Undersheriff Kelly Martinez holds a lead over Hemmerling for San Diego County sheriff in early election results.
For the first time in more than 12 years, San Diego County will have a new sheriff in town.
County Undersheriff Kelly Martinez, the number two to former Sheriff Bill Gore, and John Hemmerling, a former prosecutor at the San Diego City Attorney's Office, faced off for the position and San Diego County voters have chimed in.
More than a week after Election Day, Martinez held an 18 point lead over her opponent.
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On Election Night, Hemmerling was still confident he could pull ahead.
"I'm still feeling good. It's early numbers, we've seen this before. Lots of people had not voted up to Monday and I'm still really confident. I think it's going to change and we're still going to get a win," Hemmerling said.
Due to recent legislation, the new sheriff will serve for six years, rather than the typical four-year term.
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In the primary election, Martinez received more than 27% of the vote while Hemmerling received 20% of the vote. About 45% of the vote was split between the five remaining candidates.
Since Gore's retirement in February, Assistant Sheriff Anthony Ray has served in an interim role, but he did not run for the position.
Martinez is looking to be the department's first female sheriff, following her appointment last year as the department's first female second-in-command. Martinez, who has served within the sheriff's department since 1985, has Gore's endorsement, as well as the backing of County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, among others.
She has touted recent work in the county to implement non-law enforcement staffed teams to respond to people experiencing mental health crises. Martinez also says she will invest in hiring additional medical staff and mental health professionals for the county's jails, and will continue what she says is a culture of transparency regarding in-custody deaths and body-worn camera footage releases.
Hemmerling was most recently a prosecutor at the San Diego City Attorney's Office, and also previously served as a San Diego police officer and U.S. Marine. The California Republican Party, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, and County Supervisor Joel Anderson are among his endorsements.
Though Hemmerling told several media outlets that his retirement last month from the City Attorney's Office was long in the works and intended to allow him to focus on his campaign, he recently came under fire for comments he made at a candidate forum in Ramona, which many viewed as anti-transgender. Hemmerling insisted his comments were directed at a county ordinance, and were not meant to criticize anyone based on their sex or gender identity.
Hemmerling says that if elected, he will focus on behavioral health services for those incarcerated in county jails and diversion opportunities to keep others out of custody. He says he will also focus on transparency within the department in order to boost public trust.
Hemmerling is endorsed by the state and county's Republican Party, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, former City Attorney Jan Goldsmith and retired San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman.
The election comes as the sheriff's department battles with staffing issues and continued scrutiny over inmate deaths at its jail facilities.
A state Auditor's Office report indicated the death rate at San Diego County jails was far higher than other large California counties and that the situation "raises concerns about underlying systemic issues with the Sheriff's Department's policies and practices."
