Resolution
CALL FOR INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT OF LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN CALIFORNIA
WHEREAS Assembly Bill 1185 (McCarty, 2020) granted counties explicit authority to establish oversight of sheriff’s departments through civilian boards and/or offices of inspector general with subpoena power; and cities, through charter or local ordinance, hold the authority to establish independent oversight of municipal police departments and other local law enforcement agencies; and as of 2025, jurisdictions including the counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sacramento, Sonoma, Marin, Alameda, Orange, and San Joaquin, and the cities of Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, Oakland, Berkeley, Long Beach, and San José have implemented civilian oversight and/or inspectors general of their law enforcement agencies—demonstrating that such mechanisms are both
legally grounded and widely embraced across California; and
WHEREAS multiple reports, investigations, and community testimonies across California have raised concerns about in-custody deaths, excessive use of force, and lack of accountability within law enforcement agencies, underscoring the need for independent oversight to protect public safety and civil rights; and
WHEREAS the absence of independent oversight in many jurisdictions enables unchecked abuses of power, limits transparency, and erodes public trust in law enforcement, creating a crisis of accountability that disproportionately impacts systemically disadvantaged communities;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Riverside County Democratic Party affirms that independent civilian oversight—with full investigative authority, subpoena power, and public reporting requirements—is a core Democratic value when it comes to all local law enforcement
agencies, including sheriff’s departments and municipal police; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Riverside County Democratic Party calls on all County Central Committee members, all Democratic State Central Committee members, all Democratic state, county, and municipal officeholders, all Democratic candidates for state, county, and municipal office, and all California Democrats to support policies and petitions that mandate meaningful civilian oversight of all local law enforcement agencies in California.
Author(s): Nathan Kempe, AD 58; Anyse Smith, AD 47; Francisco Ramos, AD 47; Edison
Gomez-Krauss, AD 36
