El Dorado Board of Supervisors vote 3-2 to disband Human Rights Commission

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - Even though there was overwhelming support voiced for keeping the El Dorado County Human Rights Commission, the supervisors took a first vote to dissolve the five-year-old commission through the adoption of a new ordinance. Supervisors Brooke Laine and John Hidahl were the only two to vote in favor of keeping the commission, with Supervisors Lori Parlin, John Turnboo, and Wendy Thomas against.

What started as an ad-hoc committee, the commission was created by an ordinance in March 2018. The goal was to promote tolerance and mutual respect among all persons and to foster peaceful relations in the interest of preserving public peace among residents of different races, religions, and national origins. It was meant to bring awareness to the community about human rights and to serve as a place for people to be heard. They covered a plethora of topics including homelessness, racial issues, mental illness, and religious freedom.

The commission was made up of one representative from each of the county's five areas.

Human Rights Commission (HRC) Chair Susan Simpkin told the supervisors that their presence showed people there was a place where they could voice concerns, share issues, and someone would listen.

“We wanted to hear what these issues are so when we talk to the board we can let them know these are things going on in the county so they can make policies and decisions dedicated to inclusion and having people feel safe here,” said Simpkin.

There have been past issues in the county that showed the need for a commission. The weekend prior to the supervisor's meeting a group of Oak Ridge High School students demonstrated in Placerville to show support for the Human Rights Commission. Led by the school's Amnesty International Club, students carried signs showing support for the commission, and suggestions that if it isn't working, then fix it, don't disband.

This is what Hidahl asked his fellow supervisors to do. There had been complaints from some members of the community that they felt the commission was too political and didn't report back to the supervisors often enough.

"It serves a valuable service, a valid purpose," said Hidahl of the commission.

Supervisor Laine who represents the area from Pollock Pines to Tahoma, South Lake Tahoe, and Meyers agreed with Hidahl and offered to join the commission to offer support.

Hidahl helped form the Human Rights Commission with former Supervisor Sue Novasel of Meyers. He said he is concerned this important avenue will be axed.

He said hate speech, antisemitic literature and leaflets, and ugly acts of racism and sexism in schools are happening in El Dorado County, and the commission could be tweaked to better address these concerns but disbanding was not the answer.

"Clean up our own house in our own county and not tell people to go to other cities for representation," said Hidahl as others mentioned Sacramento had human rights representatives people could utilize.

Turnboo said the county could adopt what is being done in Shasta county. In that community, there is SCCAR, Shasta County Citizens Advocating Respect which was formed in 1988 to promote civil rights and social justice. It was formed since there was no HRC/Council in Shasta even though community members tried to form one in 2006. It serves as a de facto agency even for non-racial issues. It is an all-volunteer organization that provides assistance and advocacy services.

One speaker during the public comment on the issue said there is "free-flowing hostility and racial slurs at the high school."

Oak Ridge High School is where issues arose during a girl's championship soccer game in 2021 against visiting Buchanan High School of Clovis. An Oak Ridge student in the stands made animal noises as Hispanic and Black players from Buchanan took penalty shots. A Human Rights Commission meeting afterward brought school district personnel together with families to work out responses to bullying and discrimination.

Black Lives Matter Adopt-A-Highway signs were vandalized in El Dorado County, and there was a stir when the Proud Boys were at a Placerville Christmas toy event. In 2021, dozens of National Guard troops and military vehicles parked in front of the Holiday Inn Express in El Dorado Hills. Former Sheriff D'Agostini said at the time he was being proactive in response to a call from a resident in El Dorado Hills that took to social media to say "Carloads of rioters are hitting the neighborhoods and businesses NOW!!!” Those carloads turned out to be a group of young, Black entrepreneurs who were taken on a walking tour by a youth leader, showing people how to “envision” a life for themselves in such a wealthy area. Two days later the only RC-26B surveillance aircraft in the state (and one of 11 in the country) was dispatched to the county.

Hidahl and Laine asked to have time to look into alternatives or make the commission work to meet the expectations of Turnboo, Parlin, and Thomas. They wanted to keep it going until options could be investigated, and in the meantime, those with issues of discrimination and other human rights had an avenue if violated.

The new ordinance was approved on the first reading and it will have final reading during the supervisors' March 21 meeting where it is item 9 on the consent agenda.

In a previous move, the Board of Supervisors considered a change to the requirement for all board-appointed members of El Dorado County committees, commissions, and boards to complete implicit bias training. Supporters of keeping the requirement say the training is important while others argued it has had unintended consequences, leading to people resigning and making recruiting challenging. Just 67 percent of committee members complete the required training.

Supervisors Parlin and Thomas recommended the Board remove the Implicit Bias Training requirement for Board-appointed members of all Committees/Commissions/Boards during the February 21 meeting. Instead after discussion, everyone but Parlin voted to have revisions to the requirement brought back to the Board in the future. Revisions would be 1) El Dorado County Boards, Committees, and Commissions who fall under the County's Conflict of Interest Code and are required to file a Form 700 will be required to complete the Implicit Bias course; and 2) All other El Dorado County Boards, Committees and Commissions will be strongly encouraged to complete the Implicit Bias course.