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Francisco Rivero joined the
San Francisco Police Department in 1984. He graduated first in his
SFPD police academy class and was honored with the SFPD Academic
Achievement Award. He had a distinguished career at SFPD serving in
patrol and investigations. He received over 25 Captain’s
Commendations and the coveted Police Chief’s Commendation for his
exemplary police work. Deputy Rivero was also a successful
businessman. He served as President and CEO of Pacific Interment
Service, a business he founded. Deputy Rivero became a Lake County
Deputy Sheriff in 2007. He has the experience, ability, and integrity
to rebuild the sheriff’s office and regain your trust.
Your vote for Deputy Rivero ensures
EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL.
FRANK RIVERO: A
PERSONAL STORY
WHY HE WANTS 21ST
CENTURY LEADERSHIP FOR THE LAKE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Open, honest, transparent, and accountable leadership -
that’s what an engaged, 21st century citizenry expects from their
elected officials and exactly what Frank Rivero has in mind for the Lake County
Sheriff’s Office.
It takes strength, determination, and know-how to effect
change, particularly after 16 years under the same regime, but Frank believes
it’s time for new ideas and better results. He’s confident he can provide the
leadership needed and has set forth his ideas in a plan.
Campaign Politics
Frank’s bid for Sheriff has met stiff opposition from a
long-entrenched system. Labeled a radical by his opponent, Frank’s campaign has
survived false accusations of sexual assault that have been held over his head
by his opponent throughout the campaign. He’s been maligned in the local online
media for allegedly having relationships with “shadowy” individuals and held
responsible for their supposed actions. He’s been the target of hateful, racist
videos that demean him. He’s also been the subject of countless rumors and
innuendos which are far from the truth - the latest including claims of arrests,
stays in mental health facilities, and criticisms of an officer involved
shooting over two years ago during an on duty police action which was in fact
determined to be necessary and appropriate.
On one hand, Frank is the target of mudslinging by his
opponent and his opponent’s supporters – on the other hand, Frank has amassed a
substantial following of Lake County citizens who believe in him and his call
for reform and change.
With this kind of past mudslinging by the opposition
there’s probably more to come. It’s a wonder how Frank stands up under it all.
Others have caved under the weight of such pressure yet Frank continues with his
campaign; taking his message to the voters in real grassroots fashion – knocking
on doors and meeting as many voters as he can.
Frank’s not a politician – he’s a citizen candidate who is
needed and relevant in Lake County today. In elections throughout the country,
the landscape is full of citizen candidates who, like Frank, are bucking the
status quo. Emboldened by the truth and the overwhelming encouragement he’s
received from voters all around the county, Frank’s resolve is stronger than
ever.
Frank’s Story
Immigrating from Cuba
Miami in the sixties and seventies was a hub for Cubans and
other immigrants escaping tyrannical governments. But to a little boy, Miami
(which Frank likens to the barrios of East Los Angeles in the sixties) was part
of the American dream. A dream and a better life his parents wanted for Frank
and his sister.
Frank immigrated to the United States as a child and
settled in Miami, Florida. Like any other immigrant kid, Frank
wanted to assimilate; to fit in. He was eager to learn the language and, like
most first generation Americans, he believed that if he worked hard he could be
anything he wanted to be; a belief Frank’s parents, and the immigrant Cuban
community, reinforced.
Frank’s father was a civil attorney in Cuba before the
regime of Fidel Castro. After the communist revolution he had an opportunity to
flee Cuba with many of the upper middle class families that sought political
asylum in the United States. Instead, Frank’s father began defending political
prisoners in Cuba until he was imprisoned by Castro’s tyrannical military
dictatorship. Though his father could have turned his back on the hopelessly
desperate situation that was Castro’s Cuba, he chose to stay to provide legal
defense for his fellow citizens. For this, he paid dearly, being incarcerated
in deplorable conditions apart from his wife and children in the hell that Cuban
prisons were.
Horrific as that was Frank realized his father was one of
the lucky ones. Under Castro’s Cuba, justice was brief; punishment swift and
unforgiving. It was not uncommon for dissenters to be tried at sunrise and
executed at sunset. It was a terrible time and Frank and his family lived in
constant fear that his father would never be released or worse yet, killed.
With the help of American friends, Frank’s parents were
able to get their children to safety, and more importantly, to freedom. To
Frank, freedom meant believing in real justice. It would take considerably more
than a few encounters with the inappropriate tactics of local police to dash the
hope Frank’s parents had instilled in him.
