via email June 23, but hadn’t seen the final version nor the law enforcement resolution and wasn’t aware the two had similar language.

Gitlin said he found it was curious that the two proclamations were presented to the Board “side-by-side.

While one is in defense of a “beleaguered law enforcement career situation across the country,” Gitlin said he didn’t know there was an issue with accountability and accountability — that “it’s a given."

When Gitlin asked her, Snow told him what prompted the proclamation.

“I think it’s common knowledge that there are concerns on equity and accountability across the nation at this time,” she said. “I hope that it is a given. But in this time that’s not something we can take for granted and, as a board of elected officials, it is really up to you to make that statement for us as a county if you choose to.”

District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard, echoing Gitlin’s statement that support for equality and constitutionality is “a given,” said that’s also the case with the resolution for law enforcement.

Howard said though he’d support Snow’s proclamation as it stands, he pointed out that “it’s common knowledge that this is where the board stands.”

Gitlin disagreed.

“Supervisor Howard, I don’t see social workers being attacked, put into headlocks and being assaulted and their lives at risk,” he said. “I see an overall malaise which puts our law enforcement at risk and I don’t see that same risk associated with Health and Human Services. I’m curious that Item No. 11 appeared juxtaposed on Item No. 10 and I find it a little bit inconvenient.”

County Administrative Officer Jay Sarina said the two statements were distinct from each other, but it’s obvious, based on the Board of Supervisors doing their best to ensure public safety has the safety equipment they need, that they support law enforcement. But he took issue with the implication that the county’s first responders, including social workers, mental health professionals and other Department of Health and Human Services employees aren’t as important as public safety staff.

“Every one of them are important and do an important job,” Sarina said. “I find it in my position I want to make that statement extremely clear. Beyond just the diversity and inclusiveness, we don’t want to be divided and we don’t want to be silent. From a leadership standpoint, Director Snow has come forward with something that reflects what we all believe in.”

Documents

• Proclamation In Support of Equality and Accountability

• Resolution In Support of Law Enforcement and Public Safety

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