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Dear Editor-
I read the Op-ed written by Susan Sher, a member of Ukiah City Council, and published on MendoFever. This was titled “False Promises regarding proposition 36”. Prop 36 is basically a fix to Proposition 47. Prop 47 was clearly false promises and cleverly marketed by our legislators. Prop 47 in its most simplistic view was legislation aimed at draining our prison populations, however it was sold to the voters as a way to make us safer. Those two goals simply didn’t coincide with one another.
There are a couple of glaring omissions from this editorial, which sadly seem to be a sign of the times. Standard values that were once normal aren’t represented here. Values such as stealing anything from someone else are wrong. Also, I saw no mention of our victims of crime. Outside of the District Attorney and Law enforcement it doesn’t seem like anyone is thinking about our victims, no one is talking about our victims. In this editorial, no one is representing our victims. We see our leaders making excuses for some extremely bad behaviors and that is also an example of lowering the bar. When you argue for mistakes, you get to own them forever. It’s time for the excuses to stop and accountability to begin.
When a person commits a crime, and that crime is investigated by a peace officer it begins a process of vindication and justice for the victims. The investigation is provided to the District Attorney who has the role of representing the victim and society, the defense represents the suspect. Throughout the prosecution, their work is overseen by our magistrates. Ultimately if found guilty, the duty of representing our victims and society is handed to our judges when they hand down a sentence. These judges are standing in for the victim because we need someone fair and impartial to represent the victims and society. It wouldn’t be fair if the victim was left to decide the punishment against someone who had victimized them. I see nowhere in this opinion any mention of justice for our victims.
I have written before about this strange new direction our state has gone. This is a case where the architects and engineers of the law (our legislators) are no longer speaking with the carpenters (Peace Officers and District Attorneys) who are tasked with enforcing the law. I see no mention of Council Member Sher speaking with leaders in law enforcement including our District Attorney, the Ukiah Chief of Police or myself. When confronted with issues that require one to be educated in, why not reach out to those who are educated in the field of study? That didn’t happen here and is another example of the architects not speaking with the carpenters.
The statements that Prop 36 would incarcerate drug dealers and users may be true. There has been a push to move away from punishment for crimes as if a stay in jail is a horrific event, it isn’t. When I see addicts dying in the brush surrounded by trash and human feces, and compare it to the folks I see in our classrooms at the jail, learning, growing, and becoming more, even if it is just for the time they are incarcerated I absolutely see what is humane and what is not. The Mendocino County Jail isn’t “Shawshank State Pen”. Also, people have forgotten when someone is in custody they aren’t victimizing folks in neighborhoods.
Currently, a prison sentence in the State of California has become a lifetime achievement award for the most persistent criminal who has refused several levels of supervision and have continued forward on a life of crime.
Let’s face it, narcotics are killing people. Lots of folks are getting rich on the addictions of others and poison is being marketed, distributed, and paid for with the lives of our residents including our children. I don’t think any of us should be arguing for more of the same. It isn’t working and we can all see it. Our state legislators have stated time and time again the dealer didn’t know he was going to kill someone when he sold them drugs so they shouldn’t face incarceration. I’ve seen a lot of folks not intending to kill someone in an accident when they were drinking and driving, they still face the consequences.
Many parts of Prop 47 simply didn’t work and we can all see it. So why was Prop 36 being fought with such vigor in Sacramento? The real issue was a little deeper and darker than most folks realize. Prop 47 created a lot of savings by closing prisons, and these savings provided a lot of programs in which a lot of people began getting paychecks. I am all for these programs if they work, however they haven’t. In a recent CAL-MATTERS report, we see the state simply misplaced about one billion dollars which they couldn’t account for. This money had been funneled through grants to various groups to help solve homelessness. Obviously, this isn’t working and it’s not working to the point no one seems to know where a billion dollars went. So, when we ask about the price of Prop 36 who is asking about the funding spent on Prop 47 and the funding which had no effect and simply can’t be found? To the contrary statistics show homelessness and drug usage is up 53% since the passage of Prop 47. Who is asking about that? Recently Senator Ernst from Iowa brought forward reporting which shows our federal food stamp program is losing roughly 1 billion dollars a month to fraud and errors. No one is talking about that either.