When Frank thinks of his father’s courage standing up to
the Cuban government, he is filled with pride. Frank’s father was his hero; he
taught Frank by example to do the right thing – no matter the personal cost.
It’s no wonder Frank finds himself regularly defending the underdogs – initially
in schoolyards and later at work.
Frank Overcomes Adversity
Frank’s determination and reason for running for the Office
of Sheriff can be traced to his youth when, as a young boy in his new country
and later as a teenager he grew up in abject poverty. He began working to help
his family before he was a teen. A number of pivotal encounters with the local
police shaped his thinking about justice – what it should and should not be.
On more than one occasion, Frank was swept up by the
police, which, during the police style of the time, focused on the Cuban youth
living in Miami. During the 1970’s in Miami, a tourist beach town enjoyed by
the well-heeled, the police believed it was their duty to keep teens away from
the beaches and beach-front businesses. To Frank and his Cuban friends, it was
clear that Cuban teens were a specifically targeted group.
Frank recalls being picked up by the police while walking
home late at night from a friend's house. He was thrown into a paddy wagon with
other Cubans, cited for loitering under a constitutionally questionable statute,
fined and released. Another time when he was a passenger in a car, Frank was
accused, along with the driver, of stealing the car they were in. The car
belonged to his friend’s girlfriend. His friend had permission to use the car.
On that occasion, Frank and his friend were detained, cleared and released.
Another time, police found a small amount of marijuana in a car parked outside
of his house. The car was not his, yet Frank was detained. He was later
cleared and the case was dismissed.
Over the years, Frank, like many of the recent immigrants,
encountered this type of “arrest first” harassment. Frank was innocent, was
never convicted and never stood trial for any of the encounters with law
enforcement. Nevertheless, when Frank applied for positions with the San
Francisco Police Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office, he disclosed this
dated information.
As an impressionable teen, these encounters had a profound
effect. His experiences could have easily turned Frank sour on the law or
dashed any hope he had of living the American dream. But for Frank, a hopeful
immigrant kid, this was not an option and he took a positive path.
Joining the SFPD
Having come from a country where people were routinely
picked up for no legitimate reason, then tried and convicted, sometimes all in
one day, Frank knew life could be much worse. Even so, in a free country, being
treated differently because of the way he looked or where he lived, or who he
associated with, didn’t seem right. Surviving those early affronts made Frank
stronger, instilling an unwavering sense of justice. Early on in his life,
Frank realized that he wanted to be a policeman – or, as Frank says, “a good cop
to make a positive difference.”
This early dream ultimately led him to settle in San
Francisco. He became a police officer in 1984, graduating at the top of his
police academy class. This was not only one of Frank’s proudest moments but
also his gateway to Lake County and his quest to become Lake County
Sheriff-Coroner.
Franks Fulfills his Entrepreneurial Dream
In 1986 while working as a San Francisco Police Officer,
Frank started a small business in San Francisco. He studied for his state
funeral director’s license and used his savings and American ingenuity to open a
mortuary service in San Francisco. Through hard work and dedication Frank’s
business succeeded beyond his dreams. In 1992 Frank opened another mortuary and
a crematory in the East Bay.
A Quest for Justice
An injustice occurred when Frank owned the mortuary
business. He won a bid for a contract to handle the disposition of the indigent
dead in San Francisco. He underbid a contractor who had held the contract
continuously for 34 years. Frank underbid the previous contractor by studying
the previous bids and underbid the contractor by $2.00. While reviewing the
books of his predecessor, Frank discovered billing irregularities involving
hundreds of fraudulent cases a year costing the City and County of San Francisco
hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent billing.
Interestingly, what triggered Frank’s investigation into
this matter was spotting the name of a deceased person whose disposition he had
handled privately through his mortuary. His predecessor had also been using
and selling San Francisco’s indigent dead as anatomical laboratory
specimens to researchers and pocketing the money – without permission from the
surviving family or the City and County of San Francisco. Frank reported his
findings to the San Francisco District Attorney who convened a Grand Jury which
issued a finding of culpability without indictment. Later it was proven that
Frank’s complaint involved corruption on the part of the then SF Medical
Examiner – a very powerful government official in San Francisco.
After having filed this complaint with the District
Attorney, Frank’s contract was terminated at the direction of the San Francisco
Medical Examiner. Frank then filed a Federal lawsuit for retaliation and
wrongful termination of his contract. The case went to a jury trial and the
jury rendered a verdict in favor of Frank and against the medical examiner.
