Jubal,

Instead of trying to put words in my mouth and second guess me, why don't you just pick up the phone and call me? Don't you regularly accuse Art Pedroza of doing that to you? C'mon, just call me if you really want to know what I'm thinking. I've ALWAYS been straight-forward with you.

"Interim Sheriff" is exactly what she, or anybody else would be, as they would be filling the remainder of the term until the next election.

Yes, I'm a "Huntista" as you put it - as are most voters if this went to an election in November as it really should. But, that aside, you are way off base in your assessment.

You state, "Better, from the Huntistas perspective, to have a new sheriff from an non-Orange County agency, little political structure in place and no support among the rank-and-file. They could then proceed to make her life miserable within the AOCDS members, as they did for Mike Carona in 2006 (ultimately causing the union to endorse Hunt over Carona)." Nothing could be further from the truth. THE TRUTH is only AOCDS President, Wayne Quint and one or two other board members, were working AGAINST Bill Hunt after his fellow Deputies endorsed him, and were working behind the scenes on behalf of Carona.

THE TRUTH is Wayne Quint is at it again actively working behind the scenes on behalf of Paul Walters. Except this time he has the help of AOCDS' GM, Mark Nichols, who is the immediate past President of Santa Ana Police Officers Association, AND, the help of Don Blankenship in the DA's office, who was the President of Santa Ana Police Officers Association before passing the reigns to Mark Nichols. Do you NOT SEE the connection and the backroom "political machinations" at work here?

AOCDS is not, "... split down the middle between Walters and Hunt."
Rather, you have three prior Carona supporters (Quint, Nichols, Blankenship) now supporting Paul Walters - two of which worked with Walters for years in Santa Ana - whipping the vote of the approximate 250 AOCDS personnel in the DA's office to give the appearance of a "split" where none exists. These three men want Walters in as Sheriff because they know with him they are GUARANTEED more of the same preferential, backroom treatment they received from Carona!

The rank and file of the Sheriff's Department should be outraged that Quint is screwing them over again for their choice of a fellow man in green (Hunt), for a man in blue (Walters), aided and abetted by two other men in blue (Nichols and Blankenship). Hopefully, enough of the good Deputies within the Department read this and finally give Quint the boot by a special vote and install an ethical President to guide the Board.

Lastly, which you failed to note in your post, I am a 27 year resident of Santa Ana and know Paul Walters all too well. I will post my comments from the Daily Round up under these comments so all can take my words in context.

There's no "alluding" to anything, Jubal. The fact of the matter is the Board of Supervisors has to chose between two "finalists" for interim Sheriff to fill the remainder of the term left vacant by the federally indicited Carona. Sandra Hutchins is by far the superior choice no matter how you look at it or try to spin it.

She takes away the insider baseball that you and others have become accustomed to playing with the office of Sheriff and that just scares the heck out of you "Caronaistas!"

That's my two cents.

Semper Fi,

Tim

Here's my earlier posting from the Daily Roundup:

Tim Whitacre said:
After having spoken with a few people regarding Sandra Hutchens and looking into her past, I am convinced she would make a good interim Sheriff until the next election and is by far the best choice over Paul Walters.

By appointing her, it will “level the playing field” within the political circles in OC who will ALL be forced to start at ground zero in forming any relationship with her. This will eliminate any ability to manipulate the office of Sheriff for at least for the immediate future - and from what I’ve learned about her, most likely for the remainder of her term in that position as well

On the other hand, Paul Walters is too contected to a number of backroom players in Orange County and has already demonstrated a willingness to compromise professional ethics for personal gain - a trait all too familiar with Mike Carona who Walters endorsed and supported in return for verified, irrefutable personal gain.

I have no axe to grind with Paul, I know him personally and get along with him personally. However, again, as a 27 year resident of Santa Ana and as one who has been active in city politics there for many of those years, I believe I have a ethical responsibility to inform the Board of Supervisors and the voters of Orange County, Paul Walters is NOT who we want or need as Sheriff. It’s time for him to quitely retire and move on.

I don’t expect this Board to listen to me, but that’s my two cents for the record.

Semper Fi,

Tim

June 6, 2008 10:52 AM

Star Search – How the Tail Wags the Dog

A quick review of the process used by the Orange County Board of Supervisors to select the finalists for the position left vacant by beleaguered Sheriff Michael S Carona led us to conclude that the Board should fire immediately the person(s) responsible for the process: The criteria prepared and used by the search firm clearly shows lack of experience with executive searches.

