OC Sheriff Sandra Hutchens doesn't consider herself a politician, but she is surely, and less slowly, mimicking the motions of one -- which, of course, she needs to win election next year.

She's holding another fundraiser - her third or fourth of the year, I believe -- this month at the The Island Hotel in Fashion Island. Judging by the honorary and not-honorary host committees, she's rallying the support of OC's state legislators: Senators Mimi Walters, Tom Harman and Bob Huff, and Assemblymen Mike Duvall, Jeff Miller and Diane Harkey. Assemblyman Jim Silva has also endorsed Hutchens.

I spotted Milan Panic on the host committee. For readers unfamiliar with the name, Panic is an Serbian expatriate who made a fortune in pharmaceuticals before returning to his native and newly-decommunized Yugoslavia to serve as Prime Minister and run unsuccessfully against future war criminal Slobodan Milosevic for President of Serbia.

Dan Young's name is also on the host committee, signaling The Irvine Company -- cue foreboding music -- is on board with the Sheriff (which indicates the Gnomes of Newport Center have concluded Hutchens has a clear shot).

And for those who don't Orange County has had a big enough injection of LA law enforcement, the guest speaker is LA County Sheriff Lee Baca. Perhaps Baca will give an update on his attempts to place restrictions on his deputies freedom to carry guns while off-duty. Unlike Sheriff Hutchens' restrictions on gun-carrying by the Un-Sworn, at least Baca is at least responding to an actual, rather than perceived, problem. The LASD deputies union is fighting the restrictions. Orange County CCW-holders don't have a union.

But I digress. Or do I?

Either way, with the election just a year away, Hutchens appears to be doing what she needs to: raising money, grabbing endorsements and speaking to any group she can. She's dialing-for-dollars: several weeks ago a friend of mine received a call from the Sheriff asking for a contribution. My friend declined, citing her CCW policy -- a rebuff the Sheriff politely accepted.

There's just a year left until the June 2010 election, meaning the window of opportunity for potential Hutchens opponents is beginning to close. There's still time, but it's diminishing. For all her missteps, bad publicity and alienation of key political constituencies, Hutchens is still the Sheriff -- which is the best platform from which to be elected Sheriff. The longer she has the field to herself, the more you'll see donors, elected officials and other interested parties conclude she will likely be unchallenged and now is the time to climb aboard.

Stay tuned...