1. Please state your background and qualifications for Sheriff and why you are running for this position.

I grew up in San Francisco. My Dad was a firefighter and my mom worked for the Labor Council. I went to Mission Dolores Elementary School, then Most Holy Redeemer in Eureka Valley and Riordan High School. My first union job was in the eighth grade selling peanuts at Oakland A's games. I joined the Air Force, came home in 1975 to work as a firefighter in the Presidio and then joined the San Francisco police force.

Why is all this relevant: Because one of my life mantras is that you never want to forget where you come from. The right way to live is to give back and be of service.

That's why I walked the beat as a police officer in the neighborhood I grew up in and became a fierce advocate for community policing. I am proud to have been awarded two medals of valor during my service. It's why I served as president of the San Francisco Police Officer's Union - and during a part of that time also served as executive board vice president of Walden House, San Francisco's acclaimed substance abuse treatment center.

It's why I became a part of then District Attorney Kamala Harris' reform team as her Chief of Investigations and then had the deep honor and privilege to be named as Undersheriff by Sheriff Mike Hennessey.

And it's why I'm running for sheriff today. Public safety in San Francisco, and throughout California, faces a critical moment in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that will send tens of thousands of state prison inmates back to local communities. To meet this challenge, we need to break the habit of city and state agencies operating in silos.

I am the right person for the job because I have worked in the jails, worked on the streets in law enforcement, worked in the treatment community to provide services to the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated and worked in Sacramento to coordinate statewide public safety efforts. In this critical moment for public safety, when we need to work together more than ever, I can bring all these experiences and diverse perspectives together to keep San Francisco safe.

I have the leadership and management experience necessary to lead the nearly-1000 person Sheriff's department, which will have a budget of about $170 million in 2011-2012. As Undersheriff, I was second-in-command at the SFSD under Sheriff Mike Hennessey. I led the complete restructuring of Walden House, managed the POA during a time of growth and success, and oversaw a large staff and many programs as the Chief of Investigations for the DA's office. I have demonstrated success leading people, managing resources efficiently, and guiding organizations through challenges and times of change.

My diverse thirty-year career has given me a well-rounded perspective on public safety - I have not only worked in law enforcement, but have also been a passionate leader in the field of substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation. As the president of the board of Walden House and a leader at the California Narcotic Addict Evaluation Authority, I have helped provide services to the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated and divert addicts into treatment. My diverse experience gives me the perspective necessary to lead effective treatment and job training programs that keep inmates from returning to jails and prisons. Successful public safety is not just about punishment. It is not just about treatment. It's about both.

2. Would you support merging the Sheriff and Police Departments? Please describe any benefits or flaws that you see in the plan, and any corrective
solutions that you might make.

As sheriff, I will do whatever I can to help support the needs of the police department, but I do not believe that the departments should be merged or that the SFSD's role should expand to functions currently within the purview of the police department.

In order for the sheriff's department to work well with the SFPD, the sheriff needs to have strong personal relationships within the police department. Because of my 25 years as a police officer and 7 years as president of the POA, I have these existing relationships. I am committed to ensuring that the sheriff's department works cohesively with other city entities that have a vested interest in public safety, including the police, community groups, and city government. Throughout my career I have built relationships across organizations so that joint efforts are integrated and use resources efficiently, and I would continue to do so as sheriff.

3. What is your opinion of the Sheriff's Department current staffing levels? Are departmental payroll and overtime practices economically prudent? Do you have any practical solutions for reducing staffing expenses and the work burden on departmental employees?

One of my first priorities as Sheriff would be to evaluate the budget line by line, including the staffing and workman's compensation budgets. My focus in this evaluation of the department's resources and the staffing levels in our system would be to ensure that our sworn personnel have the resources they need to keep our city, the people who work in our jails and the inmates safe. It's important that we are achieving public safety efficiently and that we are prepared to deal with the influx of prisoners to our jails.

