Amid Controversy Chris Cockrell Resigns Veterans Affairs Commission
Michael McGough, The Sacramento Bee
PLACERVILLE, CALIFORNIA, June 15, 2022 — SACRAMENTO, Calif. — […] stirred controversy resigned this week ahead of his planned removal by local elected leaders.
El Dorado County Supervisor George Turnboo, who had nominated Chris Cockrell to the county’s Veterans Affairs Commission in January 2021, placed an item on Tuesday’s consent agenda to rescind his appointment effective immediately.
Cockrell instead resigned from the commission Monday.
No explanation accompanied Turnboo’s motion to remove Cockrell, an Army veteran and local business owner […]
Cockrell’s selection to the commission in early 2021 prompted local debate due to an incident a few weeks prior.
While dressed as Santa Claus, Cockrell in December 2020 appeared briefly alongside members from a local chapter of the Proud Boys – […] – as they crashed a Toys for Tots charity drive on Placerville’s Main Street.
When the group, clad in black-and-orange clothing including some in hoodies that read “Hangtown Proud Boys,” gathered for a photo near the city’s central, wooden bell tower, Cockrell in a Santa suit posed near the front of the group. […]
County supervisors then received nearly 200 emails of public comment opposing the appointment, most in response to the toy drive incident. It’s unclear whether the Santa incident or its aftermath played a role […]
Cockrell did not immediately respond to a request for comment. […]
Toys for Tots is run by the Marine Corps Reserve.
Nelson said Cockrell’s “demeaning” of the Marine Corps shows him to be unfit to serve on the commission.
Others opposed the removal, with some asking for transparency as to why Turnboo sought Cockrell’s removal. Turnboo did not speak on the matter during Tuesday’s meeting. […]
John Poimiroo, a former member of the veterans commission, also called in and said that though Cockrell is “very conservative,” he has “no connection” to the Proud Boys. […]
Cockrell ran in California’s March 2020 primary election as a write-in candidate for Turnboo’s District 2 supervisor seat, finishing with 230 votes of the nearly 16,000 cast. […]
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