Anderson may not be Sheriff for long

There was quite a stir in the O.C. blogosphere today as the O.C. Board of Supervisors allowed Deputy Sheriff Jack Anderson to remain as the acting Sheriff, in replacement of Mike Carona, who finally resigned.

Over at the Liberal OC blog, our former blogger, Sean Mill, went on the warpath against Supervisor Janet Nguyen in particular. I don’t think that was very fair. Matt “Jubal” Cunningham did a pretty good job of recapping Mill’s silliness over at the Red County Blog. Cunningham also did a good job of summarizing what went on in today’s meeting in this post.

I spoke to Supervisor Nguyen this evening and I quickly realized that there was a lot more going on than what Mill reported.

I cannot divulge most of our conversation, as it was primarily off the record. However, I can tell you that because there were only three Supervisors at today’s meeting, there was very little that could be done. Supervisor Pat Bates was in a car accident, which precluded her from participating in the meeting. Supervisor Bill Campbell was in Sacramento on official business.

The rest of the Supervisors wrangled about how to go about selecting a new Sheriff. But they never did confirm Anderson. Nor did they outright reject him. Instead, I am told that they will talk about this at their next meeting, on the 29th.

Of course Mill used the opportunity to beat up Supervisor Nguyen. Never mind the fact that if it were not for the O.C. Democrats, Carona would have lost his last race. Supervisor Nguyen has NEVER supported Carona. But former Supervisor Lou Correa did. So did OC County Clerk/Recorder Tom Daly. And OC Democratic Party Chair Frank Barbaro. And Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido. And even RSCCD Trustee John Hanna. They supported Carona even though they knew what a pig he was. And as a result he won whereas had they opposed him he almost certainly would have faced a run-off. And I think he would have eventually lost – to either Bill Hunt or Ralph Martin.

Instead, today we are stuck with Carona’s legacy, Jack Anderson. But not for long. I suspect he will be replaced on the 29th. Is that fair for Anderson? I don’t know. But the fact is, he is an ally of Carona. That alone is reason to distrust him, fair or not.

What can we do in the interim? For starters, I suggest that you email or call your Supervisor and ask him, or her, to please replace Anderson as Sheriff at the next Board of Supervisor’s meeting. And ask that they seriously consider appointing Commander Ralph Martin.

Key issues that you can bring up when you contact your Supervisor include:

  • Ralph has over 34 years of law enforcement experience working in the largest Sheriff’s Department in the nation and has consistently demonstrated that he is an outstanding supervisor, manager, and executive.
  • He is currently an area commander responsible for a patrol division with nearly the same number of employees as the entire Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
  • He has impeccable character and is morally fit to assume the role of Sheriff.
  • The OCSD needs someone from outside of the organization who can objectively assess operations and make fair and effective organizational and procedural change that will benefit both the employees of the agency and all residents of the County.
  • He owes no allegiance to any OCSD employee group or individual employee which will enhance his ability to be objective.

About Admin

"Admin" is just editors Vern Nelson, Greg Diamond, or Ryan Cantor sharing something that they mostly didn't write themselves, but think you should see. Before December 2010, "Admin" may have been former blog owner Art Pedroza.