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Fresno County Sheriff Threatens to Sue Board of Supervisors

By: Ashley Ritchie

"I do remember when I looked and I couldn't even fill up my car with gas without the fear of someone coming and stealing my car. I don't want to ever go back there," Fresno County Supervisor Judith Case said.

With that image in mind, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted four to one Friday on a budget option for the sheriff's department that would halt correctional officer layoffs and keep all the floors of the jail open.

"We're telling her where not to cut. We don't want you to cut your sworn personnel, whether they're correctional officers or deputy sheriffs. What we said is, make your cuts somewhere else in the department," Fresno County Supervisor Henry Perea said.

"They do not have the authority to determine how I use the budget that they've given me. And they've taken that step today and I do have a responsibility to resist that kind of action," Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said.

In return, Mims brought on Southern California attorney Martin Mayer.

"The board cannot do exactly what the board did," Mayer said.

"Here's a lawyer that came down from Monterey at $225 an hour. That tells me today, he just sat in that room, he didn't say a word, probably cost the taxpayers of this county $2,000–$3,000. Is that a good expense of money that we say we don't have? I don't think so," Perea said.  

Despite the board's decision, Sheriff Mims says she still plans to go along with the layoffs off 23 correctional officers and will fight the board who already said they'll rescind them.

"I cannot make a decision in one area that jeopardizes emergency response, as it would," Mims said.

"Bottom line is if we both agree that our number one job is to keep the public safe, why are we hiring lawyers? That's just ridiculous," Perea said.

The correctional officers union voted this week to get rid of a "no layoff clause" they'd originally wanted in their $1 million concession.

The sheriff says that money definitely helps, but it doesn't stop her from needing to layoff officers and close a floor of the jail.

She also says she can't guarantee there won't be more early releases of inmates.

The sheriff's lawyer says he plans to file sometime early next week.