There is a way to reduce prison populations, they would require work our legislators simply don’t have the backbone for. This work must begin with education, opportunities and accountability. Sadly, these are three things that California seems to be struggling with constantly. Draining prison populations in the correct fashion would have taken a long time and it would have placed the focus on these societal issues. People would have had to ask themselves how many failures in a system occurred prior to 911 ever being dialed. It was simply easier to blame the legal system. So, the easy way out was to simply decriminalize a whole lot of crime. That was lowering the bar, and we can see it didn’t work.
When we fall on hard times, the only solution is to raise the bar, not to lower it. If we ever want to see this change, it is time to raise the bar and stop making excuses for bad behaviors. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” This makes me wonder if perhaps many leaders simply want us to wait until the entire nation is equally outraged and victimized before real changes can be made. We need to get back to basics, if you’re in a hole, perhaps you should stop digging.
Thank you
Sheriff Matt Kendall
Because DA Eyster did such a great job holding Kevin Murray accountable.
Shh… we were supposed to forget all about that by now. They don’t want anyone to bring it up ever again.
And the police beat down of a naked mental illness case near the airport that got wide spread youtube attention?
The only thing Mr. Kendall failed to mention it’s the part that he has taken money from funding to pocket himself. He has committed crimes as well as his sheriff’s committing crimes. But we won’t speak of that.
Good job Matt scandell
That’s bullshit, I know Matt and he is a stand up man, a local man of principle. You want Matt in your corner and your statement is complete bullshit.
He is too busy with his maxed out vacation accrument to care. Alcoholic ways leading the band. Always showing off the latest wine or other alcoholic beverage as he and L drive about. Disgusting
Let us not FORGET THE STEVEN NEUROTH CASE. Stain on Mendocino County’s good ol boy network. Eyster lead the county defense. 10 million payout. Mental health services still suck in Mendo. 100% of all criminals have a unaddressed Mental health issues. Anxiety, depression, bipolar, PTSD, agressive behaviors, sociopaths. All bad behaviors are rooted from unaddressed mental health needs. Time to wake up!
You know every time I think of that case it makes me sick and then the naked guy they beat the shit out of walking down S. State St. and how many others have died in that jail what a bunch of crap and nobody does a fucking thing about it
“The statements that Prop 36 would incarcerate drug dealers and users.”
You must not have proofread. Perhaps attend some of those GED classes the inmates do.
Subject, verb, predicate. It’s very simple Sheriff. https://www.grammarwiz.com/parts-of-a-sentence.html
As the publisher, I think Matt Le F has an obligation to insert a (sic) at some point.
Truthfully, it’s frightening that someone who can barely write, a third grade level command of grammar, can be given a badge and gun and told to command other people with badges and guns.
An uneducated robot makes the perfect county sheriff.
Thank you Sheriff Kendall. Well said.
Does Ernst talk about the billions of dollars spent on Law Enforcement accountability?
What did Kevin Murray cost Ukiah? A couple million at least.
Is the EBT program really your best example of poorly administered programs Sheriff? I agree, there is a Homeless Industrial Complex that siphons funding away from those that it could help. EBT lets people pay rent and eat. Stop it with the victim blaming.
Even Kevin Murray is a societal problem. He is an example of an addict who has family to support him. The ones on the street don’t. The point is rapists are everywhere because rape is barely prosecuted. We have the lowest bar ever for rape. It’s barely a crime, much like street shitting it is viewed with tolerance and sympathy for the perpetrator.
