Golf tournament beer run raises question about county vehicle use

A Ceres resident on Friday demanded an explanation for a Stanislaus County car that was parked outside a supermarket Wednesday with several cases of beer stacked on the back seat.

Although the beverages were purchased for a good cause, the beer-laden county car had the appearance of impropriety, Sheriff Adam Christianson said Friday, and temporarily created an image problem for county government.

The car is assigned to a sheriff’s deputy who works full time to support the Police Activities League program, the sheriff said. He said the beer was purchased as refreshments for a golf tournament being held Saturday at Diablo Grande that raises major dollars for PAL programs.

According to an email accompanying the photos, a person who shopped at the Save Mart on East Whitmore Avenue in Ceres saw the car in the parking lot at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. He thought perhaps the car was being used by an off-duty county employee.

The Ceres resident, who declined to be identified, sent the pictures Friday to two staff members in the county chief executive’s office, The Modesto Bee and a Sacramento news station, he said.

His message to the county asked for an explanation and suggested it was a violation of county vehicle-use policy.

County Assistant Executive Officer Keith Boggs, who oversees the county fleet, said he checked vehicle records and determined the car is assigned to a deputy who works for PAL, a recreation and education program for young people ages 6 to 18. The Police Activities League is a separate nonprofit organization that has staff support from the Sheriff’s Department.

The annual golf tournament previously has raised $70,000 for PAL, Boggs said.

Christianson said the car is assigned to Deputy Bret Silveira, who works full time on the PAL program. The vehicle is for work and not for off-duty use, he said. Silveira is solely responsible for organizing the golf tournament and used the car to obtain and transport the beer and other supplies for the event.

That is not a violation of county policy, but the deputy used poor judgment, the sheriff said.

“While I find this to be an appropriate use of the vehicle, it would have been better to use a vehicle that was not clearly marked with Stanislaus County logos so as not to confuse the public and create the appearance of impropriety,” Christianson wrote in an email.

Christianson said the person who took the photos and sent them to the county had a right to seek an explanation. “We will make sure it doesn’t happen again,” the sheriff said.

Silveira did not return a message from The Bee left on his PAL office voice mail. Christianson said the deputy “puts in tremendous time and effort to ensure (the tournament) is a success, generating revenue needed for our programs.”

Terry Withrow, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said he heard about the vehicle issue Friday. “They probably should not have used that car,” Withrow said, but the tournament is a good cause and “it was good intentions.”

Christianson’s judgment was questioned in 2013 when he approved the use of a Sheriff’s Department helicopter for a golf-ball drop at the Make Dreams Real charity event in Calaveras County. Former Chief Executive Officer Monica Nino investigated and advised Christianson to be aware of public perception before authorizing the use of a helicopter and crew for a private fundraising event.

This story was originally published April 24, 2015 at 7:51 PM with the headline "Golf tournament beer run raises question about county vehicle use."