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Los Angeles Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Obituary: John Briscoe was a tenacious longtime Ocean View School District trustee
John Briscoe, a longtime member of the Ocean View School District Board of Trustees known as a dogged public rights advocate, has died. Briscoe died May 16 at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center after complications from open heart surgery, his wife Debbie said. The Huntington Beach resident was 72 years old. Briscoe served on the OVSD board for 16 years beginning in 2006 and valued his role as a public official. He was involved until the end, running for the board again last fall and for the vacant state Senate District 36 seat earlier this year. He was a Republican but worked well across the aisle, said fellow longtime board member Gina Clayton-Tarvin, a Democrat who said she considered Briscoe one of her best friends and talked to him every day. 'He would get endorsed by different groups, not partisan groups,' Clayton-Tarvin said. 'Some would lean left, some leaned right. It was like he was kind of an enigma, really, because he did so much good work for children.' Briscoe sued the city multiple times over the years on various issues and always won, Clayton-Tarvin said. Some of his most high-profile work on the OVSD board involved setting the largest lawsuit in the district's history, against Rainbow Environmental Services (now Republic Services) over concerns about a disposal site's impact on students at nearby Oak View Elementary. Briscoe was also instrumental in helping to pass Measure R, a $169-million bond measure passed by voters in 2016 that led to the modernization of several elementary and middle schools in the district. Former Ocean View School District Supt. Carol Hansen, who worked with Briscoe for seven years, said he was focused on rebuilding the credibility and stability of the district after asbestos was discovered in three district elementary schools in 2014. 'He had a laser-like focus on academic achievement for students, and doing what was right,' Hansen said. 'He stuck to what he believed in. He didn't veer off his own beliefs and values, which I admired him for that. He wouldn't be easily persuaded by others, he would do his research and stay focused on what his values were and what direction he wanted for the district.' Born in Altadena, Briscoe earned bachelor's degrees in psychology and speech communication from Cal State Long Beach. Briscoe also held a pair of master's degrees, in business administration from Claremont Graduate University and in public administration from Long Beach State, where he would lecture on marketing. He also recently earned his doctorate from National University. He and Debbie also ran a real estate property management company. Briscoe's involvement in the community also included earning an Eagle Scout title and becoming an assistant Scoutmaster. He coached youth soccer and baseball and was a member of Rotary International as well. He had a love of travel, according to his wife. 'He just had a passion for helping people,' Debbie Briscoe said. 'We took our grandson to Disneyland, and [John] would talk to everybody in line, everybody at the restaurant. [He said], 'What do you mean you're not going to school? How can you get ahead if you're not going to school?' He does the same thing at the grocery store. He's always trying to get people involved in the community.' Briscoe attended the same Huntington Beach church as OVSD Board President Patricia Singer, she said in a social media post tribute to him. 'He served as a greeter, welcoming others with that same warmth he carried everywhere,' Singer said. 'His faith was not just a part of him, it guided every aspect of his life. I will deeply miss our long, impassioned conversations about public education. He always had an idea — often unconventional, always insightful — about how to do better, how to reach farther, how to care more.' In addition to his wife, Briscoe is survived by his sister Cindy, brother Bill, son Tyler, daughter-in-law Penny and 2-year-old grandson Jeremy. Debbie Briscoe said a celebration of life service is planned for July 15 at 11 a.m. at Old World in Huntington Beach. The service will take place three days after what would have been the couple's 50th wedding anniversary.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
L.A. Sheriff Luna sues oversight commission over deputy misconduct subpoenas
Sheriff Robert Luna sued the county's Civilian Oversight Commission this week, asking a court to decide whether the department should comply with the commission's subpoenas requesting information about deputy misconduct and uses of force. Filed in L.A. County Superior Court, the suit comes after the oversight commission issued subpoenas demanding records relating to three controversial cases in which deputies beat or shot young men. Some of the deputies involved have been fired, barred from being sworn police officers or pleaded guilty to federal crimes. The department's response to the subpoenas is due Thursday morning, but the lawsuit filed earlier this week said Luna was unsure whether state laws that keep most police personnel records secret would conflict with legal requirements to obey the commission's subpoena. Read more: Ex-deputy accused of punching Palmdale mother holding baby sues county for firing him 'The Sheriff's Department is committed to transparency in law enforcement and has worked diligently to partner with the COC,' the department told The Times in an emailed statement. 