Speier and Eshoo Fire Shot Heard Round the County

Hill in the Line of Fire of Congressmembers

San Mateo County’s two members of Congress stunned political insiders last Friday by publicly calling for a full investigation of the incident last year in which San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks and Undersheriff Carlos Bolanos were detained in a Las Vegas brothel in a law enforcement sting.

Newly minted Congresswoman Jackie Speier, quoted in the Daily News expose, stated: "This cries out for a comprehensive external investigation, because the highest law enforcement officer in the county should not be under any suspicion of illegal activity at any time, ever.”

It has been a year since San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks and Undersheriff Carlos Bolanos were detained by law enforcement officials in a sweep of brothels in Las Vegas, Nevada under a two year investigation named “Operation Dollhouse”.

Both lawmen were in Las Vegas for a relay race for law enforcement agencies throughout the Western United States. At the time, Munks and company were the subject of a fierce media storm and weathered editorial calls for their resignations issued by, among many, the Daily Journal and the Half Moon Bay Review. But weather the storm they did, with the help of compliant political allies on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors who did nothing in response. And that has been the modis operandi for a year. That is, until now.

On Friday, April 18, 2008, the San Mateo Daily News published a stunning expose and reexamination of the Sheriff’s visit to a house of ill-repute and subsequent silence on the issue. Of greatest significance in the expose is the new call for an investigation of Munks and Bolanos by the county’s two top political leaders, Congresswomen Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo.

Speier’s electrifying comments have sparked a wave of renewed interest in the Munks case while simultaneously shining a bright light on the closed circle of political relationships that comprise the county’s leadership.

Members of the board of supervisors washed their hands of the incident by saying they hold no sway over the sheriff, an elected official. County prosecutors said it's not their business what the sheriff and Undersheriff did because Las Vegas is outside their jurisdiction. And County Manager John Maltbie restricted his investigation to whether county funds were spent on the trip -and they were.

Supervisor Jerry Hill has been a vociferous defender of Munks, stating in the Examiner Newspaper at the time that Munks “…has the highest integrity and I have the highest confidence in Sheriff Munks, and the Undersheriff as well,” said Hill, who considers Munks a social friend.

In the most recent article, in the face of Speier and Eshoo’s demand for an investigation Hill responded by stating: "Certainly, we can't control what someone does after hours — nor should we — and if it's not using county resources, that is fine.''

But the pressure for the county leaders to respond is mounting. The following day, Board President Adrienne Tissier announced in the Daily News that she would be speaking with both members of Congress and would be open to revisiting the brothel bust. Tissier stated: "Obviously, Congresswoman Eshoo and Congresswoman Speier believe there are still unanswered questions from a year ago, and there are. I will spend the weekend speaking with both of them to get a better understanding of their thoughts.”

For Hill, this event could not have at a worse time. Hill is now engaged in a pitched battle to replace Assemblyman Gene Mullin who is being termed out of office.

Hill’s defense of Munks has been linked in the local press to the tremendous financial support he has received from Munks and Munks’ family – the Sheriff's father-in-law Bill Lane owns Sunset Magazine and is a big political donor. Hill has received over $11,000 in direct donations from Munks’ family for his Assembly race and Munks held a political fundraiser for Hill on November 11, 2007 at his Portola Valley home just months after the brothel bust scandal.

According to the San Mateo County Times, the Vegas bust and the subsequent cover up championed by Hill may just cost him the election and benefit either Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan or Community College Trustee Richard Holober.