The Sheriff also didn’t mention the guards union that got like 43% wage increase which prompted the momentum for prop 36 that motivated the state gov’t to empty/close some of the prisons. The state wanted to stop the bleeding by the guards union (and the health care requirements). In addition, most of the Fed covid money went to law enforcement agencies not housing or healthcare. There are articles on it. Law enforcement is sizable part of the accountability problem this state has with criminal justice not the just the voter frustration (via proposition 47) which I do think is a poor method to dealing with complex issues like drug addiction.
*Correction: Prop 47 not Prop 36
Thank you Sheriff.
Great letter, Sheriff…!!!
You have got to be joking.
New term: “Toxic Empathy”. The act of having empathy exclusively for the lawbreaker and none for the victims.
My husband spent 22 years in prison, benefited by time served, good behavior, and Prop 47. He’s been home for 4 years now. Had held a job and gone to school and graduated with welding and water treatment certification.
According to the Ukiah Police department, and also the FBI, crime rates are firm 15% in the first quarter of 2024. So, there may be bad apples coming out of prison under prop 47, but it’s nothing like the picture Matt Kendall is painting. Drug addiction and homelessness should not be painted as the reason prop 47 failed.
I do agree that the prison system lacks bigly in providing adequate programs for reentry, and parole offers 0 support to ex cons in terms of job training programs or help for recently released inmates.
I don’t know enough about prop 36 yet. I need to read my voter book, but until then, I don’t agree with trying to scare the public with this “crime is up” because of prop 47 nonsense. I encourage everyone to do their homework and think for themselves, not vote based on how a Sheriff tells you to vote.
Sorry for my fat thumbs…Ukiah PD and FBI report that crime is down 15% in 2024
The California DOJ reports show different. And the Governor was taken to task for saying crime was down in the state as well. The reporting of crime is down because retailers and residents have stopped reporting it. Closures of stores all over the state including In and Out burger in Oakland due to crime tells a different story.
The Governors office finally admitted reporting is down following retailers providing their loss reports due to theft being in the billions of dollars.
Sher is not representing her community and won’t be getting my vote in the future.
Way more elegant than I would have put it. Great response Matt.
As far as holding criminals accountable, I agree with the sheriff. It’s time to get tough on crime, not easier. It’s become a revolving door. The criminals know they will get a slap on the wrist. Yes on 36.
With the decay of morality criminals have become role models for many in our society. Being poor is not an excuse, being addicted is not an excuse, feeling discriminated against is not an excuse.
“ a prison sentence in the State of California has become a lifetime achievement award for the most persistent criminal who has refused several levels of supervision and have continued forward on a life of crime.”
Very true Sheriff! People wonder why we have criminals following our children on the streets of ukiah with very bad intentions. Eventually the parents will be FORCED to deal with these creeps because our “leaders” want to seem caring and inclusive to feel good about themselves. These “Leaders” have forgotten the criminals aren’t paying taxes or voting in city council election but I am.
Very well said Sheriff.
Is it possible that Matt Kendall is upset that people like him aren’t the ones who got ahold of that billion dollars? Or maybe they did get ahold of it?
We know one thing for sure… jail/prison doesn’t work either. All it does is churn out more determined criminals.
Incarnation is criminal college.
Sounds like you miss your babys daddy in the big house?
To the contrary I think jail does work. The two creeps who burglarized my house caught a few years and I haven’t seen them sense. So if you don’t want criminals in jail let them rob your house don’t call the police and they can just keep stealing from you. Then everyone can be happy.
Well said.
I already voted No on 36. I have no sympathy for drug users and no interest in “helping” them with their substance abuse issue. They gettin’ high day in and day out, enjoy it, have no desire to change, and if they OD so be it. If 36 had been about cracking down hard on drug dealers, lock them up for 10 years or more I would have been for it, but that’s not what it’s about.
Fuck you, Sheriff Matt akendall!!! You’re a cop! The absolute worst, most corrupt job on the planet outside of politicians! This letter is all political. Your SWORN job is to uphold the constitution of the USofA! You & your fellow clowns in uniform act like God’s amongst mortals. You serve & protect us! That’s your civic duty you swore to. You’re paid by us, the taxpayers. Your politics aren’t welcome or, needed! Do your fucking job, shut the fuck up, & keep your blue line gang members in check!