'This complaint is not intended to cause division between county departments, but rather to gain clear guidance on the complex legal issues surrounding what can and cannot be disclosed to the COC moving forward. Without judicial clarification on this long-running disagreement, the Department risks potential criminal charges, civil liability, and erosion of public trust.' Robert Bonner, the former federal judge who chairs the oversight commission, saw it differently. 'We regret that the Sheriff believes it necessary to sue the Civilian Oversight Commission — the Commission charged with oversight of his department — to seek guidance from the courts,' he told The Times. 'We find it curious that the Sheriff chose to do this on the eve of his obligation to respond to three commission subpoenas which seek to compel him and his department to provide reports of use of force against citizens to the commission.' In early 2020, the Board of Supervisors gave the commission the ability to direct the Office of Inspector General to issue subpoenas. Two months later, amid a series of Sheriff's Department scandals, Los Angeles voters overwhelmingly approved Measure R, giving the commission power to directly subpoena witnesses and records. A few months after that, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law granting subpoena power to oversight bodies statewide. Over the past few years, the oversight commission has typically requested documents — including those relating to jail deaths, deputy gangs and sexual misconduct — through public records laws. The Sheriff's Department has turned over records in response to some commission requests, but has resisted others, saying the records in question were confidential. In February, the commission took a stronger approach and issued subpoenas. Read more: Key L.A. sheriff oversight official resigns, citing interference from county lawyers One of the subpoenas asks for all investigative materials relating to the killing of Andres Guardado, an 18-year-old who was killed in 2020 by deputies who shot him in the back after a brief foot chase. Both of the deputies involved were later sentenced to federal prison for an unrelated incident in which they admitted to kidnapping and abusing a skateboarder after he yelled at them to stop picking on teens in a Compton park. Another subpoena sought records in the case of Emmett Brock, a transgender man who was beaten by a Norwalk deputy outside a 7-Eleven in 2023. The incident was caught on camera, and last year Deputy Joseph Benza pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights violation for using excessive force. At least eight other deputies were relieved of duty after Benza made several damning allegations in his plea agreement, including claims that numerous other deputies and sergeants had helped cover up his misconduct. The third subpoena seeks records in connection with the case of Joseph Perez, who was beaten by Industry station sheriff's deputies in 2020. The department deemed the use of force to be within policy, though Perez disputes that and has since filed suit. The case is still pending. Each of the three subpoenas signed by Bonner includes an all-caps warning: 'DISOBEDIENCE OF THIS SUBPOENA MAY BE PUNISHED AS CONTEMPT BY A COURT. YOU WILL ALSO BE LIABLE FOR THE SUM OF FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS AND ALL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM YOUR FAILURE TO OBEY.' The department says some of the records oversight officials have asked for are secret under a state law that makes most kinds of deputy personnel records confidential. That law, section 832.7 of the California Penal Code, has some exceptions so prosecutors, state oversight officials and grand juries can see confidential records as needed during investigations. But the Sheriff's Department says the law doesn't specifically say that Civilian Oversight Commissions are allowed to see those records, and that a court needed to clarify so sheriff's officials are not held criminally liable for complying. This isn't the first time the commission's subpoena powers have been met with resistance from the Sheriff's Department. In 2020, when the commission subpoenaed the former sheriff, Alex Villanueva, about his response to COVID-19 in the jail, Villanueva questioned the legality of that move. The dispute ended up in court, and ultimately Villanueva agreed to answer the commission's questions voluntarily. When oversight officials issued more subpoenas, Villanueva resisted those as well, resulting in multiple court cases. One of those cases nearly led to a contempt hearing in 2022, but the court called it off after Villanueva's lawyers asked a higher court to step in. In late 2023, after he was no longer sheriff, Villanueva finally agreed to testify under oath and answer questions about alleged deputy gangs operating within the department. In the lawsuit filed this week, the Sheriff's Department tried to distance itself from Villanueva's approach, saying it was taking a 'markedly different approach' from the prior administration, which 'actively resisted COC oversight efforts, requiring the COC at times to seek court intervention to force LASD to comply with requests.' Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. Sheriff Luna sues oversight commission over deputy misconduct subpoenas
