BY EMILY MIBACH
Daily Post Staff Writer
San Mateo County officials have suggested doing away with a few elected positions but it appears that the job of coroner was mistakenly included in the official proposal.
County officials realized the coroner’s post was mistakenly mentioned in a resolution passed by the Board of Supervisors. In an email to the Post yesterday (Nov. 16), county spokeswoman Michelle Durand said that the mention of the coroner in the resolution passed unanimously by the board on Nov. 7 was an error. Durand said a correction for the error will be placed on the board’s agenda for its Tuesday meeting.
The Post yesterday ran a story about the board’s direction to a committee reviewing the county’s charter (see below). The resolution the board passed included a direction to the committee to review the qualifications of the coroner.
Board President Don Horsley — the supervisor who represents the coastside, San Carlos and the part of Menlo Park west of El Camino — said that even though the item is removed from the list of things he and fellow Supervisor Dave Pine recommended the committee look at, they still can review the position.
Horsley also said it may be possible for the board to be able to change the qualifications needed to be coroner by passing an ordinance.
Coroner Robert Foucrault told the Post Wednesday that he’s against any change to the position.
“The system has worked well for over 100 years,” Foucrault said.
The resolution also included language about consolidating the controller and tax collector-treasurer into one chief financial officer position, which would be appointed by either the supervisors or the county manager.
Horsley said he wanted to look at consolidating those offices because neither sets policy for the county. Horsley said he understands the argument that consolidating the two positions and making it appointed could concentrate the power of the county within the county manager’s office. Tax Collector-Treasurer Sandie Arnott said that is the danger of an appointed position.
Horsley said once the commission is convened, the pros and cons of consolidating and appointing a CFO will be presented to it.
The county’s charter is reviewed every eight years, County Counsel John Beiers said at the Nov. 7 meeting.
Horsley, along with fellow Supervisor Carole Groom and all of the county’s elected department heads, including Controller Juan Raigoza, Arnott and Foucrault, are up for re-election in June.
Other county officials up for election or re-election are Sheriff Carlos Bolanos, Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder Mark Church and District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. According to the state Constitution, the district attorney, sheriff and assessor must be elected.
Published Thursday: 3 elected positions may go — Proposal shifts power from voters to county Board of Supervisors
BY EMILY MIBACH
Daily Post Staff Writer
Voters in San Mateo County would no longer elect a coroner, county controller or county tax collector-treasurer under a proposal the Board of Supervisors has sent to a committee reviewing the county’s charter.
Instead, the positions would be appointed. Possibly the controller and tax-collector-treasurer jobs would be consolidated into a chief financial officer position, which would be appointed by either the supervisors or the county manager. The coroner would become an unelected medical examiner. In some counties like Santa Clara, the medical examiner is appointed by the sheriff.
This is not the first time these offices have been under fire. In 2002, voters shot down a ballot measure that would have consolidated the coroner’s office with the sheriff’s department. In 2012 a measure to make the controller an appointed position was also defeated.
Any changes to the charter would have to be approved by voters.
The three elected officials whose jobs would be eliminated were against the changes yesterday.
“I’m not supportive of any change to the position,” said Coroner Robert Foucrault, who was first elected in 2002. “The system has worked well for over 100 years.”
Tax Collector-Treasurer Sandie Arnott said combining her and Controller Juan Raigoza’s offices would give too much power to the appointee.
Raigoza also expressed concern with the lack of independence from the county a consolidated and appointed official would have.
“A key component of being the auditor controller is independence,” Raigoza said.
Arnott also said that financial transparency in the county would be “eliminated.”
“The voters of this county are pretty politically savvy,” Arnott said. “I can’t believe for one moment that the voters would allow that.”
Charter up for review
The changes were suggested by Supervisors Dave Pine and Don Horsley, who put together recommendations for the yet to be appointed charter committee to review. The committee may be appointed at the board’s Dec. 12 meeting.
The board unanimously approved the recommendations for both what the committee ought to look into and the make up of the committee on Nov. 7. Those recommendations included looking into consolidating Arnott and Raigoza’s positions and changing the qualifications for the coroner, making the position a medical examiner.
The county’s charter is reviewed every eight years, County Counsel John Beiers said at the Nov. 7 meeting.
“I think it’s a healthy process to go through,” Pine said at that meeting.
Pine and Horsley did not return the Post’s phone calls yesterday (Nov. 15).
Elections next year
Horsley, along with fellow supervisor Carole Groom and all of the county’s elected department heads including Raigoza, Arnott and Foucrault, are up for re-election in June.
Other county officials up for election or re-election are Sheriff Carlos Bolanos, Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder Mark Church and District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. According to the California Constitution, the District Attorney, Sheriff and Assessor must be elected.
