Carona’s leadership called into question
I met a fellow yesterday who is a police officer at the City of Long Beach. We got to talking about OC Sheriff Mike Carona, and he winced. “He is a disgrace to the department,” he said. I wonder how many other law enforcement officials feel that way? I know that Carona’s own deputies chose to endorse his opponent, Bill Hunt. The other opponent, Ralph Martin, is also doing well and his consultant is targeting both Vietnamese voters and the Democrats, according to today’s OC Register article.
My favorite quote from today’s Register article comes from Kevin Pendergraft, the chair of the board at the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce. “The folks he surrounded himself with, I think that was unacceptable. I think Mike Carona is more the politician and doesn’t get things done,” says Pendergraft, who no surprise won’t be voting for Carona.
I spoke to OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh late this past week, and he indicated that the polling data he has access to shows Carona firmly in the lead. I don’t know about that. Both Hunt and Martin are picking up steam, as evidenced by the OC Weekly blog recently touting the fact that both Hunt and Martin are now raising more money than Carona. The OC Weekly blog also indicates that Carona is desperately trying to raise more money. What a waste of Republican money! The Democrats must be laughing out loud at us…
Right on Art! Let’s hope others feel the way you do and DO NOT vote for Carona.
I wouldn’t say the Dems are laughing out loud at you. I think many understand that the Party Machine has run amok.
It’s one thing when the Machine goes for a candidate you don’t prefer, but it’s quite another when the Machine supports someone who’s just BAD.
I, for one, admire people like Art who are willing to stand up to it.
Art, good post…..I suspect if the polls really showed Carona in the lead as Baugh is touting, they would have been released to the public a long time ago, 1. to help gather support for Carona and 2. to demoralize his opponents. I have to conclude from the lack of release that they do not reflect the lead that Baugh indicates….in fact they likely show him losing…….
Carona spoke at the Saddleback Memorial Hospital Half Marathon and 5K this morning. He was pathetic. He went on and on about remembering fallen firefighters and cops. Hey Sheriff Mike, Memorial Day is for fallen military men and women, not police and sheriffs. Get your own day!
Then he ran the 5K with a platoon of sheriff trainees at a very slow pace before barking at them about duty (and hanky panky). What a sorry politico!
There are no polls showing Carona in the lead. That’s just spin.
Last fall, Carona was at 41% favorability – which is dangerously low for an incumbent seeking re-election. Most recent inside polls from the Carona camp show his rating even lower – in the 35-38% range.
This is why you don’t see any release of their “polls” to the press, and this is why Carona is doing special mailing to target groups, hoping that slick mailers will win the day.
Hopefully, since people vote their dislikes more than their likes, the mailiers won’t work and Carona at least goes into a run-off with Bill Hunt. If voters stays stupid as usual, then Carona wins in June by a slim margin.
Let’s make sure to encourage everyone we know to support Lt. Bill Hunt for Sheriff. Our friends and families must vote in this most important race!
Stop what you are doing right now and call five friends to tell them to not support the corrupt Carona.
Past Due, I agreed with everything you said Except the part about Hunt…..Hunt is part of the leadership void at the OCSD as demonstrated by his involvment in the Haidl marijuana cover up…unfortunately I’ve read the Attorney Generals report and know what Hunt did……
This organization needs someone from the outside without strings and skeletons inside the organization to step in and make the changes necessary to end this cycle of nonsense.
Call five of your frineds and tell them you are voting for Ralph Martin and ask them to do the same…I know I already did…
So was Alberta Christy one of the Sanitation Board members who voted for ANOTHER tax increase? Nice legacy she leaves.
When Martin takes this election on Tuesday, it will be one of OC’s biggest upsets.