This public letter was contributed by candidate for County Clerk Dane Sanchez. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. Lea este artículo en español aqui.
Dear residents and registered voters of San Benito County,
I am writing this letter to take the opportunity to be honest and transparent about what I did while employed with the County, why I am no longer an employee, and an insight into County operations.
I was born, raised, and been a lifelong resident of San Benito County. The reason I’m running for this position is because I feel like the current elected official is prioritizing himself over the department and community, which was made evident not only by the bungled recall signature verification, but also by the fact that I was made aware of a conflict of interest involving a misappropriation of department funds. We cannot continually go down this road of incompetence and corruption and expect different results.
I was an employee with the San Benito County Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department. I was initially hired as a temporary employee in late August 2020 and eventually earned a permanent position with the department. During my employment with the department, I created and administered the Drop Box Collection Program (which was used in the most recent Election) and Emergency Action Plan, assisted with signature checking, vote-by-mail board, 1% manual recount for certification, candidacy registration, public outreach events, transportation, loading/unloading, set-up/breakdown of equipment/materials at Vote Centers, relocated the Law Library, consolidated multiple storage areas to one location and other tasks as needed, which included being asked to assist in the Recorder division of the department.
Despite being knowledgeable and experienced within the department, I was released from employment with the County. When asked what was happening and for the reason, Mr. Diaz repeatedly told me, “I don’t have to tell you, all I have to do is give you this piece of paper.”
Because I overheard a conversation involving a conflict of interest prior to my release, I initiated a record request and confirmed that an address on a contract was associated with an employee, who’s still currently employed with the department. This employee was also in the office with Mr. Diaz when I was released from the County. Not only did the release feel like a way to discredit me, but it also stripped me of any whistleblower protection provided by federal, state and local laws.
Now I know at this point you may be wondering why I didn’t report this conflict of interest to the county, but that’s the problem, I did. I reported the misconduct to all five County Supervisors, County Auditor-Controller, a Human Resources Senior Analyst and County Council David Prentice, and nobody responded or reached out to ask for any additional information. It seems that county leadership is more comfortable sweeping things under the rug than holding those who violate county policies accountable, which is especially troubling in this department, because how can you say that you administer a fair and honest election, when you are willing to misappropriate money for your own personal gain.
I am also questioning why County leadership is now floating around the idea of making
the Lana Way location the new permanent facility for the Clerk-Recorder Department when it’s costing the county more than $13,000 a month, on top of giving them hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance money. To me, a few questions come to mind when thinking about the temporary relocation:
-Were the Assessors and Tax Collector departments given the same option as the
Clerk-Recorder to find a new facility?
-How much insurance money was given to each department and was there any oversight
how the insurance money was being distributed?
-Did the County over disperse the insurance money and now can’t afford to bring the
departments back downtown?
-With the lease set to expire in October this year, does the County plan to renew the lease?
If so, what are the new terms for the lease? Cost? Length of lease?
I think it’s a little strange that both the County and this department are being less than transparent, especially when Mr. Diaz is campaigning on honesty and transparency.
Having worked for this department for more than three years, I find it odd that County
policies and procedures seem to be more of a suggestion rather than the rule of law. I know it may seem like there’s ulterior motives, so you can take this information with a grain of salt, but this is what incompetence and corruption look like. If you would like to continue having open conversations, please feel free to reach out to me at: danesanchez4countyclerk@gmail.com.
I’ll finish by saying this: being a leader isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about asking better questions. In a world moving faster than ever, the people who stand out aren’t the ones who know everything, they’re the ones who stay curious, adapt quickly, and aren’t afraid to rethink what they thought they knew. Change will inevitably upset those who benefit from the status quo. That discomfort isn’t a signal to stop, but rather a sign that progress is necessary because the future doesn’t belong to the comfortable, it belongs to the adaptable.
Dane Sanchez
Candidate for County Clerk-Recorder
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