Efren Carrillo appointed chairman of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors

Supervisor Efren Carrillo on Tuesday was appointed by his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors to the most influential post in Sonoma County government, taking over as board chairman for Susan Gorin, who served in the rotating position for the past year.

Carrillo, 34, who has served two terms, laid out his policy goals for the county in the coming year, but he did not make clear whether he intends to enter the race to retain his seat representing west county.

In his first remarks from the dais, Carrillo sought to bring renewed attention and funding to several high-profile county initiatives underway, including construction of new affordable housing, launch of a local universal preschool program, advancing annexation of Roseland and implementing recommendations from the Community and Local Law Enforcement Task Force, set up in the aftermath of the 2013 shooting death of 13-year-old Andy Lopez.

“This is an exciting year,” Carrillo said after taking over the gavel. “It is humbling to have the trust and support of this board.”

Carrillo’s ongoing silence about his future in elected county office has been acknowledged by both his supporters and detractors, some of whom were in the audience Tuesday morning.

“We’re paying very close attention to that race. … It’s going to be the most high-profile and most highly contested,” said Daniel Sanchez, director of government affairs for the North Bay Association of Realtors, a business advocacy group that endorsed Carrillo in 2008 and 2012. “Whoever takes the seat is going to determine the balance of power on the Board of Supervisors.”

The filing deadline for candidates entering the June primary is in March. A field of contenders has begun taking shape for the west county seat, and the two other supervisors up for re-election, Gorin and Shirlee Zane, already have launched their campaigns and started raising money.

Carrillo has not hired a campaign manager, launched any fundraising push or undertaken any other activities that would signal he intends to run.

But that inaction should not suggest he has bowed out of the race, Carrillo said in an interview Tuesday. He again declined to reveal his plans, while arguing that it is not too late to mount a campaign.

“There’s a lot of speculation, but the decision has not yet been made whether I’m in or out - this decision belongs to myself and my family,” Carrillo said. “My immediate focus is to do the best job I can every day serving as board chairman. … I don’t have a definite answer about whether or not I am going to run, but I’m not ruling it out today.”

The last time Carrillo served as board chairman, in 2011, he was regarded by many in political circles as an ascendant figure in the Democratic Party with ambitions for statewide elected office. His political stature has been greatly diminished in the aftermath of a pair of alcohol-fueled arrests in 2012 and 2013, however, and a high-profile misdemeanor trial in 2014 on peeking charges that ended with his acquittal.

Carrillo acknowledged the political tumult he has faced since his past arrests.

“There are always hurdles …but my passion for public service has never wavered,” he said. “I’m no stranger to public scrutiny, but I believe I’m one who has always done his best work when confronting significant challenges.”

Should he run, Carrillo would have to overcome the public criticism that has dogged him in the fallout from those legal cases. He would also have to re-engage with his biggest backers in a more public way on the campaign trail. Those supporters, including many in the business and farming community and some labor groups, have substantial political clout and financial resources, but it is unclear whether they would be inclined to throw their weight behind Carrillo.

Meanwhile, his most vocal critics continue to call for his ouster.

One held a sign Tuesday that read “Resign,” and later lambasted the other four supervisors for unanimously appointing Carrillo to the chairman’s post.

“I don’t understand how you can vote this way … this is a sad day in Sonoma County, electing Carrillo as your chairman,” said Thomas Morabito, a Sebastopol resident and outspoken Carrillo critic who pounded his fist as he spoke to the board.

He referenced Carrillo’s July 2013 pre-dawn arrest on suspicion of prowling outside a female neighbor’s home and the call by Zane, Gorin, then-Supervisor Mike McGuire, and to a lesser degree Supervisor David Rabbitt for Carrillo to resign.

“How do you look at mothers, sisters, daughters - how do you look them in the eye?” Morabito asked. “How can you reward this behavior?”

Carrillo blamed his past behavior on a toxic mix of alcohol and arrogance. A jury in the 2014 trial found him not guilty of attempting to peek into the woman’s home. A $2.5 million civil lawsuit, filed by Carrillo’s former neighbor who has only been identified as Jane Doe, has not been resolved.

The only person who has officially entered the race for Carrillo’s 5th District seat is Lynda Hopkins, a Forestville resident and independent farmer.

Also considering a run are Noreen Evans, the former state legislator who last month moved to Sebastopol - and into the 5th District - from her Rincon Valley home; Eric Koenigshofer, an Occidental attorney and one of Carrillo’s closest advisers who represented the same district on the Board of Supervisors 35 years ago; Tawny Tesconi, a native of west Santa Rosa who, until Dec. 31, was director of the county’s General Services Department; Dennis Rosatti, executive director of Sonoma County Conservation Action, the area’s largest environmental organization; and Rue Furch, a former county planning commissioner who lost to Carrillo in 2008.

Tesconi resigned from her county position last month, according to County Administrator Veronica Ferguson. An email from Tesconi indicated her last day was Dec. 31.

In discussing the board’s agenda for the upcoming year, Carrillo highlighted issues surrounding poverty, the environment and education. In addition to annexation of Roseland, affordable housing and universal preschool, Carrillo said his intent was to take on other initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, repair roads and infrastructure and ensure the health of the Russian River.

“I think this is going to be a banner year for this board,” he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@ahartreports.