David Myers (police officer)

Last updated
David Myers
OccupationFormer commander in the San Diego Sheriff's Department
Years active1985-2018
Known forPolice work, Sheriff campaigns

David Myers is a former commander and 33-year veteran of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. He ran in the 2018 primary election to become the San Diego County Sheriff against his boss and 9-year-incumbent, Bill Gore. He is the highest-ranking openly gay employee to have served in the department, and would have been the first openly gay San Diego County Sheriff if elected. He lost on June 5, 2018, with 43.4% of the vote. He retired from the department after his defeat. Following Gore's retirement, Myers announced he would run again for the Sheriff's position in 2022. [1]

Contents

Career

Dave Myers worked for the San Diego Sheriff's Department from 1985 until his retirement in 2018. [2] [3] [4] He became a Commander in 2012 and is the highest ranking openly gay employee to have served in the department. [5]

Sheriff candidacy

Dave Myers announced his run for San Diego County Sheriff in February 2017 against his boss and 9-year-incumbent, Bill Gore. [2] [6] If elected, Myers would have been the first openly gay San Diego County Sheriff. [2] [3] [4] Myers claimed to have experienced several instances of retaliation at work due to his candidacy. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

During his run, Myers said the department does not respond well to community issues and criticized Gore's handling of important cases. [12] [13] Myers stated there is a lack of diversity in the force, and believes there needs to be more LGBT, women and minorities serving in the San Diego Sheriff's Department. [6] [4] Myers wanted to prohibit the shackling of pregnant inmates while they give birth. [14] He wanted the department to focus on rehabilitation instead of incarceration for misdemeanors and low level drug offenses. [5] Unlike Sheriff Gore, Myers has supported California's cannabis laws, citing the fact that 60% of San Diego residents voted to legalize cannabis in 2016. [15] Myers called for greater transparency in the department and wanted to deploy body cameras for the entire San Diego Police Department so that videos of important incidents could be made available to the public within 24 hours. [16] [17]

Gore canceled a debate with Myers due to a scheduling conflict in March 2018. [18] Gore stated he was unable to debate Myers due to laws limiting his ability to talk about employee conduct. [19] [20] [21] In April 2018, Gore said during an interview that he used to be friends with Myers but now wished he could fire him. [22] [23]

On June 5, 2018, Myers lost with 43.4% of the vote to Gore's 56.4%. [24]

Following Gore's retirement, Myers ran once again against then-undersheriff Kelly Martinez and John Hemmerling. His campaign emphasized concerns over deaths in jails, lack of transparency, and racial inequities in policing that required reform to address. Myers alleged that corruption and abuse of power were an issue among sheriff leadership. [25]

On June 7, 2022, Myers lost again with 19% of the vote, one point behind the Republican candidate. [26]

Related Research Articles

<i>The San Diego Union-Tribune</i> Daily newspaper in San Diego, California

The San Diego Union-Tribune is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, The San Diego Union and the San Diego Evening Tribune. The name changed to U-T San Diego in 2012 but was changed again to The San Diego Union-Tribune in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayor of San Diego</span> Head of the executive branch of the San Diego city government

The mayor of the City of San Diego is the official head and chief executive officer of the U.S. city of San Diego, California. The mayor has the duty to enforce and execute the laws enacted by the San Diego City Council, the legislative branch. The mayor serves a four-year term and is limited to two successive terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toni Atkins</span> American politician (born 1962)

Toni Gayle Atkins is an American politician who served as the 51st president pro tempore of the California State Senate from 2018 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the 69th speaker of the California State Assembly from 2014 to 2016 and the California State Assembly majority leader from 2012 to 2014. She represented the 39th State Senate district from 2016 to 2024, encompassing most of San Diego.

