March 18, 2026

 

 

 Dear LeBron Hill: (Sacramento Bee)

 

Thank you for including me in the Sacramento Bee’s candidate “endorsement interview” process. 

 

Like many people, I have held American journalism in high regard.  The image of the reporter righting wrongs and exposing the truth is very personal to me, right here in Sacramento and with a Bee reporter name Christina Jewett.  Back in 2003, I risked my career as a Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff working to fight drugs on south Sacramento streets.  At an open meeting of the Board of Supervisors, I criticized my department about unfair deployment of officers in our poor and drug-filled neighborhoods.

 

For months in 2004, Jewett investigated my claims, interviewed people, obtained documents, and wrote what I believe has been one of the most significant stories about the sheriff's department.  She detailed how more officers were assigned to one service area that had far less crime than the hoods of south Sacramento.  Now, while Bee decision makers omitted my name from the story, I am forever grateful to this dedicated reporter.

 

For brevity let me say a Sacramento News and Review reporter name Chrisanne Beckner wrote a great story on the same issue just two months earlier in April.  Plus, I must thank Antonio Harvey who wrote an excellent 2003 piece in the Sacramento Observer about how I cleaned-up drug dealing at an apartment complex that had residents afraid and officers consuming a lot of time with repeat calls to the location.

 

Sadly, over the years, I witnessed a dimming of the image of the professional law enforcer.  Just as sad, I witnessed a dimming of the image of the journalism profession.  

 

In 2008, I ran for this same district-5 council seat and barely made a blip on voter radar, and yet, I was proud to have participated in the open and free election process Americans enjoy.

 

The experience taught me a troubling lesson about the Sacramento Bee, and I have seen this behavior repeated over the years with many candidates. While the Bee holds itself as a pillar of journalistic integrity, providing a vital service to the election process, it’s also a business.  The Bee’s business practice is to take a field of candidates, decide that maybe two are relevant and obfuscate the rest.   A voter mentioned this unfairness years ago when she told me it was wrong that a Bee article did not mention I was also a candidate in one of its campaign stories.  Frankly, I felt this obvious omitting of “lesser candidates” was actually a betrayal of the voters and a personal kick in the teeth to me.   Over the years, I have seen others express concerns about the Bee’s treatment of “lesser candidates.”

 

As I move to my conclusion, let me express a policy change the Bee should make. Instead of going right into candidate “endorsement interviews,” which could be a sham process if the Bee has already decided its endorsement.  The Bee should do an introduction story on each candidate, letting the voters read about the person in their community who decided to risk reputation, time, and treasure to run for office.  Is the candidate a decorated veteran, who has been ten years clean and sober?  I don't care about big endorsements; I want to know the candidate’s story.  Is there something compelling in their story – something that might make thousands of veterans rally around them and donate money?  Could a simple and fair story about that candidate translate into 5,000 votes?  It's possible, and it's why the Bee operates the way it does, imposing it’s will to shape the political landscape rather than observing, documenting and reporting.

 

As I pen this letter, I have zero belief the Bee would fairly, and I just mean fairly, share with voters the people and community organizations I've worked with, the law enforcement tax I pushed in the county, or my years of appearances before city council pushing issues that affect the entire city – like budget accountability, council accountability, and the important issue of police accountability.

 

Would the Bee talk about the low-cost and no-cost ideas I've brought to the council, like pushing the district attorney to publish weekly stats on how many domestic violence reports come in and their disposition?  This would help citizens see the size of the problem and motivate them to act.  Would the Bee share how I want council pay tied to a mid-level city worker’s pay instead of it being set by a city appointed commission?

 

Lastly, would the Bee tell voters how years ago, I push for creation of the police commission over the ineffective Racial Profiling Committee?  Or, how I'm currently pushing the council to move the city agency that investigates police misconduct (OPSA) from under the politically influenced city council and to a more just and trustworthy position under the police commission?

I could go on, but I'll stop here and hope the Bee doesn’t cleverly refer to this letter as a “manifesto.” 

 

I don't claim to be the smartest person in the room, but I've learned not to let myself get kicked in the teeth twice.  With full knowledge I am viewed as one of the “lesser candidates,” I'll have to say no thank you to your company’s “endorsement interview.”

 

Best wishes,

 

 

_____________________

Henry Harry

2026 Candidate, District-5​

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