Saturday’s Union-Tribune front-page-local-section news was that the current top fundraiser in next year’s campaign for San Diego County Sheriff is also vying for the police chief position in Chula Vista. Political watchers are buzzing about the impact on the sheriff’s race.
Yet, the persistent rumors of David Bejarano being interested in the chief’s job have been swirling for weeks. Kudos to Tanya Sierra and her colleagues at the UT for getting someone to confirm it for the record.
Despite the rumors, it was clear to me and others — or so we may have thought — that no one at the City of Chula Vista would be confirming any such thing. Personnel matters are, after all, private for a reason, even in the public sector. Just as many of us have at one time or another applied for a job while not wanting our current employer to know we are "looking," applicants are typically protected from such disclosure. As well, it should be noted that appropriate protocol would also dictate that if Bejarano were not selected as chief, it wouldn’t even be disclosed that he was ever in the running.
Yet, in this case, it wasn’t the Chula Vista city manager, the human resources director or a department head that "caved" to a tenacious reporter’s questions. It certainly wasn’t Bejarano himself, who clearly had no interest in the information being public, at least not until (and if) he were to be offered and then accepted the chief’s job.
No, in this rare instance of questionable public disclosure, it was a police union rep that spilled the beans, after what appears to be a private conversation with Bejarano about his intent (which it also appears Bejarano clearly thought would stay private). “I’ve been in communication with David Bejarano," Chula Vista Police Officers’ Association President Buddy Magor said in the UT, "and he’s expressed an interest in both the sheriff’s position and the police chief position for Chula Vista."
So, to its credit the UT got someone "once removed" to talk. Yet, how is a police union official — also an employee of the city — not obligated to keep personnel matters under wraps? That part is disturbing.
Magor, by all accounts a good leader for his association and an influential force in Chula Vista, is also a supporter of another candidate for sheriff, Jim Duffy. As a result, the political buzz is now also focusing on questions of Magor’s motivation in "outing" Bejarano. Sheriff’s contest aside, the ramifications in Chula Vista alone are endless, given Magor would be working for a Chief Bejarano. Also, the word is that city officials have involved the police officers’ association somehow in the police chief selection process.
Aside from the main news of Bejarano’s interest in two different "top cop" positions is another story … the reasons for the potentially inappropriate disclosure of a confidential personnel matter, and its impact on both the 2010 sheriff’s election and the selection of the next city police chief.
The remaining question is whether the City of Chula Vista is concerned about proper protocol, despite the feelings anyone may have about Bejarano or any other chief (or sheriff) candidate.
August 10th, 2009 at 12:00 am
This is a very serious problem for Bejarano – red meat for his opponents. Clearly, he is very well qualified to do either law enforcement job. The question now is: is he a good enough politician to get himself out of this pickle? The jury is out.