Poway High School is a four-year high school in Poway, California. Established in 1961, its approximately 2,408 students are from Poway and the community of Rancho Bernardo. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon</span> Annual race in the United States held since 1998

The Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon is an annual marathon race held in San Diego, California. Established in 1998, it is the original race in the Rock 'n' Roll Running Series. The event includes a half marathon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Anderson</span> American politician

Joel Anderson is an American politician serving as a member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. A Republican, he is a former California state senator, assemblyperson, and board member of a municipal water district. During his time in the Legislature, Anderson served on the board of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) as California state chair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Peters (politician)</span> American lawyer & politician (born 1958)

Scott Harvey Peters is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative from California's 50th congressional district since 2023, previously representing the 52nd congressional district from 2013 to 2023. His district includes both coastal and central portions of San Diego, as well as the suburbs of Poway and Coronado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonnie Dumanis</span> American lawyer from California

Bonnie Michelle Dumanis is an American attorney and former San Diego County District Attorney. She held the office from 2003 to 2017. Dumanis is a Republican, though the office she held was officially nonpartisan. She was the first openly gay or lesbian district attorney in the country. She was the first woman and the first Jewish district attorney in San Diego.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Padilla</span> American politician

Stephen C. Padilla is an American politician, public policy, advocacy and communications consultant serving in the California State Senate since 2022. From 1994 to 2002, he served two terms on the city council of Chula Vista, California. He served as Mayor of Chula Vista from 2002 to 2006 and as a member of the California Coastal Commission from 2005 to 2007, and again since 2017. He served as a member of the Board of Port Commissioners of the Unified Port of San Diego, as Board Secretary and Vice Chairman-Elect from 2009 to 2011. In 2016, he was again elected to the Chula Vista City Council.

San Diego CityBeat was an alternative weekly newspaper in San Diego, California, that focused on local progressive politics, arts, and music. It was published every Wednesday and distributed around San Diego County, although with a focus on the city of San Diego itself, with a weekly circulation of 49,750.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Gloria</span> Mayor of San Diego since 2020

Todd Rex Gloria is an American politician serving as the 37th mayor of San Diego since 2020. As mayor, he is the chief executive officer of the City of San Diego. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl DeMaio</span> American politician (born 1974)

Carl David DeMaio is an American politician from San Diego, California and a California State Assemblymember. A member of the Republican Party, DeMaio represents the 75th State Assembly District, encompassing North and East San Diego County. DeMaio is also chairman of Reform California, a statewide grassroots conservative political organization, and hosts the podcast "Reform California with Carl DeMaio" weekdays at 5pm on YouTube and other streaming services.

Rebecca Mawii Zahau, also known as Rebecca Nalepa, was a Burmese American woman who was found hanging at the beach house home of her boyfriend in Coronado, California, United States, on July 13, 2011, and pronounced dead by first responders called to the residence. Her death occurred two days after 6-year-old Max Shacknai, the son of her boyfriend Jonah Shacknai, had fallen from the staircase of the same property. At the time, he was in critical condition in the hospital. Rebecca and her younger sister, Xena, were the only known people present at the time of Max's fall. Subsequently on July 16, 2011, Max Shacknai died of his injuries.

Occupy San Diego was one of the many occupation protest movements in the United States. Located in San Diego, California, the protest movement initially began in the city's downtown district at the Civic Center. According to authorities, it had "a growing problem with violence and mounting trash". However this assertion was disputed by protesters and eyewitnesses, since Occupy protesters have been actively cleaning the site since October, 2011. It is based on the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in New York City on September 17 and is one of several "Occupy" protest sites in Southern California, including Occupy Los Angeles.

Jim Garlow is the former Senior Pastor of Skyline Church located in La Mesa, California, a suburb of San Diego. Garlow is often cited as an evangelical leader in the political arena, quoted on issues such as the 2012 Republican presidential primary. He is a leader in the "pulpit freedom" movement, which insists that pastors should be free to carry out political advocacy from the pulpit in defiance of Internal Revenue Service regulations, as well as a leader in the New Apostolic Reformation movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Manchester</span> American businessman (born 1942)