Frank’s case set legal precedent in the U.S. Court of
Appeals, and the case took 15 years including multiple appeals.
Justice was a long time coming and the process nearly
destroyed Frank’s business and left him nearly bankrupt. Frank never gave up
and ultimately his business rebounded. Frank later left private enterprise to
return again to the pursuit of his childhood dream, law enforcement.
Frank Finds Lake County
Frank discovered Lake County on a fishing trip with a
friend. For this avid boater and Merchant Marine Captain, it was love at first
sight. Fishing was his passion and Frank bought a vacation home in Middletown
so he could enjoy fishing on his off work days. For a couple of years, Frank
drove back and forth to Lake County. Lake County became a welcome reprieve from
the hustle and bustle of city life. Soon, Frank’s love of the wild open
spaces, the natural beauty of Clear Lake, and the warm feel of the community won
him over and he made Lake County his permanent home.
Frank Decides to Run for Sheriff
Soon after moving to Lake County, Frank felt the familiar
pull of police work. He contacted the Sheriff’s Office and volunteered his
services as a reserve police officer. He was advised that there was no such
program in Lake County so he applied for the position of Deputy Sheriff. As
Frank had done in San Francisco when he applied to become a Police Officer, he
disclosed his history, including encounters with the law. On May 27, 2007,
Frank once again put on a law enforcement uniform, this time as a Lake County
Deputy Sheriff.
After working the tough San Francisco streets in the Bay
View Hunters Point and Mission Districts as a patrol officer and later as a
narcotics investigator, Frank found himself enjoying his work in the Lake County
Sheriff’s Office. Serving as a Deputy Sheriff in Lake County was different
from patrol work on San Francisco streets, but the problems he encountered were
similar. Drug related crimes, gangs, domestic abuse, theft and varying degrees
of violence were common themes. What was different were some of the attitudes
of a very few of the law enforcement officers in the Sheriff’s Office. Racial
comments and practices that unfairly targeted minorities, the poor, veterans
obviously suffering from PTSD and other disenfranchised members of the
community, brought back memories of his own treatment in Miami. Frank was
compelled to speak up on the need to curtail this behavior. He criticized the
quota system in place at the Lake County Sheriff’s Department as the
cause of many of the inappropriate arrests and police action he witnessed.
Initially, Frank brought forth his concerns informally.
Most problems are solved that way and Frank had many past successes using this
approach. Expecting appropriate intervention and action regarding his
observations by the Sheriff and his upper echelon, Frank was surprised and
disturbed when those concerns were dismissed, denied or rationalized. Soon it
became clear that Frank had threatened the entrenched view of a few top level
officers who were setting the lead for the deputies.
When working informally did not prove effective, Frank used
the department’s standard complaint process to air the issues and allow for
appropriate change. However this backfired and he was labeled a troublemaker by
the Sheriff and his management.
During this time period, the Bismark Dinius boating case
hit the press and other problems in the Sheriff’s Office began to surface. In
Frank’s opinion, The Dinius case was a glaring example of the worst possible
governmental abuse -accusing an innocent person of a crime. Frank openly
criticized the Sheriff’s handling of the “investigation.”
Frank and many others rightly believed the Sheriff’s
management was ineffective, lacked leadership and that the time for change had
come. He and some of his fellow law enforcement officers began discussing who
would challenge the strong and longtime incumbent in the upcoming Sheriff’s
election.
After considerable thought and encouragement, Frank decided
to run for Sheriff and on June 8, 2010 he was the top vote-getter in a three-way
race. Frank is now facing the 16 year incumbent Sheriff and his record of poor
decisions in a run-off on November 2, 2010.
Staying Focused on the Issues
The most important aspect of any political campaign should
be providing the voters with sufficient, correct information about the issues in
order to make an informed decision at the ballot box. Frank is walking the
streets and knocking on doors to provide information and answer questions.
If the primary campaign is any indication, Frank’s
determination will again be tested during the general election campaign. This
time, Frank hopes the test will come from honest, open discussions and debates
on the important issues facing Lake County today – and not the invented
falsehoods, irrelevant distractions, hurtful rumors and malicious innuendos
thrown at him to date. Mudslinging should have no place in this campaign and
Frank believes the citizens of Lake County will see through all the smoke
screens that are expected from the opposition.
For specific information about Frank’s plan to bring 21st
century thinking and leadership to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, see
Priorities and join Frank in his quest to bring fair and equitable 21st
century law enforcement programs to all Lake County citizens. Frank says, “it's
time to do the right thing” and asks you to join him.
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