When we questioned the criteria and the process used, we were told by the County that leadership and “… conducted by a retired law enforcement officer with Bob Murray and Associates and included the points you noted as missing from the assessment, such as experience with law enforcement organizations similar in size and complexity, as well as familiarity with local law enforcement” The retired law enforcement officer was later identified as Bob Murray and Associates (BMA) Vice President, Regan William. According to BMA’s website, “Mr. Williams brings 30 years of local government experience to Bob Murray and Associates. Most recently, he worked as a private consultant with Deloitte and Touche on various public sector assignments. Prior to that, he served as Director of Public Safety with the City of Sunnyvale, CA.” - to put it in context, the City of Sunnyvale had a population of 131,760, according to the 2000 Census, whereas the County of Orange had a population of 2,846, 289, according to the same census. Refer to BMA’s website for “current searches” for additional comparisons - Sort of like the human resources secretary being asked to interview a candidate to replace the CEO!

Perhaps in case we wanted to continue looking at the issue, the County was sure to let us know that the “..Board has seen all applications/resumes submitted for the position and chose to endorse the list of nine recommended candidates. The decision for appointing a Sheriff is entirely up to the Board to make”, so we continue to look at the issue. We decided to compare the BMA’s score to the most recent Board of Supervisor’s vote as shown below, where the BMA chart shows the scores given to each candidate, out of 39 points total.

A cursory review of how the supervisors voted, compared to the chart supplied by BMA leads one to believe the boards assertion that the board will take suggestions under advisement, but will make the final decision on its own. A closer look shows that BMA’s second choice, chief Walters, just happens to be the leading candidate to replace Sheriff Carona. Seemingly always straight shooter supervisor Norby casts one vote and it is for chief Walters as the “best qualified”. So why does the board think that Hutchens is just as qualified as Walters? Our only conclusion is that the vote provides ample political coverage for all the supervisors with the exception of Norby: Bates can claim that she defended the current organization, but wants change. Moorlach can claim that he defended gender vote as well as the search firm’s recommendations. Moorlach and Bates can also claim having voted for Martin, knowing Martin will surface again. In all cases, the board can claim that it was the search firm’s fault that Lt. Hunt and chief Anderson rated to so low. In the end, it will be Regan William and Bob Murray & Associates who decide who the next Orange County Sheriff will be.

Candidate/Supvervisor Hunt Hunter Hutchens Adams Martin Babka Beemer Walters Anderson
Nguyen - X X - - - - X -
Moorlach - - X X X - - - -
Bates - - X - X - - X X
Campbell - - X - - - X X -
Norby - - - - - - - X -
Regan Williams & Bob Murray & Associates and 20 27 25 33 25 25 26 32 28

One other thing: Bill Hunt would never have run against Carona had he been an ethical, honorable leader. Bill has NO DESIRE to be a politican; he's a cop's cop who takes his Peace Officers Code of Ethics to heart and has an unyielding loyalty to restoring integrity and trust in the OCSD. He would not run against anybody doing a good job in the office of Sheriff. That's not his style; that's not his ambition.

Tim

Tim doth protest too much.

Tim you forgot to mention why Hunt got 0 votes from the BOS. Maybe ie had to do with hoe your tried to sabotage the endorsement from the republican party for Janet Nguyen.Not to at least have gotten 1 vote dosne't bode well for Hunts future.
As far as Aocds endorsement of Hunt if you look at the numbers is was not a overwhelming majority as alot of members voted for Walters.

Jubal,
I think you might be speculating a bit too much. Describing as a clue a title that is accurate doesn't add up. Assuming that Whitacre speaks on the behalf of Hunt or his supporters is, just that, an assumption. Believe it or not, I think Hunt supporters only care what is in the best interest of Department as evidenced by Hunt's long standing platform of restoring integrity and trust in the Department. Supporting the most qualified of the candidates would only further what's in the best interest of the Department. I don't think it is any more sinister than that.

18Vetern,

Three observations: 1.You can't spell. 2. Even Mike Carona got the endorsement of the Republican Party on the re-vote - just like Janet. 3. No votes from the Board for Hunt supports Whitacre's assertations that the Board is too closely tied to special interests within his own county party. Those who supported Carona have an "anybody but Hunt" mentality because they blame Hunt-not Carona for Carona's downfall.

Guess I can't spell either. I meant "Assertions."

Naïve to think that a new OC Sheriff will be appointed by the board of supervisors who is NOT politically connected. Quite the opposite.