Sheriff Robert Luna sued the county's Civilian Oversight Commission this week, asking a court to decide whether the department should comply with the commission's subpoenas requesting information about deputy misconduct and uses of force. Filed in L.A. County Superior Court, the suit comes after the oversight commission issued subpoenas demanding records relating to three controversial cases in which deputies beat or shot young men. Some of the deputies involved have been fired, barred from being sworn police officers or pleaded guilty to federal crimes. The department's response to the subpoenas is due Thursday morning, but the lawsuit filed earlier this week said Luna was unsure whether state laws that keep most police personnel records secret would conflict with legal requirements to obey the commission's subpoena. 'The Sheriff's Department is committed to transparency in law enforcement and has worked diligently to partner with the COC,' the department told The Times in an emailed statement. 'This complaint is not intended to cause division between county departments, but rather to gain clear guidance on the complex legal issues surrounding what can and cannot be disclosed to the COC moving forward. Without judicial clarification on this long-running disagreement, the Department risks potential criminal charges, civil liability, and erosion of public trust.' Robert Bonner, the former federal judge who chairs the oversight commission, saw it differently. 'We regret that the Sheriff believes it necessary to sue the Civilian Oversight Commission – the Commission charged with oversight of his department – to seek guidance from the courts,' he told The Times. 'We find it curious that the Sheriff chose to do this on the eve of his obligation to respond to three commission subpoenas which seek to compel him and his department to provide reports of use of force against citizens to the commission.' In early 2020, the Board of Supervisors gave the commission the ability to direct the Office of Inspector General to issue subpoenas. Two months later, amid a series of Sheriff's Department scandals, Los Angeles voters overwhelmingly approved Measure R, giving the commission power to directly subpoena witnesses and records. A few months after that, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law granting subpoena power to oversight bodies statewide. Over the past few years, the oversight commission has typically requested documents — including those relating to jail deaths, deputy gangs and sexual misconduct — through public records laws. The Sheriff's Department has turned over records in response to some commission requests, but has resisted others, saying the records in question were confidential. In February, the commission took a stronger approach and issued subpoenas. One of the subpoenas asks for all investigative materials relating to the killing of Andres Guardado, an 18-year-old who was killed in 2020 by deputies who shot him in the back after a brief foot chase. Both of the deputies involved were later sentenced to federal prison for an unrelated incident in which they admitted to kidnapping and abusing a skateboarder after he yelled at them to stop picking on teens in a Compton park. Another subpoena sought records in the case of Emmett Brock, a transgender man who was beaten by a Norwalk deputy outside a 7-Eleven in 2023. The incident was caught on camera, and last year Deputy Joseph Benza pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights violation for using excessive force. At least eight other deputies were relieved of duty after Benza made several damning allegations in his plea agreement, including claims that numerous other deputies and sergeants had helped cover up his misconduct. The third subpoena seeks records in connection with the case of Joseph Perez, who was beaten by Industry station sheriff's deputies in 2020. The department deemed the use of force to be within policy, though Perez disputes that and has since filed suit. The case is still pending. Each of the three subpoenas signed by Bonner includes an all-caps warning: 'DISOBEDIENCE OF THIS SUBPOENA MAY BE PUNISHED AS CONTEMPT BY A COURT. YOU WILL ALSO BE LIABLE FOR THE SUM OF FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS AND ALL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM YOUR FAILURE TO OBEY.' The department says some of the records oversight officials have asked for are secret under a state law that makes most kinds of deputy personnel records confidential. That law, section 832.7 of the California Penal Code, has some exceptions so prosecutors, state oversight officials and grand juries can see confidential records as needed during investigations. But the Sheriff's Department says the law doesn't specifically say that Civilian Oversight Commissions are allowed to see those records, and that a court needed to clarify so sheriff's officials are not held criminally liable for complying. This isn't the first time the commission's subpoena powers have been met with resistance from the Sheriff's Department. In 2020, when the commission subpoenaed the former sheriff, Alex Villanueva, about his response to COVID-19 in the jail, Villanueva questioned the legality of that move. The dispute ended up in court, and ultimately Villanueva agreed to answer the commission's questions voluntarily. When oversight officials issued more subpoenas, and Villanueva resisted those as well, resulting in multiple court cases. One of those cases nearly led to a contempt hearing in 2022, but the court called it off after Villanueva's lawyers asked a higher court to step in. In late 2023, after he was no longer sheriff, Villanueva finally agreed to testify under oath and answer questions about alleged deputy gangs operating within the department. In the lawsuit filed this week, the Sheriff's Department tried to distance itself from Villanueva's approach, saying it was taking a 'markedly different approach' from the prior administration which 'actively resisted COC oversight efforts, requiring the COC at times to seek court intervention to force LASD to comply with requests.'
