SEVEN VIE TO SERVE AS NEXT SHERIFF

Voters to choose top two in June 7 primary to face off in November’s election

For the first time in more than 30 years, San Diego County voters won’t have an incumbent sheriff on their primary ballots. Instead, they will pick the region’s new top cop from a list of seven.

The race was thrown wide open last year when former Sheriff Bill Gore announced he would not seek re-election. The two candidates who receive the most votes in the June 7 primary will face off in November’s general election.

New leadership could mean a sea change for a department that has been grappling with staffing problems, high death rates in the jails and an uptick in crime, as well as its own data indicating racial bias in stops and searches.

Critics say the department needs a culture shift.

The seat hasn’t seen much turnover. Only four men have been elected as San Diego County sheriff in more than 50 years.

And while there is no incumbent on the ballot, one of the frontrunners has the backing of Gore and filled the seat temporarily when he retired. Gore held the job for more than 12 years, handpicked in 2009 by retiring then-sheriff Bill Kolender.

The Sheriff’s Department has more than 4,600 staffers and an annual budget of $1.1 billion. It handles law enforcement in nine cities, from Imperial Beach to Vista, as well as the county’s unincorporated areas. It also provides security in the courts and runs the county’s seven jails.

With Election Day fast approaching and voting already under way, three candidates lead the field in name recognition, fundraising and endorsements: Undersheriff Kelly Martinez, former sheriff’s Cmdr. Dave Myers and recently re