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The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors appointed its Independent Civilian Advisory Commission on the Sheriff’s Office during its June 11 meeting.
The initial commission, which received some pushback from the sheriff’s office, will consist of nine members: five who serve a two-year term ending in June 2026 and represent each county district, and four who serve a four-year term ending in June 2028.
“We’ve been working on this for a long time,” Supervisor Warren Slocum said. He said there were 77 applicants.
The supervisors each nominated one member, the sheriff’s office nominated another member, and the commission’s board liaisons nominated three at-large members.
The members appointed are Marco Durazo, Rob Silano, Kalimah Salahuddin, Shirley Melnicoe and Alexis Lewis, who will serve two-year terms.
James Simmons, William McClure, Mike Fisher and Rebecca Carabez will round out the four-year term appointees. Fisher was the sheriff’s office nominee.
The commission, which was approved in December, will not participate in disciplinary matters but will provide feedback and facilitate transparency from the sheriff’s office.
The commission will hold public meetings to facilitate community engagement. According to the county website, meetings will be held at least four times yearly.
“It’s such an important task,” said Nancy Goodman of Fixin’ San Mateo County, an organization that pushed for the commission’s creation. “We’ve been working on this for two years. To the board, you took a historic first step towards oversight. And thank you so much for that.”
Leslie Wambach from the National Alliance on Mental Illness also spoke positively about the committee finally having its members approved.
“More eyes lead to higher quality services and better outcomes for the county’s citizens,” Wambach said. “I commend your actions, especially given how much our local jails act as de facto mental health facilities.”
Sheriff Christina Corpus also addressed concerns before the commission’s confirmation.
“We are working towards a new change, a cultural change,” she said, adding that many new programs were being put in place to address issues such as suicides and deaths in the county prison.
Recruitment for the positions began in January, and all members were unanimously approved by the board of supervisors.
The first meeting is expected to take place this summer.