Tim,

I was there at the OC GOP Central Committee when you stood up and fought against the motion to endorse Pat Bates for the OC Board of Supervisors. And I saw the video of the meeting where you stood up and spoke against the endorsement of Supervisor Janet Nguyen.

You fought the endorsement of TWO current OC Supervisors. It should not come as a surprise to you that your boy Bill Hunt was not, well in the hunt, to replace Anderson as interim Sheriff.

I do agree with you however that Paul Walters is a disaster. He has been a terrible SAPD Chief and he will be an awful Sheriff. Hutchens is by far the better choice. But then I would pick a homeless guy at Civic Center Plaza over Walters...

Okay, Space Commander, Art: That's 2 votes you have made lame excuses for, what happened to the other 3 votes?

" 'Interim Sheriff' is exactly what she, or anybody else would be, as they would be filling the remainder of the term until the next election."

No Tim they would be the Sheriff. Jack Anderson is the "Interim Sheriff".

Jubal,

Regardless of what Tim says, I think your assessment was spot on. The Huntistas will try once again to split AOCDS and sabotage anything positive that goes on in OCSD over the next 2 years. Tim complains about the insiders on the AOCDS board who support Walters yet remains mute about Brian Heaney and others on the board who supported Bill. They donated to his campaign, wrote letters encouraging support for Hunt and urged (strongarmed) members to vote for a Hunt endorsement.

The most recent example of this was the poll taken by AOCDS of it's members a few months ago. Hunt narrowly won over Walters. Tim points out that most of Walters votes came from the DA's office as if their vote amongst the membership doesn't count. But thats irrelevant, what the poll really showed was the power of Hunt's "insider" board members who forced the poll onto the membership before the final candidates were even known. It was a clear attempt to bolster early support for Hunt but it backfired badly. AOCDS became irrelevant in the process way too early because they endorsed a candidate who never had a chance. Furthermore the other candidates had nothing to gain by attempting to work with AOCDS because Hunt had already forced AOCDS into a corner. The only one who came out ahead in that process was Hunt and once again AOCDS was left holding the bill.

Let's be honest here, Tim knows Hunt will never win an AOCDS endorsement over Walters if Walters is the incumbent Sheriff. So what's he left to do? Simple, support the other candidate. No surprise there, but you'd never get him to admit it.

Art,

You have selective memory or else are intentionally leaving out relevant information in an attempt to support your "theory."

I endorsed Pat Bates for Supervisor and even said so in the same speech you refer to. I didn't "fight" the Party endorsement of her; I spoke out against endorsing either good Republican in that race who both had been very supportive of the County Party. I personally told Pat before the meeting I was opposed to the Party getting involved between Republicans running for the same seat unless there's unusual circumstances and she understood.

I have consistently stood up on the same premise over the years for other races as well - INCLUDING the Sheriff's race between Hunt and Carona and yes, most recently, the 1st Supervisorial District. Tell the whole story.

Apart from that, we both agree Paul Walters should not be appointed Sheriff. By the way, two more gang shootings in Santa Ana last night and this morning - homicides are out of control under the "watchful eye" of our Chief who has been too busy lobbying for Sheriff the last 8 months to pay attention to our city. Like Carona, out of the public's eye it's all about him...

Tim

I forgot to type my name on that last post. Sorry.

Why is everyone making the assumption that Hunt will assurdedly run for Sheriff in 2010? Because it fits nicely into their conspiracy plan? Hunt is not a career politician and might likely have decided why bother dealing with it anymore. Before anyone says because he said he was going to, if I had a dollar everytime I said I was going to pull up stakes and move to Hawaii.. You get the point

On Target,

You are confusing the "Huntistas" with the "Caronaistas." The two AOCDS Board Members who have consistently supported Bill Hunt, Brian Heaney and Bill McGovern, are in the minority on that Board and have NO control over Quint and the majority. So much for your spin on that one...

The poll taken by AOCDS- which was commissioned by Quint and Nichols - in hopes that with Blakenship's help they could "prove" the Department "really" wanted Walters. All I did was connect the dots for the readers to understand what truly took place. Neither Heaney or McGovern had the ability to "strongarm" anyone. So much for your spin on that one as well...

AOCDS "became irrelevant" because that's exactly what the three amigos (Quint, Nichols and Blankenship) wanted to happen once their little plot backfired and Hunt won the endorsement anyway. They INTENTIONALLY did NOTHING other than Quint showing up at a BOS meeting and saying good things about Hunt for 3 minutes. All the while, he was working behind the scenes with others pushing Walters at every Republican gathering possible. The same thing occured when Hunt won the endorsement over Carona the first time.

