Sonoma County Democratic Party Statement On Supervisor Efren Carrillo’s Arrest

It's been a tough couple of months for Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo. 

He was arrested on burglary charges back in July, and now it seems that local Dems have turned on him. 

On Aug. 13, The Sonoma County Democratic Party released their official statement on the arrest of Carrillo.

In the statement, county democrats stated that “Carrillo’s behavior fails to meet the standard of conduct we expect from our elected officials, and he should resign.”

Carrillo was arrested in July after police caught him wearing only underwear and socks near his home.

Carrillo was also arrested on Labor Day weekend in 2012 when authorities connected him with a bar fight in San Diego. The charges in that specific case were later dropped.

Carrillo is next due in court on Aug. 30 to find out what charges prosecutors will file.

Here is the Sonoma County Democratic Party Statement in full:

As a Central Committee, we believe elected officials need to be held to a very high standard. For a Supervisor to be arrested is always a matter of serious concern. In this case, the circumstances described by the Santa Rosa Police Department that led them to recommend charging a sitting Supervisor with a felony raise grave concerns for the victim.

As Democrats, we believe that everyone should be able to feel safe in his or her community, and this especially extends to women feeling safe in their own homes. We can only imagine how afraid the woman who called 911 – not once, but twice – must have been. The person who was arrested as a result of those calls was Efren Carrillo. The Santa Rosa Police Department stated that they found him dressed only in his underwear and socks.

As Democrats, we also believe in the due process of law. Affording legal protection to the accused is at the heart of our democracy. Efren Carrillo is entitled to present his defense in a court of law.  However, if the details of this case have thus far been portrayed accurately, we believe that Supervisor Carrillo’s behavior fails to meet the standard of conduct we expect from our elected officials, and he should resign. Like all citizens, Supervisor Carrillo has the right to publicly defend himself.  We await his explanation of the events that have transpired.