The search is on for Los Angeles’ next police chief and City Hall is currently accepting applications.
While Mayor Eric Garcetti will make the final decision, it’s up to his handpicked police commissioners to whittle the field down to three finalists deemed to be most qualified to replace LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, who announced earlier this year that he would retire in June.
The L.A. Police Commission is a civilian oversight panel that presides over the nation’s third-largest force, setting LAPD’s overall policy, approving the budget, and deciding whether officer-involved shootings were justified. However, the body is made up of five Garcetti donors with no particular expertise in law enforcement. That reality has created a perception of cronyism, causing critics to question whether the commission acts independently, or on behalf of a mayor whose most notable public safety stance has been defying federal immigration law.
Nevertheless, these Garcetti appointees plan to begin interviewing applicants for LAPD’s next chief in early May:
1) Steve Soboroff, Real Estate Developer
Following his appointment in 2013, the Los Angeles Times described Steve Soboroff as “one of the city’s power elite and a staunch supporter of Garcetti during his run for mayor.”
Soboroff is the president of the Police Commission. Although he claims to be a Republican, he voted to re-elect Barack Obama in 2012 and has become known for his disdain for President Donald J. Trump.
After a viral video showed an unlawfully present immigrant being detained by federal agents as he dropped his daughters off at school, Commissioner Soboroff tweeted, “SHAME ON YOU POTUS.” He also asked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to clarify the agency’s definition of “criminal.”
His son, Jacob, is an on-air personality at the MSNBC television network.
2) Matthew Johnson, Entertainment Lawyer
As a managing partner at a high-profile L.A. law firm, Matthew Johnson has represented celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, actor Forest Whitaker, and tennis star Serena Williams.
Johnson, one of two black commissioners, is the board’s vice president. He has often been singled out by Black Lives Matter activists who call him the “house Negro.”
He stepped down as the commission’s president last year after being harassed by a Black Lives Matter member who appeared to threaten the safety of Johnson’s family. Ultimately, a judge issued a restraining order after the activist showed up at Johnson’s law office and home, concluding the intention was to “incite fear.”
Garcetti appointed Johnson’s wife, Yasmine, to the Board of Zoo Commissioners where she served from 2014 – 2017. The Johnsons helped plan several fundraisers for Garcetti during his first mayoral run, including one at their home.
3) Sandra Figueroa-Villa, Nonprofit Executive
Sandra Figueroa-Villa heads a nonprofit called El Centro del Pueblo. It is an affiliate of a Latino advocacy organization called UnidosUS, formerly known as the National Council of La Raza.
After the commission held a recent series of sparsely-attended public meetings seeking input on the next police chief, Figueroa-Villa decided that many residents distrust LAPD because of tension created by federal immigration policy.
“To my surprise, trust is a huge issue,” she told KPCC public radio. “I think the political climate with ICE set us back a little bit.”
Over the years, Figueroa-Villa’s nonprofit received millions of dollars from a city-funded gang prevention program that “had long been criticized for distributing funds based on political agendas,” according to the Daily Breeze.
4) Cynthia McClain-Hill, Attorney
Soon after becoming a police commissioner, Cynthia McClain-Hill was called out by the union representing rank-and-file LAPD officers for “reckless political grandstanding.”
“Ms. McClain-Hill has publicly aligned herself with disruptive activists, and encouraged their boorish and profane behavior, along with their bullying tactics at Police Commission meetings,” wrote Craig Lally, President of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, in a letter to Mayor Garcetti and City Council President Herb Wesson.
Some activists believe McClain-Hill, who is black, was appointed partly “to keep the Negros calm” during the weekly meetings. Police abolitionist groups like Black Lives Matter have attempted to use her to create dissension within the commission.
5) Shane Murphy Goldsmith, Foundation Executive
Shane Murphy Goldsmith leads the Liberty Hill Foundation, which funds some of the same anti-cop activist groups that often disrupt the Police Commission meetings. Metaphorically, it could be considered a regional version of George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
Upon being nominated to the board, the Los Angeles Times reported:
Goldsmith credited the Black Lives Matter movement for pushing the country’s attention onto the sometimes frayed relationships between police and residents, saying that helped create an “incredible opportunity” for change.
“It’s why I want to serve on the Police Commission,” she said. “There’s an opportunity to make a difference.”
Goldsmith is a former senior advisor to then-Councilman Garcetti, who officiated her wedding in 2008. It was one of the first state-sanctioned lesbian marriages in Los Angeles.
Both commissioners Goldsmith and McClain-Hill were appointed in 2016 after Black Lives Matter ended a 54-day encampment outside City Hall. The demonstrators had compiled a list of demands for Garcetti, including “fire Chief Beck” and “appoint real community advocates to the L.A. Police Commission.”
The public is encouraged to participate in an online survey where commissioners will use the results to target recruitment efforts for L.A.’s next top cop. It contains a variety of questions, including whether respondents most identify as male, female, or non-binary gender. The poll will be open until March 23.
The City Council must approve Garcetti’s choice for police chief.
Follow Jeffrey Cawood on Twitter @Near_Chaos.