Outgoing Stanislaus Supervisor Jim DeMartini’s lack of compassion is shameful

It’s been a long time since I watched a Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors meeting. The one on Dec. 1 was brought to my attention because of comments made by Jim DeMartini, outgoing supervisor of District 5, where I live.

I was told that at 3 hours and 30 minutes into the meeting, Jim made disparaging remarks about homeless persons in our county, and the people who are trying to help them. This didn’t surprise me. His callousness was one reason I ran against him in 2016.

These days, however, blatant disregard for others seems to be a leadership quality. Jim is on his way out the door and I felt compelled to hear his comments.

I watched the website video. Most of it focused on efforts to mitigate homelessness over the past few years. An extensive report detailed the shelter and housing crisis, and how it is addressed through various partnerships with law enforcement, government agencies, and nonprofit service providers.

Besides the immediate need for shelter, homeless individuals and families need support to address the factors leading to their situation. This may involve physical and mental health screenings, substance abuse treatment, or employment assistance. Success comes through engaging with each person and gaining their trust.

After the report came expressions of gratitude. Supervisor Withrow said: “All the work we’ve done leads in the state. Kudos. Thank you.” Supervisor Chiesa said the approach made sense to him. I was impressed, too.

DeMartini was not impressed. When he coughed and cleared his throat, I think we all knew he was going to give us a piece of his mind.

“Law enforcement is lacking,” he said, “allowing people to terrorize the communities.” He called the homeless “bums, vagrants, criminals,” and said we must not “coddle them,” but throw them in jail.

He compared encampments to those of third-world refugees. “They need to live to the standard everyone else does. I don’t live on the street, I don’t shoplift in stores, I don’t have open drug use or drunk in public.” He went on to say, “This issue has been bothering me for years. We give out free stuff to bums.”

Jim’s conclusion: “What we do here is a failure. If they want to be a burden on society, make them pay a penalty and put them in jail.”

His comments reminded me of 2016. On the campaign trail, in several forums, he blamed all the woes of society on fatherless homes. In other words, single mothers. It must have been torture for him to bite his tongue about the homeless. Makes you wonder what other populations he held in contempt. Perhaps disabled people? County workers? Law enforcement? Journalists?

Why is this important now? For one thing, we should think twice before naming anything after him, but mostly because we are on the path to a homeless crisis never before been imagined.

Evictions are looming due to the pandemic. Rents in our county are too expensive for low-income families. They will be unable to live up to Jim’s “standard.” Perhaps they should be placed in a pauper’s prison, along with — in his words — the “bums, vagrants, and other homeless criminals.” That will teach them.

I suppose we should be grateful that Jim never or rarely missed a meeting. That is worth something.

Thank you for that, Jim. I hope your next community lives up to your standard. Happy trails! Don’t let that door hit you on the way out.