{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"KZYX News","title":"Sheriff preparing for legal fight with Supervisors","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":390,"description":"July 27, 2021 — The sheriff is preparing for a fight with the Board of Supervisors over what he terms overreach and extortion, while board members want more data to support his contentions.\r\nLast week, Sheriff Matt Kendall asked the supervisors to hire Duncan James to represent his office as independent counsel on two points. Kendall and County Counsel Christian Curtis both believe there’s a conflict of interest, with Curtis representing positions the sheriff finds objectionable.\r\nOne is that Kendall says that there are laws giving him exclusive authority over his IT department, and he believes the board has overreached its authority in that regard. A Grand Jury report released this month stated that Information Services is not one of the typical responsibilities of the sheriff-coroner’s office, and that Mendocino County could benefit from a consolidated IT model that requires background investigations into staff supporting the sheriff’s IT.\r\nBut the main point of contention is the budget, and accountability. The county has a policy that department heads will be personally responsible for coming in over budget, which the sheriff’s office regularly does. Kendall believes the department is structurally underfunded, which puts him in a position where he has to weigh public safety against his own financial well being. “I am not goin to make decisions about how to serve the public based on financial things that could be done to me,” he said. As one example of structural underfunding, Kendal mentioned overtime, which often comes out to $1.4-$1.8 million, and for which he said he receives “a heck of a lot less.”\r\nSupervisor Ted Williams brought up Kendall’s recent opposition to an independent financial audit that he thinks would have provided more solid data to support the sheriff’s position. “Where is the data that shows that we’re falling short, and in what areas are we falling short?” he asked. “And what is the proposal so that you’re not structurally underfunded?...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/xZpAumwbhFUpJUYcwaQ1-q6snzOyqAm13l7cW6AWPCM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mMzkz/NjAwNjc2OWMyZmFk/YWY2YTdmYjI5M2Mz/YWMxNy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}