San Joaquin CountyCandidate for Supervisor, District 2

Elbert started his career in law enforcement as a deputy sheriff in 1971. As a deputy, Elbert didn’t just take reports; he solved cases. And within three years, Elbert was promoted to detective. He then became a sergeant heading up both the Burglary and Homicide Units, where he successfully investigated and assisted in the prosecution of many dangerous criminals. In 1987, the National United Law Enforcement Officers’ Association recognized Ebert as one of the top African American Law Enforcement Officers in the United States.

After 20 years of service with the Sheriff’s Department, Elbert accepted an appointment as an investigator with the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, assisting Deputy District Attorneys with various investigations, including homicides. Then in 1997, Elbert was assigned to develop a Welfare Fraud enforcement unit. The unit he created has become a model for other jurisdictions experiencing welfare fraud.

By 2001, Elbert Holman became the first African American in California to become Chief Investigator for the District Attorney’s office. His work as Chief Investigator would help lead to the conviction of County Sheriff Baxter Dunn and his fellow conspirators.

In addition to handling some of San Joaquin County’s most notable criminal cases, Ebert also has the distinction of being part of a team of investigators that put many criminals on death row.

Elbert Holman was appointed to the Stockton City Council in 2009 to fill the 1st District seat vacated by Steve Bestolarides, who was elected to the County Board of Supervisors. Twice re-elected, Elbert would eventually serve as Stockton’s Vice Mayor.

A lifelong San Joaquin County resident, Elbert graduated from Edison High School and attended Cal Poly, UOP, and the FBI National Academy. He and his wife Marcia attend the Mayfair Seventh Day Adventist Church in Stockton. Together they have two successful daughters and seven beautiful grandchildren.

Addressing our Homeless Crisis
The solution to San Joaquin County’s homeless crisis is not a simple one. Like every other county in the state, the homeless population continues to grow as California accounts for almost 50% of the homeless in the United States.

We need to be compassionate, yet we must also ensure that all San Joaquin County residents can work, play, and live without being confronted. We need to enforce the laws on the books while working with rehabilitation, faith-based, and mental health organizations to assist the homeless with their diverse needs.

We can alleviate our homeless problem by working cooperatively with agencies, municipalities, and non-profits to find housing solutions for our unsheltered population.

Working to rebuild public safety ranks
In my 34-years in law enforcement, I learned that quality and quantity of personnel matter. We need to invest in more Sheriff’s Deputies while providing them with the required support staff and resources to keep our community safe. We also need to retain veteran officers who have built strong relationships with the community.

As a member of the City Council that built Stockton’s roadmap out of bankruptcy, our first job was to bolster public safety. As a result, we successfully built Stockton Police Department ranks to more than pre-bankruptcy levels, and crime dropped. Keeping San Joaquin County safe has been my life’s work and will always be my number one priority.

Building our local Economy
Many businesses are still struggling in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. And many San Joaquin County families are still trying to catch up or even find a new job. So we need to continue working with our business partners to help create new jobs and, with education, leaders to ensure we have the skilled workforce to fill those jobs.

COVID-19 is not the health crisis; it was at the height of the pandemic does not mean things are back to normal. Instead, we must continue to address the economic problem where we currently find ourselves.