'What an honor it has been to serve:' Ayub reflects on term as sheriff

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct a name, which should be John Hatcher III.

Bill Ayub spent his last Christmas as sheriff of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office the same way he has for the past 13 years — working patrol so deputies with small children can spend the morning with their families.

“I was lucky to have quite a few Christmases off, and I always appreciated it,” he said. “So if I can give somebody else some joy, it’s a small thing for me. I always look forward to it.”

Ayub will wrap up his 27-year career with the sheriff's office Jan. 2 at noon, and Sheriff-elect Jim Fryhoff will become the county’s top lawman for a six-year term. Ayub lost his reelection bid in June amid a concerted effort by the deputies union to unseat him, making him the first Ventura County sheriff to serve a single term since Sheriff Larry Carpenter retired in 1998. Ayub was elected in 2018 after running unopposed.

Speaking during his last month in office, Ayub said upon reflection, there are things he would have done differently in the election. But he stood by his decision not to accept money or endorsements from certain people and businesses, like those involved in the marijuana industry. He said he had concerns over the newness and legitimacy of the industry and wanted to avoid the appearance of an inappropriate quid pro quo arrangement.

“I just have principles that are an impediment to being a good politician,” the 55-year-old said.

But he says he doesn't regret promoting Fryhoff to commander. The sheriff-elect had previously been passed over for a promotion to commander under Ayub's predecessor.

"I think he was the right promotion at the time. It certainly catapulted his status in his run for the sheriff's office but I believe the mission of the department is more important than my personal job security," Ayub said.

As he wraps up the final days of his term as sheriff of the county's largest law enforcement agency, Ventura County's 20th sheriff said he plans to spend as much time as possible on patrol.

"We've had some challenging times over the last few years. And I think Ventura County weathered those challenges as good as or better than any other place," he said.

Turbulent term

The quiet of Ayub’s last weeks in office stand in stark contrast to his baptism by fire in November 2018.

He took office three days after a gunman's rampage at the Borderline Bar & Grill left 12 dead, including Sgt. Ron Helus, in the deadliest mass shooting in Ventura County history, and two days after twin blazes erupted in the south end of the county, eventually scorching 100,000 acres.

His predecessor, Geoff Dean, called on Ayub to handle the shooting and the fires in tandem because he would soon be the face of the agency. Before he was ever installed as sheriff, Ayub had helped notify the Helus family of the sergeant's death and held press conferences regarding the fires.

“Borderline was just the beginning of a very tumultuous four years,” Dean said.

Fifteen months after the Borderline shooting, the COVID pandemic struck, and the sheriff’s office was thrust into the debate over how public health restrictions should be enforced and how deputies would be kept safe. A judge denied a request by the County of Ventura to direct Ayub to enforce a restraining order against Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park after they defied pandemic-related restrictions on large gatherings, citing a need for the agency to remain neutral.

Three months into the COVID shutdown, the murder by police of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests.

Former Undersheriff Monica McGrath, the first woman to hold the agency's No. 2 position, said every decision Ayub made during the pandemic and the social unrest that followed was made in concert with the district attorney's office and on the advice law enforcement organizations, though those decisions were often criticized by those on both the far-left and far-right ends of the political spectrum.

She said Ayub also collaborated with neighboring agencies to maintain public safety during the protests against after Floyd's death while protecting demonstrators' First Amendment rights to protest.

"He kept us really on track through some really challenging times," said McGrath, who came out of a two-year retirement to serve under Ayub.

Regina Hatcher-Crawford, president of the Ventura County NAACP, said Ayub worked closely with her organization behind the scenes to ensure the group was safe from retaliation and intimidation while they protested against police violence.

Hatcher-Crawford said Ayub made sure that she and her group were protected by both uniformed and plain-clothes deputies at multiple events, a far cry from the "hate-hate" relationship some civil rights organizations have with local police agencies.

"I was fortunate to have a very welcoming relationship with the sheriff," Hatcher-Crawford said. "He's very conservative but he never shied away from issues in the community. The community never got to see that. I got to see that. He made time to listen to concerns from the NAACP and the Black community."

Hatcher-Crawford, the daughter of civil rights leader John Hatcher III, said her relationship with Ayub during the Floyd protests were a far cry from the contentious relationship with county leadership her father faced during the protests following the Rodney King verdict in 1992.

"I have the opposite. There were many times I called Bill, and he made a point to get back to me," she said. "The community didn't get to see what he did."

She also credited Ayub for terminating a non-sworn sheriff's employee after he was caught on camera vandalizing a Black Lives Matter sign in Thousand Oaks.

During the election, Fryhoff cited dissatisfaction with Ayub’s handling of the pandemic and the civil unrest – namely a lack of communication with deputies and the community – as reasons why he ran against Ayub.

Dean said in such unprecedented situations, "there was no right answer."

“Whatever decision he made, 50% of the department members and the population were not going to be happy. They were no-win situations," Dean said. "Bill didn't shy away from decisions. Ventura County is still a safe place to live and work and raise your family. And Bill did it during a pandemic. He did it during social unrest. He did it during multiple crises."

Union dissatisfaction

Ayub was unseated after the Ventura County Deputy Sheriff's Association spent over $200,000 to elect Fryhoff.

During the election, Ayub said he ran afoul of the union board when he made changes to the test to promote to captain. The sheriff said the changes were intended to generate a larger and more diverse applicant pool, as well as combat pension spiking, a practice where sergeants would promote to the rank of captain for one year then retire with a 17% pension increase. The union disputed Ayub's reasoning and said the changes were to allow favoritism.