"On Target," you need to change your pen name to "He who Flings Bovine fecal matter."

Semper Fi,

Tim

Gee Whiticare it seems like you try and speak for AOCDS when you have no standing and nerver will.Also are you saying Heaney&McGovern told you Quint&Nichols&Blankenship were making back room deals to get Walters the appointment for Sheriff.
It seems you don't have alot of support among the Republican party for your views aboout the Sheriffs Appointment. Especailly among the BOS who you have done a good job of P****** of so keep up the good work Tim!!

Anyone who has seen Huthens in action or the result of her "fix it" role in troubled areas knows that Santa Ana would be better off now had she been Chief.

She has been around the block several times and brings to the table what we need now.

Did it ever occur to anyone that Hunt would not run against Hutchins but would run against Walters in 2010? Saying that Hunt thinks Hutchins is "beatable" appears counterproductive for the Walters supporters. Wouldn't it just cause certain types to dig in their heels in support of Hutchins to prove Hunt supporters wrong?

It;s not my Job!

The leading OC Sheriff candidates agree that the OC Sheriff’s Department needs an organizational culture makeover, the OC District Attorney finds the current OCSD’s culture lacking, the Orange County Board of Supervisors demand changes to the OC Sheriff’s Department’s organizational culture, and the President of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriff’s Wayne Quint agree that a culture change is required.

So what exactly is organizational culture? Organizational culture can be viewed as the basic pattern of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs governing the way employees within an organization think about and act on problems and opportunities. Organizational culture is a deeply embedded form of social control, is the social glue that bonds people together and makes them feel part of the organizational experience and helps employees make sense of the workplace. Observable symbols and signs of an organization's culture include organizational stories and legends, rituals and ceremonies, language, physical structures and symbols. For example, in secret grand jury testimony, an Orange County sheriff's detective described a frat- house culture (see OC Register article) in the department, yet most OCSD employees remained silent.

So what is the Orange County DA doing about it – apparently there is little the DA can legally do.

A review of the process being used by the Orange County Board of Supervisors to hire a new Sheriff indicates the process is severely flawed and may explain why two current OC Sheriff insiders involved in mud-wrestling made the final cut. ” The Board has seen all applications/resumes submitted for the position and chose to endorse the list of nine recommended candidates. The decision for appointing a Sheriff is entirely up to the Board to make”, reads a statement we received from the County’s Executive Office, as we noted the flaws in the process. In other words, do not expect the OCSD’s culture to change as a result of the supervisors’ actions.

In a KOCE interview Monday, May 19, 2008 titled “Deputies Under Fire”, Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs president Sgt. Wayne Quint is asked: “Scandals in the jail, Grand Jury criticism, the supervisors, the media, controversies over pay & benefits. Sheriff Deputies are under fire. What do they have to say? Quint agrees that a culture change in the department is needed, “but it starts at the top”, he says in the interview. Quint denies there is a code of silence in the department, but does not explain what no one stood up to demand a culture change. During the interview he states a belief in personal accountability, but assumes no responsibility for the current state of affairs.

The message heard loud and clear from the Orange County Board of Supervisors to the District Attorney to the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs is that the OCSD is in dire need of a makeover – is it not their job to do it.

It is really very simple for anyone who cares to see. To sum it up, Hunt is not a contender at this point in time. The AOCDS poll itself is irrelevant except to show that close to 80% of the voters, an unfathomable number in politics, prefer someone not connected to Carona. Walters endorsed Carona at a most inopportune time and for allegedly questionable reasons. To a lesser degree, almost half of AOCDS members support Walters as apparently does the majority of Union management. Mix that up with Walters' Chameleon view of party afilliations and I believe all will see which way the wind blows. Jubal is correct in his assessment that Hunt supporters likely have thrown their support behind Hutchens. She is, by leaps and bounds, more qualified than Walters. This is the same poisen Hunt was meant to swallow. To be sure, Hunt took on Carona when others wanted to live to fight another day if at all. If it was all about Hunt, he wouldn't of placed his career on the line as he did. Hunt will not likely run against Hutchens but he will run against Walters without a doubt and he has the financial support to do it. Hutchens' appointment will eliminate the rift and bring calm to the Department's and the County's dilemma. I dare say that if this happens, there will be no viable contenders against Hutchins so maybe she and the BOS can start to make things right in the long term for the benefit of the Department and the County.

