Kanalakis accused of campaigning on the job

Sheriff's union representative David Cariaga is accusing Sheriff Mike Kanalakis of campaigning on the job, saying he has six months of surveillance showing weekly meetings with his campaign staff.

"The Sheriff had a standing appointment at Wayand & Hayashi CPA Firms office," Cariaga writes in an email. "For the most part he would meet at 0900 hours on Fridays. Some days he would show up at 10:00 and other days he would not appear. I have 12 documented visits to his Campaigning Headquarters visiting with his Manager and what I believe to be his Campaign-Treasurer."

Cariaga is a retired detective and was sheriff candidate Fred Garcia's union rep before Garcia stepped down as commander amid a lengthy internal investigation and pending demotion. Cariaga says he began trailing Kanalakis in September when Garcia was accused of campaigning on duty.

In general, it's tricky to make a case against an elected official for using taxpayer time for political activity because government code section 8314 allows “the incidental and minimal use of public resources” for a campaign activity.