Sounds like you miss your babys daddy in the big house?
You write eloquently. Like somebody that should be doing 25 to life. Do you know they can record your IP address and figure out who you are. You write like a seasoned criminal everything you said shows that. You are a dumbass. I once wrote a rude email to attorney general Rob Banta in March 2022 now I can barely buy a firearm or ammunition in California even though I’ve never been arrested. If you had two brain cells, you would’ve kept your mouth shut. You’re on their list now. And you are the problem the kind of guy that stole my bicycle and the tools out of the back of my truck.
Keep your mouth shut and protect yourself if you don’t trust Johnny Law. Then pray they show up when you go down in smoke to protect your loved ones.
The paramount of Mendocino Counties dirtbags. Why the hell would you even comment. You bumped your head.
So you’re a criminal for sure. Probably a meth cooking scumbag that steals from his neighbor. Only people with that much disdain for LE are those looking over their shoulders because they know it’s only a matter of time until they get the silver bracelets. Would love to see the look of surprise on your face when the hammer falls. What a puke!
I am a a person who has been victimized for 8 years from others and their drugs. I cry for help and am gaslighted. I have no sympathy for the drug culture.i live in fear daily can’t barely do the things I need like grocery shop and appointments. I am told to get mental health help. I been in therapy etc for ten years. My suffering is directly from others drug problems,it has made an environment I am scared living in fear from. The police do nothing. I desperately need accountability for crimes.
Exactly Sage. All the Adult Children of Addicts are done!! These addicts have children that they can’t raise. Future traumatized people who will struggle through life and relationships, who will struggle to trust and see good, if they make it to adulthood.
Recent example: those babies that died on the tracks. They died over hard drug use. Plain and simple
Well stated Sheriff Kendall. Seems to me it’s time to get back to common sense and recognize that prop 47 has been a complete failure, I voted for prop 36. I support Law Enforcement and law and order. I have lived in this community all of my life and raised my children here. Our State and cities and communities need help. Businesses have closed and left our State due to this reckless idea that crime shouldn’t have a consequence. Seems to me that society is teaching that you are a victim because you chose to go into a store and steal a business owner blind and it’s your right to do so. Most parents teach there children that stealing is wrong and there are consequence, so what are we teaching our children? Prop 47 has given a green light to literally run businesses owners out of business and hogtie Law Enforcement. Seems to me the tax payer is the victim and on the hook constantly. Matt Kendall has built a very good inmate services program at our County Jail. There are programs for addiction rehabilitation, educational programs, gardening, spiritual needs are being meant for anyone requesting them. We as a community need to support our sheriff and the men and women who protect and serve this County.
Be nice to see real names behind this sort of local democracy forum. I will public comment: I appreciated reading this public letter article, I also think Mendocino County is fortunate to have a Sheriff like Matt Kendall. My Two Cents, William A. Self from Redwood Valley.
William, my real name is Michael. And I do not disagree with you. But the priority should be a harsh crackdown on drugs. All the problems stem from drugs. The ready availability and cheap price. Meth is very inexpensive. People who use meth could not afford that much cocaine. both meth and fentanyl are very inexpensive.
I myself speak more truly under an alias william. Under my real name my community might shun me. I’m a housewife with kids I got an image to uphold; that of a talking cow!! Sorry bud, I’m not ready.
Sheriff Matt Kendall is too intelligent and eloquently outspoken for Mendocino County. The influx of the cannabis capitalists that began in the early seventies set in motion a tolerance for criminal behavior that endures to this day. Unfortunately, this look-the-other-way attitude is supported by the alt-progressive politics of Mendocino County. It’s a generational phenomenon that in all probability won’t diminish until the price of dope utterly implodes, or Mendocino County experiences a political change driven by sanity.
