Kudos to the Independent for its lack of endorsement for either candidate for Sheriff. While I do not know much about Lt. Juan Camarena, I have had direct interaction with Sheriff Bill Brown’s policies toward the Latino community. I was a board member of PUEBLO from 2009-2012, a nonprofit that merged with CAUSE in 2013.
Our main role was to defend immigrants’ rights by stopping car impounds for unlicensed drivers and the arrest of drivers. It wasn't until 2013 that AB460 granted a driver’s license to immigrants who had proof of local residency regardless of immigration status. We held community meetings to instruct Latinos of their rights and how to handle unlawful stops.
Under Sheriff Brown’s leadership 2009-2012, DUI checkpoints were set up on Friday and Saturday nights in Latino areas looking for those without a driver’s license — which most immigrants could not access — arresting them for driving without a license, incarcerating them, impounding their vehicle, and waiting for them to be picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).