Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin will add another leadership hat
to his collection next month when he takes the reins as president
of the California State Sheriffs’ Association. He will take over
for San Benito County Sheriff Curtis Hill, who will retire Dec.
30.
Victor A. Patton
Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin will add another leadership hat to his collection next month when he takes the reins as president of the California State Sheriffs’ Association.
The nonprofit organization represents sheriffs in the state’s 58 counties and is geared toward advocating for the interests of law enforcement with legislators in Sacramento.
Pazin, currently the organization’s first vice president, will take over for San Benito County Sheriff Curtis Hill, who will retire Dec. 30.
Hill and Pazin exchanged gavels at the association’s board meeting in San Mateo County earlier this month.
Although Pazin has more than a week left before taking his seat, last week he met with Gov.-elect Jerry Brown about extending current vehicle license fees. Vehicle license fees were increased by the state in 2009 from 0.65 percent to 1.15 percent to deal with the state’s ballooning deficit.
The increase is scheduled to end in June. Pazin said the fees supplement a variety of law enforcement programs for sheriffs and police agencies, in addition to district attorney offices and probation departments. “What we’re trying to do is get a legislative remedy so that we have, in perpetuity, a steady financial stream dedicated to public safety in California at the local level,” Pazin said.
Hill said Pazin will play a key role in terms of “setting the tone” for public safety statewide. Although Pazin will represent sheriffs statewide, Hill said the role of president will help keep the Merced County Board of Supervisors and local police chiefs on the “front end” of issues related to law enforcement in Sacramento. “He’s going to have direct access to all of the leadership in Sacramento, the Legislature and the governor,” Hill said. “He’s going to be involved in some very serious policy discussions about how law enforcement is conducted statewide.”
Hill spoke positively of his successor. “I’ve seen him in action and I’ve learned from him,” Hill said. “They are getting someone who is very, very good at what he does.”
Pazin’s term as the association’s president will end in April 2012. The last Merced County sheriff to serve as the association’s president was John Latorraca, who was president during the 1960s.
Pazin will receive no compensation for his role.
