38 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 9-15, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com FACE TO FACE Even before she was sworn in as Monterey County Sheriff on Dec. 30, Tina Nieto was thrown into the maelstrom of a historic weather event, in the form of this winter’s torrential rainstorms and floods. She was involved in emergency management meetings that began on Dec. 26, when she was still transitioning from her previous role as Marina’s police chief. “I had stuff in boxes in the [Sheriff’s] offices, and the prior administration hadn’t vacated the premises yet,” she recalls. “It was a little awkward.” For Nieto, the proverbial baptism by fire became a “baptism by water, by Mother Nature,” she says. But the sheriff notes that she was prepared by 33 years in law enforcement, including her experience dealing with wildfires as a member of the Los Angeles Police Department. “I got to see very early in my career the destruction of Mother Nature, and what it can do to communities very quickly if you’re not prepared.” Weekly: You came into the job and immediately were met with this once-in-a-generation storm. What were those early days of your tenure like? Nieto: It was an opportunity to get to know our county partners very quickly. It was chaotic, but I was very comfortable in my role. The hard part was the unpredictability of it, because we were hit by storm after storm after storm, and that can get tiring. By the end of that first 16 days, I was tired— the rest of the team was tired, the county was tired. There was criticism that we got from some people, like ‘Why did you evacuate us?’ Based on the information that I was given at the time by the weather experts [and] the water resources board, I would make the same call now. What kind of respite did you have from that stress? Was there any way to unwind? I would go home and hug my dogs, and then fall asleep. I like to read, believe it or not. I’m reading Caste [by Isabel Wilkerson]. It’s about social justice. I’m not trying to impress you— these are books that people handed to me and said it would help me understand the community. I’m reading a book that has to do with the history of the whole Salinas area [by Carol McKibben]; I learned a lot of stuff about Salinas I didn’t know. And for fun, I like to read science fiction—I’m a big sci-fi nut. Do you have any favorite cop shows? My favorite cop show right now is The Rookie. It’s not even close to what LAPD is really like. To me, it’s just entertaining and funny. I saw a couple episodes of Bosch and that’s the closest [depiction] that I’ve seen to the LAPD. They are really that harsh; they eat their young, there’s horrible language used. I had to learn how to quit saying the F-word when I moved up here [laughs]. In a story we recently wrote about ghost guns, local law enforcement officials said the Sheriff’s Office under you has emphasized greater inter-departmental cooperation. Why has that been a priority? Let me be perfectly honest: The inter-office cooperation sucked between the Sheriff’s Office and the other municipalities prior to me coming over. That’s why I’m your sheriff. I was president of the Monterey County Chiefs [Law Executive Association] at that time, and we didn’t really know what the Sheriff’s Office was doing; it seemed like they were in a silo. Has anything surprised you about the job? Are there things that might be a bigger lift than you expected? Every day is a big surprise about what I thought was going on and how the Sheriff’s Office has been run. Every day is a discovery where you think, “Well, this is industry standard,” and then you’re finding out that that’s not happening. I’ll give you one: How do you build a new jail that doesn’t have a kitchen or a laundry? How do you build a jail that has a third-floor area, but no elevator that goes up to it? It’s stuff that you go, “Are you kidding me?” As one of the first openly gay and first female Latina sheriffs in the state, do you think you’re paving the way for others like you? I know it’s easier for the next person when those role models are already in place; you don’t have to imagine a world where that exists and what it would look like. When I joined the LAPD [in 1989], you couldn’t be gay—they wouldn’t even accept you. Everybody had fake boyfriends or girlfriends, or were sham-married or stuff like that. If they found out you were gay, you would not have been hired by the LAPD. New Sheriff In Town Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto reflects on her storm-soaked early days in charge. By Rey Mashayekhi Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto says it will take time to implement her vision for the department as she begins a six-year term. “It takes four or five years just to start turning a big ship like this...It’s not going to be overnight.” DANIEL DREIFUSS PLEASE JOIN US! WHAT: Golden Oldies Volunteer/Foster Orientation WHEN: 5:30-7 PM Thursday, March 30th WHERE: Old Town Monterey (location details provided with RSVP) Current and new volunteers/fosters are invited to attend. Light refreshments provided. RSVP: 831-200-9700 or goldenoldiescats@gmail.com by 3/21/23 If you would like to sponsor our next ad, give us a call at 831-200-9700. 831.200.9700 • www.gocatrescue.org If you’d like to sponsor our next ad, give us a call. Moku This sweet and goofy teenage boy is searching for an active adopter who can take him on some fun outings. He’s affectionate, bonds easily, and wants to please his people. Moku could benefit from an adopter dedicated to training and socialization. Moku is a 3-year-old, 63-pound, Neutered Male, German Shorthair Pointer Mix. If you’d like to meet Moku, please fill out an online adoption questionnaire. P.O. Box 51554, Pacific Grove 831.718.9122 peaceofminddogrescue.org AD SPONSORED by Carolyn Martinez in memory of Kitty Ka Koo
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