4. Do you feel that excessive force has been used by sheriff's deputies in recent years?

As Mike Hennessey's Undersheriff, I witnessed first-hand his transparent and swift investigations of any acusations of excessive force. I believe that Sheriff Hennessey's model works and I would continue his policies, with transparency as my number one priority in any investigation.

5. Under what circumstances do you advocate the use of strip searches? What steps would you implement to ensure the civil liberties of those subjected to this procedure?

Under Michael Hennessey's leadership, the existing policy around strip searches in adequate. The civil liberties of all inmates have always been at top of Sheriff Hennessey's priorities, and as his Undersheriff I maintained and supported those priorities. As Sheriff, I would continute to protect the civil liberties of all inmates, including as they pertain to any type of search.

6. What funding sources would you explore in order to re-institute or fully fund rehabilitation and recovery programs that might have been cut under recent budgetary constraints?

I was the Undersheriff when we made cuts in the department last year, and we cut across the board fairly and equitably in order to save all programs. So instead of cutting one, we made sure all programs survived.

As we know, the SF budget is ever changing. When additional funding is necessary, especially to deal with the upcoming influx of prisoners to our jails because of realignment, I will pursue the resources needed to keep our jails and city safe and expand our rehabilitation programs. I will constantly seek to expand all program funding, either with general fund money or through grants. I would bring in a full-time grant writer to pursue all avenues for federal, state and local grant funds.

7. What is your position on the outsourcing of medical care of inmates?

It's my strong opinion that at the end of the day, public safety benefits from excellent treatment of the people in law enforcement's care. For duties that the Sheriff's department performs that are not core safety services, we should get the best price. But I believe people who are accountable to the public should carry out core public safety services.

In my 30 years experience working in San Francisco's criminal justice community, as the Undersheriff, Chief of Investigations for the DA, President of the POA and as a police officer, the current services provided by the SFSD seem to be more than adequate and provide the level of care that we have a moral responsibility to deliver.

8. What is your position on cooperating with ICE, especially the S-COMM program recently declared mandatory by President Obama's DHS?

As a former San Francisco police officer, I know the Sanctuary City ordinances first adopted in the administration of Mayor Dianne Feinstein, and strengthened since then, make us safer. The absolute foundation of a safer city is community trust and partnership with law enforcement and we must make sure that every San Franciscan can build that trust regardless of their immigration status.

And as the former undersheriff serving under Michael Hennessey, I know that "Secure Communities" is not working and I agree with Sheriff Hennessey and so many others that San Francisco should be allowed to opt out of the program.

Secure Communities is a deeply flawed federal program. It claims it's goal is to identify and deport the most serious and violent people who are not in the country legally, but a review of the data reveals that it deports an equal number of people who have not committed a violent crime. Until the policy is fixed so that it functions as intended, only detaining and deporting violent criminals, San Francisco should continue to opt out of participating.

We should also acknowledge that it is the responsibility of the federal government to secure our borders and local law enforcement should not have that burden. During my 30 years in law enforcement, I have learned that it is absolutely critical that the community that you serve trusts you. Having local law enforcement involved in federal immigration issues damages that trust.

9. Do you believe that retrieving resalable recyclables from blue bins left on the curb should be cause for arrest?

No, I don't think they should be arrested. People who collect these recyclables are often suffering financial hardship, and they should be advised about social service resources that might be helpful.

10. What is your position on "sit/lie?"

I am concerned that this law seems to have had little effect since its passage last November. Pedestrians should be able to walk freely on our city sidewalks without harassment or intimidation, but there is no evidence that the new penalties are improving the issue that motivated the passage of Prop L. I believe that community policing efforts like those I advanced as President of the POA can be an effective tool to address problems like this one, and as Sheriff I would continue to support cooperative community policing.

The chronically homeless who are often the repeat offenders of the Civil Sidewalks law have frequently been in and out of SFSD custody and benefit from our jail and post- release programs. By continuing to improve our already excellent education, rehabilitation, and job training services, we can help these people become productive members of our community.

