Across the nation, elections offices are grappling with the dual challenges of increased workload and staff burnout, factors that have led to significant mistakes in some jurisdictions, such as the recent ballot issues in Mendicino County. These challenges underscore the importance of adequate funding and Supervisor support to maintain the integrity and efficiency of election processes.

As a candidate for the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, how do you plan to address and prioritize the funding needs of our Elections Office to mitigate the risks of burnout and prevent such mistakes? Can you provide specific commitments to ensuring that the Elections Office is well-equipped to handle the demands of upcoming elections without compromising on quality and accuracy. 

— Harry

Responses

Brian Roberts

Thanks for the question.

Burn out and mistakes happen in every department.  Government work is boring.  This needs to change.  I have noticed a few mistakes when dealing with various departments here in Humboldt County on a personal level.

As a Supervisor you are the top manager (1 of 5) of Humboldt County responsible for hiring and managing your department heads.  I believe that as a manager an annual evaluation report should be done on all department heads.  We inspect cannabis farms on a regular basis why shouldn’t we inspect our top employees as well.  

The head of the Public Works Department just received a $1 million authorization from our Board two months ago to fix a list of roads handed to the board on a paper from Rex Bohn.  This same department head also appeared twice at hearing for Rolling Meadow Ranch a cannabis cultivation farm disputed by 1900 residents.  Why did the head of a department for Humboldt County appear at a hearing on behalf of an applicant?  Not one Supervisor questioned his actions.

In conclusion to your question, A Supervisor manages our non-elected department heads. 

I am hopeful that the county has voted for a strong leader who will encourage his staff to be responsible and trust worthy when it comes to elections.

The head of the Office of Elections for Humboldt County is Juan P. Cervantes.  The Board’s sole responsibility is to properly fund the election office and support Juan Cervantes. 

The only commitment any Supervisor can make is more funding.  Unfortunately we are $12 million in debt this year.  So I don’t suspect any candidate or Supervisor to endorse more spending on the elections.

We can talk about reducing the budget and increasing jobs.

Here is a copy of the rules for elections in California

https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/poll-worker-training-standards/section2.pdf

Thanks

Brian Roberts

Jeana McClendon

To maintain the integrity of our election systems we need to allocate resources wisely, invest in technology with redundancy, prioritize training and professional development, and ensure fair and transparent communications with the public, political parties and relevant  stakeholders. 

Our elected official Juan Pablo Cervantes, is tasked with maintaining elections integrity and efficiency.  As a Supervisor, I can make sure I’m advocating for sufficient funding for his department and dedicated staff to meet these crucial objectives.

 

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