Political Fallout Amid Supervisor Dave Roberts Accusation

After two staffers accused Supervisor Dave Roberts of impropriety, Sheriff Bill Gore has walked back his early endorsement of the supervisor, who is running for re-election in 2016.

Sheriff Bill Gore said in a written statement he is re-considering his endorsement of Roberts “in light of recent allegations made by staff members.”

Two former staffers filed claims against San Diego County last month. One staffer alleges Roberts misused county funds by double dipping in a county car allowance while having a staffer drive him in a county car, as well as using county funds to buy 10,000 “Dave Roberts baseball cards.”

In a separate claim filed against the county, Roberts’ former Chief of Staff Glynnis Vaughan alleges the supervisor’s office attempted to pay for a consultant through nefarious means. Vaughan described how she uncovered a deal Roberts made with an Arizona consulting which had provided services to his office for two years -- a deal, she said, that was “never properly authorized by the County of San Diego.”

Roberts, the first Democrat elected to the Board of Supervisors since 1995, has said he will be cleared of all the accusations and plans to continue pursuing political office.

“I think from what I’m hearing day-in and day-out, the voters are fed up with … the lies that are going on. They know that this is not true. And everywhere I go, across the board, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, say ‘Dave, you keep fighting for us,’” Roberts told NBC7 last week.

Earlier this week, the Republican Party of San Diego County sent out an early piece of campaign hit mail based on Roberts’ use of the baseball cards.

Neither Roberts nor his crisis communicator could be reached for comment.

Read Gore's full statement here:

"Earlier this year Supervisor Dave Roberts and I had discussed my endorsement of his re-election campaign. Although it was early in the process, based on his performance to date, I was inclined to provide my endorsement. In light of the recent allegations made by staff members, I have had further discussions with Supervisor Dave Roberts and advised him that I was deferring my endorsement to a later date. I will make an endorsement decision once a final disposition has been reached in this matter."

Contact Us