by Bob Walsh
In most of the counties in the formerly great state of California the Sheriff is also the County Coroner. Only a few of the very largest counties maintain a completely separate Coroner-Medical Examiner.
Regular readers will remember I wrote recently about a fairly serious pissing contest in San Joaquin County where I live between the medical examiner and the Sheriff-Coroner. The medical examiners believe that the Sheriff has, on occasion, pissed in the Wheaties and they don't like it. The county has considered making the separation on their own, but creating a whole new department within county government has some administrative costs attached to it. The county squeezes the nickels until the buffalo shits, or at least want us poor tax payers to believe that.
It may be taken out of their hands. The California legislature has introduced a bill which, if passed into law, would REQUIRE that counties with a population of more than 500,000 (San Joaquin is a bit over 600,000) maintain a separate Coroner's Office. If passed in its current form SB 1303 would require this step be implemented not later than January 1 2019.
Personally I think this is a good idea and feel that the country can afford the money if it will being a greater degree of professionalism into the office. I happen to know Sheriff Moore a little bit and on a personal basis I like him. That being said some people whose opinion I respect have told me that some aspects of his job related to the coroner's duties are being handled in a questionable manner. That is not a good thing all things considered.
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