The fentanyl users are killing themselves off, like Martha Stewart would say, ” and that’s a good thing.” In San Francisco the coroner sends their van around to all the free, supportive housing hotels, loading up the bodies every morning. The van is set up to hold 4 bodies. Then it drops them off, and goes out to get a second load.
The problem really began in 1996 with Proposition 215. The medical marijuana proposition. That was the beginning of the downfall of our County. I remember it well. How excited everyone was. If only they knew what it would lead to.
Point of fact, “gentleman” Bradley,
The “opiod industry” was in full swing illegally marketing to doctors, supplying vast quantities to known pill mills, and boldly chemically seducing average and productive citizens, who were injured and had no history of drug use, and also very susceptible people into getting hooked on their Oxycodone products and ruining many lives long prior to 215.
Oxycodone was discovered in 1916.
It’s still highly addictive and commonly abused today.
What about the meth that’s so deeply ingrained here?
Have you been living under a rock then and now?
Based on many of your statements, it wouldn’t be fair of me were I to presume that you value facts over assumptions and falsehoods, but maybe, just maybe, you might want to consider actually reading (and comprehending) any # of the vast reams of readily available peer-reviewed scientific research papers (Netherlands, Canada, Israel, Portugal, US, etc) on cannabis prior to naively spreading mis- & disinformation.
Afterall, reproducible imperical data and knowledge still soundly trump assumptions and regurgitated bullshit, regardless of your beliefs and/or personal challenges to the contrary.
You’ll need to find another boogeyman.
I’m just saying that when I noticed a distinct change for the worse here was when people started to legally make huge profits from growing weed legally with a doctors recommendation. Everybody and their mother started growing. People came here from all over the country to take advantage of the ideal growing conditions. Bringing with them crime, home invasions and murders. This is my own personal observation not some fact that I researched or read. I was here I witnessed it and many of my friends and family were involved in it, in the cultivation part. I know meth and opioids have long been a problem before 1996.
Non-Fiction you have more time than I do. You seem to want to write a doctoral dissertation on every article sighting facts and peer reviewed studies. You must have too much time on your hands. What I write about is what I have seen with mine own eyes over my life. I was born in Ukiah. I have watched it go downhill ever since my earliest childhood memories. From Redwood Summer to prop 215 and so many other mistakes. Forgive me if I don’t state facts from Wikipedia. I speak from experience and I can tell you prior to 1996 this county was a lot different. I turned 21 in 1996. I was partying hard on the Greenfield Ranch and the Frey Ranch. I grew up with those hippie kids and I remember when indoor marijuana went for $3500 a pound. And when the first home invasion robbery started happening, and people were getting ripped off and bound and gagged in their own homes and beaten by gang members from the Bay Area. It was the beginning of the end. The end is now. Luckily the price has gotten so low that marijuana is no longer a hot commodity. A pound is a dime a dozen. And only large commercial growers can afford to be licensed and make a profit because they’re backed by investors. The mom and Pop operation is dead. And I can’t say I regret it. Fentanyl is the new curse. And proposition 36 is at least a step in the right direction. If you don’t agree with that then I have nothing left to say to you sir. In the mean time I will continue to keep my family armed with the doors locked because this town is no longer safe. And it hasn’t been in decades.
Calm down Bradley. You ironically call out non-fiction for long winded fact driven dialogue but you have much more overall dialogue in this feed than non-fiction does at this point. Cannabis coming down in price is a result of the legalization. This is good news for consumers and the market as a whole. Mendocino has competition from other counties it has not seen before. Welcome to Free trade and the rest of the world.
Don’t care
Sheriff Kendall, it is ironic that you claim no one is thinking or caring about our victims of crime. You don’t mention that Prop 36 will do away with the massive savings provided by Prop 47, 10% of which currently funds trauma recovery services for victims of crime. These funds are distributed as competitive grants administered by the California Victim Compensation Board. Nor do you mention that Prop 36 provides no additional funding for the likely flood of new inmates in our jails and prisons. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst has concluded that Prop 36 will raise criminal justice costs by tens of millions up to the low hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Who will cover those costs? Our broke and mismanaged county?