i wish they would just change the election for Sheriff to an application procedure prior to. That way, the Hunt's out there would not qualify. But I am almost certain OC citzens will not vote for him next time around. He will have the vote of about 1,000 union deps. Run by Carona number two, the head. He's as dirty as Carona. What a joke.!!!!! did you see the idiot trying to push some bias questionaire on the Supes. He probably has a GED..lol When the supes ask him to allow them to see the questions, he skirted the issue. Crooked Carona all over again

Tim listen partner be realistic. The only reason Hunt had the votes is because us citizens only had a few choices. Even then he didnt have too many votes. Now we see, the world has many more people to look at. And hence, now that has come out, the new Sheriff will associate Hunt with Carona and Hunt is done!!!!! he has the experience to be a chief of police at a high school or something. Hunt and the Carona ties, only until Hunt hung him out there, did Hunt decide to go stray. either way, the New Shierff will use a slogan similair to this. "Hunt is Carona and OCSD of the past, if you want corruption, vote Hunt."

Interesting comments from many on this blog to be sure. Comparing the two finalists it is easy to see who is the truly better choice for the office of Sheriff and that is Hutchens. On paper, in person, in background checks, in checked "baggage", in political IOU's Walters has stacked up all this and more during his failed administration in Santa Ana. Walters is connected allright, to the unions, to the political machine of OC, and he is beholden to both and many more. I don't want anyone like Walters near the office of Sheriff again, BEEN THERE DONE THAT, since Brad Gates. For a true change and quality in this office Hutchens is the clear and overwhelming choice. We will see what the BOS really believes when they collectively make this decision.

Seems to me Norby is rushing to judgment. Why is that? Well maybe due to his ties to Walters and campaign managements from the past, maybe he wants to ensure the media and people don't have a chance to go down to Lamoureux Justice Center and pull the file under CAse Number 07D000143 styled: Walters v Walters in which they will find all the necessary documentation to confirm double dipping, financial distress, adultery, and failing to keep his promises. Maybe Norby doesn't want anyone to investigate where Walters actually resides, Santa Ana or Tustin. Court documents from 12/07 show he resides in Tustin, however, voter registration information from 11/07 signed by Walters promises he lives in Santa Ana, in a house that doesn't appear to be occupied.

After all we have been through with the last two Sheriff's seems a week or two more of selection process wouldn't kill anyone, but Norby wants this done and has for weeks. WONDER WHY. Lets not fully vet these candidates, let just appoint the one who is best known, uses the same political consultants as me and get this done before anyone finds all his "baggage" hidden in the shadows.

Norby and all the rest should carefully weigh the finalist who won't embarrass them if they have any thoughts of being re-elected in two years. That candidate is clearly Hutchens. She is the BEST person for the job, on paper, in person, without political favors owed and with never faultering INTEGRITY!

Trina, you sound like a spurned woman. You cite a divorce court case as if the spiteful and hateful allegations on both sides are reminiscent of the actual facts (they rarely are). You cite Hutchen's superior ability and character yet you provide nothing factual to show that you know anything about the woman on a personal level. You also call Norby's choice a rush to judgment yet 3 other board members also voted for Walters.

Why don't you tell us how you know so much about Walters and what your relationship is to him, so we can better judge your comments as worthy of consideration.

To those of you that really believe Hunt wants to be Sheriff for the benfit of the department, you're dreamin. This has always been about him and his out of control ego and his my way is the only way attitude. Just because he was the whistle blower on Carona does not mean he's qualified to run the department. The fact that his intentions are to run again in 2010 only means this is about him; he and his people will rip open more old wounds,cause more hate and discontent within the ranks and attack the sitting Sheriff. Does that sound like he has the best interests of the department? STAY retired, enjoy yourself and go away.

18Vet2,
Hunt will have no reason to run against Hutchens if she is appointed. The outside politics and former command vestiges controlling the department will all have been eliminated. (Mission completed right?) According to Peggy at TBuzz, Hunt told Peggy that he endorsed Hutchins. Safe bet he will not run against Hutchins but will likely run against Walters if Walters is appointed. You say: "Just because he was the whistle blower on Carona...". Apparently you are a deputy from OCSD (Station 18 if anybody didn't know) If you are a "whistle blower" and you are a law enforcement officer, is that a bad thing? I guess we really do need Hutchins and as many Hunts as we can find. I'm not expecting Hunt will want his job back even if asked so you have little to worry about.