11. What do you think of "care not cash?"

While Care Not Cash could be more effective with thoughtful reforms, the bottom line is that it is working. Since its implementation, more than 3500 formerly homeless San Franciscans have been placed in permanent housing.

12. Would you forbid deputies from participating in foreclosure evictions by homeowners being evicted by a bank?

I believe that we can evict people in a timely manner while still treating them with dignity. In my time as undersheriff I witnessed the eviction process, and I will continue Michael Hennessey's policies of giving evicted tenants advanced notice of their eviction, treating them respectfully during the process, and pointing them to available resources that can offer help. Because of my experience working with people in San Francisco's economically disadvantaged communities, I know that in this time of economic downturn, it is especially important that we are humane and compassionate while promptly enforcing court-ordered evictions.

13. Please provide us with a list of your current endorsers.

See next page.

14. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

I appreciate the opportunity to screen with your organization and would be honored by your support for my campaign for a safer San Francisco. Thank you.
Endorsements
All titles are for identification purposes only.
For a full list please see chriscunnie.com/supporters

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
Fmr. U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz
Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom
Attorney General Kamala Harris
Assemblymember Fiona Ma
Supervisor Malia Cohen
Supervisor Scott Wiener
BART Director James Fang
San Francisco Board of Education Member Rachel Norton
San Francisco Board of Education Member Kim-Shree Maufas
Golden Gate Bridge District Board President Janet Reilly
Golden Gate Bridge District Board Director John Moylan
Community College Board Trustee Steve Ngo
Community College Board Trustee Natalie Berg
Community College Board Trustee Lawrence Wong
Fmr. State Senator John Burton
Fmr. Secretary of State Kevin Shelley
Fmr. United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello
Fmr. Mayor Frank Jordan
Fmr. District Attorney Arlo Smith
Fmr. Board of Supervisors President Angela Alioto
Fmr. Treasurer and Supervisor Susan Leal
Fmr. Supervisor Anne Marie Conroy
Fmr. Supervisor Roberta Achtenberg
Fmr. SF Public Defender Jeff Brown
Retired Judge Harry W. Low
Fmr. SF Board of Education Member Eddie Chin
Fmr. California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres

Human Rights Commission Chair Michael Sweet
San Francisco Human Rights Commission Vice Chairman Douglas Chan
San Francisco Fire Commissioner Mike Hardeman
San Francisco Health Commissioner Jim Illig
San Francisco Port Commissioner F.X. Crowley
San Francisco Port Commissioner and Fmr. Supervisor Leslie Katz
San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Commissioner Leroy King
Commission on the Status of Women Immediate Past President Andrea Shorter
Fmr. San Francisco Police Commissioner Wayne Friday
Fmr. San Francisco Police Commissioner Clothilde Hewlett
Fmr. San Francisco Fire Commission Vice President Larry Griffin
Fmr. Recreation and Park Commissioner Rebecca Prozan

San Francisco Police Officers Association President Gary Delagnes
Police Chief (retired) Heather Fong
Fmr. San Quentin State Prison Warden Jeanne Woodford
Former San Francisco Firefighters President John Hanley
Fmr. San Francisco Redevelopment Agency President Mel Lee
Fmr. SF Assistant District Attorney Christine Pelosi
National Union of Healthcare Workers President Sal Rosselli
Fmr. SEIU 1021 Political Chair James Bryant

Alliance for Jobs and Sustainable Growth
Brothers Against Guns
Building Owners and Managers Association of SF (BOMA)
Carpenters Local Union 22
Coalition for Responsible Growth
IBEW Local 1245
IBEW Local 6
IFPTE Local 21
Laborers Local 261
Officers for Justice
Plan C
Potrero Hill Democratic Club
Sailors' Union of the Pacific
San Francisco Police Officers Association
San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council
San Francisco Firefighters Local 798
San Francisco Latino Peace Officers Association
San Francisco District Attorney Investigators Association
Seafarers International Union
Sign and Display Local 510
Small Property Owners of San Francisco
Sprinklerfitters Local 482