The Carmel Pine Cone recently reported on a very disturbing situation in the Monterey County Sheriff’s office:
A former supervisor in the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office alleges that the husband of the county’s top administrator subjected her to months of severe sexual harassment and intimidation, and that county officials failed to stop the behavior and retaliated against her when she complained.
https://carmelpinecone.com/260807PC.pdf p. 14, 25
That man is Rodrigo De La Rosa, the husband of the Monterey County Chief Administrative Officer Sonia De La Rosa, and the details provided in the Pine Cone article are chilling.
This is just the latest incident. A series of lawsuits have been filed in the last few years that point to a dangerous culture of sexual harassment and protection of perpetrators by the County of Monterey and its Sheriff’s Office. They include:
September 2025
A lawsuit filed by Rosy Silva detailing the sexual harassment and retribution she experienced when she began working for the county sheriff’s office in 2010, spanning three sheriff administrations to the present Sheriff Nieto.
https://kioncentralcoast.com/news/monterey-county/2025/09/08/1218404/
The full court document:
https://kion546.b-cdn.net/2025/09/MCSO-LAWSUIT.pdf
January 2024
Whistleblower lawsuit by Bryan Hoskins against current Sheriff Nieto for wrongful termination due in part to his complaints about sexual harassment of multiple staff members by former undersheriff John Mineau.
https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/whistleblower-lawsuit-accuses-current-sheriff-18631999.php
October 2022
Lawsuit against Monterey County by a victim of former undersheriff Mineau
https://www.ksbw.com/article/monterey-county-undersheriff-mineau-victim-sues-county-over-misconduct/41547228
November, 2020
Christian Schneider complaint to the Fair Political Practices Commission against Sheriff Steve Bernal, including for affairs he had with subordinates
https://voicesofmontereybay.org/2020/11/13/monterey-county-sheriff-accused-of-serial-affairs-with-subordinates/
These were situations where the victim was willing to come forward. How many others have been harassed, pressured into sex for job advancement, or outright assaulted and remained silent for fear of retribution and their personal safety? How many had champions like Christian Schneider and Bryan Hoskins, versus how many were alone?
And if this is how female employees are treated who have freedom, how does the Sheriff’s office treat female suspects and inmates? How do they treat women drivers they pull over on county roads, especially women of color? How do they treat juvenile girls in their custody or they encounter in their work day? Is sexual harassment and assault taking place? Is it the norm? And are boys and men also experiencing sexual harassment or even assault in the criminal justice system? Is juvenile hall safe?
This is in addition to other problems reported in the sheriff’s office, including the deaths of inmates in the county jail, and this taxpayer-funded attack https://voicesofmontereybay.org/2020/06/14/why-are-taxpayers-paying-for-political-slime/
An unhealthy and lawless culture exists at the County of Monterey, and it is costing residents and businesses security, peace of mind, money, safety, and physical and mental well-being, while elected county supervisors and the district attorney do nothing. This must change. Monterey County’s CAO must be placed on leave, this situation investigated, and independent oversight brought into the Sheriff’s office to make needed changes. County supervisors satisfied with the dangerous status quo must be replaced.
Monterey Bay Matters 