As a result of Sheriff Sandra Hutchens imposing a new, restrictive CCW policy, a number of current, law-abiding CCW permit holders will have their permits revoked simply because they do not meet the new Sheriff's much more stringent "good cause" standard.

That revocation is then entered into the state Department of Justice database.

During Sup. Janet Nguyen's questioning of the Sheriff last Tuesday, it emerged those revocations will be noted on the former holders' records just as if the revocations had resulted from committing a crime or otherwise abusing the CCW permit.
That, in turn, can negatively impact the former permit holder. Say, for example, changing circumstances enabled them to meet Sheriff Hutchen's current good cause standard, they moved to a different county and applied for a CCW there. The revocation black mark could needlessly lead to their application being denied.

Kudos to Sup. Pat Bates for taking some action to rectify the situation. She added a supplemental item to today's Board of Supervisors agenda:

Therefore, I recommend this Board direct County Counsel, in conjunction with CEO Legislative Affairs and the County's lobbyists, to contact the Department of Justice in an effort to clearly distinguish and note the cause of any revocation on any future revocations. Further, this effort must strongly encourage the Department of Justice to revise its current practice in order to enhance the safety of our law enforcement officials, as well as our citizens, while maintaining an appropriate and accurate record of CCW holders and any suibsequent revocation. Failure to meet a revised discretionary interpretation of "good cause" must not be misinterpreted as not being fit to carry a concealed weapon.

Bates is exactly right. Former Sheriff Carona may have given CCWs to some donors or supporters who didn't warrant them, as a quid pro quo. But as last week's hearing made clear, the vast majority of those CCWs were issued to ordinary citizens with no connection to Carona. They obtained the CCWs legally, and shouldn't have their reliability and reputation rendered suspect because the new Sheriff re-wrote the rules on them in the middle of the game.