Santa Clara County Sheriff Bob Jonsen announced he will seek re-election to a second term.
In a characteristically low-key announcement on his LinkedIn last week, the 63-year-old former Los Angeles County deputy sheriff and Palo Alto police chief said of his re-election campaign: “This next chapter will be about sustaining momentum, deepening reform, and ensuring that Santa Clara County continues to lead with integrity, accountability, and compassion.”
“I remain committed to constitutional policing, community partnership and the wellness of the people who serve our communities,” he said in the post. “I’m so grateful for the trust this community, and agency, have placed in me. I’m ready to continue the work.”
“2026 is going to be a very special year, it marks my 40th year in law enforcement,” he said in an earlier post.
The official nomination period for the June primary election opens Feb. 9 and continues to March 6. As of today, Jonsen is the only candidate for sheriff.
“Four years ago, I asked for the community’s trust so we could bring greater transparency, stronger countywide collaboration, and a renewed focus on wellness to the Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff.,” Jonsen writes. “Together, we’ve delivered on those commitments. We opened our work to the public in new ways, strengthened partnerships across county agencies, and built wellness initiatives that support both our staff and the communities we serve.”
“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made — and I’m equally clear‑eyed about the work that remains,” he continued. “Our consent decree obligations within the jails continue to be a top priority. We have made meaningful strides, and we will keep pushing forward until every requirement is met and every person in our care is treated with dignity, safety, and respect.”
In his first term, Jonsen implemented new gun permit reforms and improved training and supervision at the county jail, where the gun permit scandal and allegations of mismanagement had led to a conviction of Smith, a six-term incumbent, on corruption charges in 2022 and her eventual resignation.
In his 7,351-vote upset victory over Kevin Jensen, Jonsen overcame Jensen’s support from a powerful law enforcement union PAC, which spent nearly $724,000 on Jensen’s campaign. Jensen had collected another $276,000 for his nearly $1 million campaign, compared to just $37,200 spent by the victorious Jonson in his entirely self-funded effort.
Sheriff Bob Jonsen's memoir, Got Your Six.
The anthem-style song that Jensen wrote for his announcement, “I’d Do It All Again,” and his memoir, “Got Your Six” and the accompanying "Got Your Six" Spotify soundtrack are focused on mentoring and compassion for fellow law enforcement officers, or, as it he puts it, “For every veteran looking back and asking if it mattered, For every mid-career officer questioning why they stay. For every veteran looking back and asking if it matters.
“I didn’t set out to write a book,” he said in a post. “I set out to survive the job—and stay whole while doing it. After 40 years in law enforcement, the hardest lessons weren’t in policy manuals. They came from missed family gatherings, and the realization that the only promotion that truly mattered was being a father, son, husband, and brother worth their pride.”
“‘Got Your Six’ is part memoir, part manual—stories forged in crisis, paired with wellness tools that helped me stay grounded,” Jonsen wrote.
Sheriff Bob Jonsen's soundtrack features songs written by the sheriff.
Jonsen's “Got Your Six Soundtrack” includes such songs as “Courageous Heart,” “Got Your Six,” “My Love, My Guide.” Jonsen said in an interview that he wrote all the lyrics, then generated the recordings using AI voices and musicians. One of his sons, Cody, helped him with the project, he said.
“ ‘Got your six’ means ‘I've got your back,’ a phrase from World War I fighter pilots where ‘six o'clock’ (directly behind) was a vulnerable spot, so having someone cover your six meant they'd protect you from behind,” he said.
“I was going to hold off but with everything going on in the world I’ve decided to release my album,” Jonsen wrote on LinkedIn. “These songs were born from the same crucible as my forthcoming memoir—crafted to echo its core themes: tactical wellness, cumulative trauma, leadership through crisis, staying human behind the badge.”
“Each track connects to a chapter in the book. “They’re designed for officers, first responders, and anyone carrying invisible weight from their work,” Jonsen said. “This isn’t just music—it’s a companion for those navigating stress, service, and the search for healing. “all proceeds from the first 100 purchases will be donated to support officers’ wellness,” he said.