Ayub also clashed with the union over his refusal to pay the union president to work fulltime on union matters, rather than splitting his duties between the deputies association and agency duties.

The 12-member union board endorsed Fryhoff without putting the decision to a vote by the association's 700-plus members.

Shortly before publicly announcing his candidacy for sheriff, Fryhoff was removed from his role as police chief of Thousand Oaks and assigned to detention services. During the campaign, Ayub said Fryhoff was moved for reasons including insubordination.

Ayub decided to finish his term rather than step down early. The outgoing and incoming administrations had little contact in the month's following the election but Ayub said he and Fryhoff met the week of Dec. 19 to discuss the transition of power.

Ayub said despite the name-calling during the election, the sheriff's office is a professional organization.

"I support Jim," Ayub said. "I think Jim is going to put his best effort into running the agency. I truly think he cares about it and cares about being successful."

After the two-plus hour transition meeting, Fryhoff said he wanted to thank Ayub "for his many years of service to our community."

"I wish him well in any future endeavors and am thankful for his service," Fryhoff said.

Transparency

The issue of police transparency was a recurring theme during Ayub’s tenure.

In 2019, SB 1421 went into effect, making once-confidential police personnel records regarding police misconduct and serious use of force open for public inspection. That year, the Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs Association obtained an injunction temporarily blocking the records’ release, but that injunction was dissolved in 2021 after media outlets, including the Star, argued for their release.

After the injunction was lifted, the First Amendment Coalition sued Ayub and the sheriff's office, claiming it received multiple denials, delays and a bill for $1,200 in staff time to look for the records. Those records have since been released.

Ayub said that as a member of the California State Sheriffs Association, he was involved in advocating for legislative issues that had bearing on law enforcement. Laws regarding misconduct reports and body camera footage have increased scrutiny on law enforcement officers, but Ayub said he believes the state needs to strike a balance between transparency and employee privacy as agencies struggle to hire new deputies.

“While I understand it increases trust and transparency and accountability and so forth, it's also something that's a disincentive to someone considering doing a job in this field,” he said. “I want to grow trust and transparency and accountability and all that. But I also want to support my employees, and I want to create a work environment where people want to come and work.”

The County of Ventura has also been fighting the release of Borderline autopsy records. Autopsy records have long been considered public records but in 2021, Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, introduced Assembly Bill 268, which would have blocked the release of crime victims’ autopsy records in certain cases. The bill died in the state Senate.

“I’m all for transparency, but I also worry about the privacy the protections that people have even in death,” he said. “Some of the information contained in the autopsy records, I don't think should be public. But there’s other things that I think clearly can be or should be.”

The Star editorial board has argued that “current law already gives coroners the authority to redact portions of autopsy reports that they believe serve no public purpose and needlessly reveal details of a victim’s personal medical, psychological or financial history. Thus, the privacy concerns cited by county officials are unfounded.”

Ayub has also resisted releasing body camera footage from the incident, which has also been sought by the Star.

"I am OK with the footage that does not show graphic details of the victims. I think we should protect the privacy and dignity of victims and witnesses," he said.

Career lawman

When Ayub started his law enforcement career as a police cadet and reserve police officer with the Santa Paula Police Department in 1985, the Ventura native said he got into the profession “to catch bad guys.” He served stints in Port Hueneme and North Las Vegas before returning to Ventura County in 1996.

At VCSO, Ayub served with the SWAT team, major crimes, sex crimes and the forgery-fraud units among others. He served as commander for the East County patrol division and assistant sheriff under Dean, who hand-picked him as his successor.

Ayub's most gratifying assignment was working on homicide cases as an investigator in the major crimes unit.

“It was so rewarding when we would track down someone and bring them to justice,” he said.

While in major crimes, Ayub, the grandson of Lebanese immigrants, worked several notable events, including the 2005 La Conchita landslide, which killed 10 people. Ayub was tasked with determining who had been buried. It was up to him to determine when to call off the search.

“There was a lot of weight on me,” he said.

Worries for the future

Ayub said he is confident that the public will still receive the same level of service after the transition of power at the agency, which has a $300-million annual budget and 1,300 employees, including around 795 sworn officers.

The sheriff's office patrols unincorporated areas in Ventura County and is contracted for police services in the cities of Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai and Thousand Oaks. Their coverage area is home to 346,000 county residents.

But Ayub said he worries about the evolving list of challenges facing law enforcement, including the unintended consequences of "harmful legislation" and progressive policies like bail reform. The safety of the men and women in uniform and the "challenging environment" law enforcement agencies face to recruit new talent also weighs on him.

"You worry about the profession because you know what it takes to get the job done," Ayub said.

Next chapter

Looking ahead, the father of three said he is excited for the next chapter. He said he plans to spend time with his wife, Stacy, as well as travel and train for triathlons.

He said he also plans to volunteer. He has long been involved with the Special Olympics, and he sits on the board of directors of Casa Pacifica, a nonprofit treatment center for children with behavioral and psychological issues located outside Camarillo.

It's unclear if retirement will stick. He said he would be open to the right employment opportunity.

Dean and McGrath both said that Ayub should be remembered for his humility and honesty.

Ayub said he wanted his final message as sheriff to the people of Ventura County to be one of gratitude.

"What an honor it has been to serve," Ayub said.

Dawn Megli is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at dawn.megli@vcstar.com or @ReporterDawn. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation's Fund to Support Local Journalism.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub on election loss, policing