Douglas Frederick Manchester is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the former chairman of Manchester Financial Group, past chairman and publisher of The San Diego Union-Tribune, and an unsuccessful nominee to become United States Ambassador to the Bahamas. Manchester, who prefers to be called "Papa Doug", has built some of the tallest hotels and office buildings in San Diego, including Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina and Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, and is credited as a driving force behind the development of the San Diego Convention Center. Manchester also built the triple 5-star Grand Del Mar Resort & Spa, which was sold to Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in 2015, and he maintains a minority ownership. Manchester also built the Torrey Executive Centre, Manchester Financial Building, Whitetail Lodge and Golf Club, Fairmont Austin and is currently building the Manchester Pacific Gateway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mara Elliott</span> American lawyer and former San Diego City Attorney

Mara Woodworth Elliott is an American lawyer and politician who served as the San Diego City Attorney from 2016 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first woman and the first Latina to hold the position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geneviéve Jones-Wright</span> American lawyer

Geneviéve LaChelle Jones-Wright is an American attorney and activist who served as a San Diego County public defender from 2006 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she was an unsuccessful candidate for San Diego County District Attorney in 2018 and mayor of San Diego in 2024. She gained notoriety for being falsely handcuffed and held at gunpoint by a San Diego police officer in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 San Diego mayoral election</span>

The 2020 San Diego mayoral election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the mayor of San Diego. Incumbent Kevin Faulconer was ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits.

References

  1. Hernandez, Dave (2021-08-26). "Former sheriff's Cmdr. Dave Myers announces plans to run for sheriff". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
  2. 1 2 3 Lamb, John R. (2017-04-26). "Gunning for Sheriff Bill's job". San Diego CityBeat. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  3. 1 2 "The race for County sheriff is potentially significant". LGBT Weekly. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  4. 1 2 3 "Candidate for Sheriff differs strongly from Gore on many issues | Escondido Times-Advocate". Times Advocate. 2017-11-22. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  5. 1 2 Board, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial. "San Diego County Sheriff candidate Dave Myers: The Union-Tribune interview". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  6. 1 2 "Help Wanted: A 21st Century San Diego County Sheriff". San Diego Free Press. 2017-11-20. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
  7. Bowen, Andrew. "Sheriff Candidate Says He's Target Of Retaliation". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  8. Stewart, Joshua. "Commander says he's been banished to 'broom closet' for daring to run for San Diego County sheriff". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
  9. McDonald, Jeff. "Sheriff candidate met with women accusing deputy of groping, got written up". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
  10. "San Diego County Government's Injustice Machine". OB Rag. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  11. Winkley, Lyndsay. "What we know about the internal affairs investigation into sheriff candidate Myers". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  12. "Sheriff candidate Dave Myers pledges greater response to community issues -". McKinnon Broadcasting. 2018-02-24. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  13. McDonald, Jeff. "Sheriff's candidate blasts Gore for series of department issues". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  14. Smolens, Michael. "It's one thing after another for Sheriff Gore". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  15. "This Sheriff Candidate Is Running On A Pot-Friendly Platform · High Times". hightimes.com. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  16. Cabrera, Andrew Bowen, Marissa. "Dave Myers Discusses His Run For San Diego County Sheriff". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved 2018-05-21.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. Mecija, Melissa (2018-02-25). "SD Sheriff's commander calls for transparency". 10News. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  18. Ong, Jermaine (2018-03-02). "Challenger brings cardboard cutout of San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore to debate". 10News. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  19. "Sheriff Gore Aims to Issue More Concealed Gun Permits in San Diego County - Times of San Diego". Times of San Diego. 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  20. "Keeping the Stupid in Politics, San Diego Style". San Diego Free Press. 2018-02-22. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  21. "HEAR OUR INTERVIEW: SHERIFF BILL GORE MAKES CASE FOR REELECTION". East County Magazine. 2018-05-06. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  22. Stewart, Joshua. "Sheriff Gore said he considered firing his rival for office, but thought it would look bad". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  23. "County Sheriff, District Attorney Races Heating Up". San Diego Free Press. 2018-04-05. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  24. "Complete San Diego County June 5 Primary Election Results - Times of San Diego". Times of San Diego. 2018-06-05. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
  25. Board, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial (2022-05-08). "2022 election: Q&A with David Myers, candidate for San Diego County Sheriff". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  26. "California Primary Election: Update on San Diego County Sheriff Race". NBC San Diego. 2022-06-09. Retrieved 2022-06-17.