This is from Supervisor John Moorlach's "Moorlach report" e-newsletter that just came over the transom. Better late than never, but as Steve Greenhut pointed out, why couldn't he have said all this before the vote to appoint Hutchens? It's not as if Supervisor Norby didn't practically beg the appointing majority to make more than a desultory, pro forma case for Hutchens:

Why I Voted For Sandra Hutchens 

After interviewing both Chief Hutchens and Chief Paul Walters for about an hour and a half each, my staff unanimously felt that Chief Hutchens made an overall stronger impression as a potential Sheriff.

The County would have been well served with either choice. I felt Sandra was the better candidate. 

Overall, Sandra is strong and ethical.  She will be able to command the respect of the staff of the department and their union representatives.  And she will gain the public's trust. 

Sandra strikes a balance between being an insider and an outsider.  Her varied career with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, the nation's largest, provides her with the intricate knowledge of the workings of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, including its jails.

Having a total career in the Sheriff's Department makes her keenly aware of all the aspects involved in such an operation and allows her to bring true reform to the jails.  She came up through the ranks and worked in the jails as a line staff member to a supervisor to a manager.  As much as people have touted the need for jail reform, her experience is far greater than operating a much smaller city jail that cannot be compared to the county jail system.  She understands the jails from the bottom up.  She fully understands contract city relationships and working with the State's Courts.

She is an expert in Emergency Management and Homeland Security, specialties critical to the position of Sheriff.

By the end of her career she oversaw more employees than Chief Walters does now, which reveals the breadth of her experience.

Sandra is removed from the political machinations in the County.

Although she did not run for the position of Sheriff in an election, she admitted to considering it and applied on the County's website for the position on her own volition.  She was not pushed by any group of individuals.  She was not coached by political consultants.  And she did not rely on a power base to get her over the top.  In fact, her friends and colleagues rallied around her once they discovered she was in the mix.

Sandra is unpretentious, unassuming and hands on.  This will be a helpful antidote to "America's Sheriff" and the related absentee management-style of the past.

She acknowledges the work of her support staff and is more concerned that others receive the praise.

She has a plan with specific goals and objectives that are quantifiable and measurable.  She will strike the balance of acquiring proper data and making appropriate assessments and decisions.

She was at ease during a difficult private interview and confident in her responses.

I felt she had a better position on carrying concealed weapons.  Her approach more closely mirrored the current policies and legal standards, which are working well.

She was not being crammed down our throats by any Board office or interest group.

Sandra will do a wonderful job in addressing the culture issues within the department and providing the necessary leadership at the top to restore the shine to this award-winning agency.

With her thoughtful demeanor she will act rationally and thoroughly on turning around the Sheriff's Department.  She will not be rash or impetuous.

We have a genuine public safety professional willing to step out of her quiet retirement to address critical issues in the County she calls home.

Once she initiates her action plan and builds a good rapport with the citizens of the County, she will be an incredible candidate for the permanent position.

I, for one, do not believe the CWLA's offensive had any impact on John's vote for Hutchen's. I strongly disagree with his decision, but O've no doubt he made up his own mind for his own reasons.

But a couple of John's assertions are simply untethered from reality:

1) "She was not being crammed down our throats by any Board office or interest group" and "She was not pushed by any group of individuals" and "And she did not rely on a power base to get her over the top."

Maybe John was in cloister during the last week and didn't notice the California Women's Leadership Association ferocious lobbying effort on Hutchens behalf. Janet Nguyen and Pat Bates sure noticed it.

2) Sandra is removed from the political machinations in the County.

That statement ignores the overtly political dynamic that led to Hutchens appointment. There's this miasma of phoniness enshrouding the Board majority's decision. People who know better are pretending -- or at least, unwilling to acknowldge -- that Hutchens received the two votes that made her as a result of a political, gender-driven lobbying campaign. Everyone knows it was happening. But few are willing to admit it.

Steve Greenhut posted his response to Moorlach's e-mail here.

UPDATE (6/12/08): I forgot this reason Moorlach stated for supporting Hutchens:

"She was not coached by political consultants."

I suppose that depends on how you define political consultants, including those leading the charge for her in lobbying the Board.

She definitely had PR consultants. On the evening of May 19, Newport Beach-based Echo Media PR e-mailed me a press release entitled "OC's First Female Sheriff?"

It went on to say:

Good Evening, 

As the only woman vying for the position of Orange County's next sheriff, Sandra Hutchens is poised to become OC's first-ever female appointed to the position. 

A Dana Point resident, Hutchens is available to discuss: 

â–         Problems within OC's current jail system, and Hutchens exciting plans for change

â–         Strategies Hutchens will pursue to restore public trust in the position of Sherriff

â–         Plans for rectifying the current lack of accountability within the system

â–         What it means to be a woman in leadership roles within a largely male-dominated organization

â–         and more 

A headshot is attached. To schedule an interview, please give me a call. I'm available this evening via cell at 714-458-6306. Otherwise, I will give you a ring tomorrow morning to get your thoughts, and discuss this story.

Very grass-roots. No groups pushing her or consultants helping her or anything like that.

And we're still waiting to hear about those "exciting plans" for changing the jail system.