There also seems to be reluctance on the part of our DA to prosecute low level crimes of retail theft. We hear stories of local stores that instruct their employees not to report these crimes because no action will be taken. Is it really necessary to have Prop 36 make these crimes felonies in order to inspire the DA to actually prosecute? Or is he too busy conducting a petty, vindictive, expensive and botched prosecution of an honorable elected official?
He is too busy with his maxed out vacation accrument to care. Alcoholic ways leading the band. Always showing iff the latest wine or other alcoholic beverage as he and L drive about. Disgusting
Thank gawd some else sees the consequences this proposition. We need a proposition on law enforcement wages and benefits and limit their unions from gouging tax payers.
I am a victim of others and the drug culture. I can not heal in this sick environment of no accountability
Actually he mentions that this prop basically undoes the old prop. It’s not so much new as stopping an experiment that’s failing
There are also many victims of parable law policy terrible law enforcement response. People losing everything having homes destroyed, animals killed, losing their car, losing their jobs, losing everything due to a bad response. Lack of knowledge. Going to the wrong house to do the raid or probation check hurting someone and killing their animals. There’s also many many victims of law. Law is not necessarily always blind. And the laws that are written by the super higher-ups don’t even reflect anything that needs to be happening on the ground level.
hilarious to hear you talk about the founding fathers Sheriff Kendall.
based on what i see, and with all due respect in my view, nothing real constitutional about your behavior sir. but i hear your good at running a prison …maybe that is why you want a much bigger one????
is your aim to house a larger portion of we the people?
Yet again, a failure to plan and thus a plan to fail. When will, the majority – namely those of us who want some order and accountability – decide we have had enough?
Women being sexually brutalized by police, prisons in which the possibly
innocent are injured and killed and a police presence that is riddled with corruption and incompetence – when do all say ENOUGH??
Let’s stop complaining and bloody well fix it!. Let’s plan to succeed; it’s not that painful or impossible. It used to be normal.
Matt Kendall is working for free now since May. He said it himself. What does that mean in reality? Well, he’s now making the same wage whether he retires or keeps working. His pension has reached 100% of salary until his death in Idaho – cop paradise. Most people might wonder if that is really what working for free means but most people aren’t republican cops. He will continue to show up and drive his desk until his term expires and then that 100% pension will fill his bank account forever. Working for free. Must be nice.
No they still get their paychecks him n Eyster. After 30 years at the county they build no more pension. No more retirement bank. Still get the bi weekly check and insurance. No more in retirement vault. The smart ones leave take the retirement then go work elsewhere to build another kitty up. Many in management have done this 2-3 times in a career. If over 55 can pull your private/government pensions anytime not like SS. No incentive to stay other than laziness, complacency and a check. The smart ones go.
Matt Kendall refuses to acknowledge the reality of his job or the DAs. They aren’t working to represent the victims of crimes as he states, as if he’s trying to help the families who have been targeted by criminals. Because the law is clear- the victims of crime are The People. As in People vs SoAndSo. The entire state is the victim. That’s the way our justice system is actually structured. But he will shamelessly victimize families of people who have been killed by name dropping them when he feels threatened with questions about where the 35 million dollars a year that his department gets goes. “Well if I detailed my money trail then I’ll have to take detectives off of the case of SoAndSo to count beans instead of helping SoAndSo’s family” He’s a crude Trumpian dingbat masquerading as a gentleman. He doesn’t care about anyone and he admits it when he says stuff like he did in that local boys’ podcast. “I’m working for free come May” what a clown.
Benjamin Franklin never said the thing quoted here either. What a total limp dingus this sheriff is.
If our sheriff cannot impartially enforce laws passed by the people, he should RESIGN and let someone else do the job.
Mendocino County’s citizens deserve better from their sheriff.