You will not see his name in what I called OCSD Star Search - The Final Episode.  For that matter, Lt. Bill Hunt did not get any support from the Orange County Board of Supervisors either in that episode.

However, Kevin Keyes, a businessman who threw in his hat in the ring to fill Sheriff Carona's position, was kind enough to answer my questions with a focus on the ongoing CCW controversy.  With Mr. Keyes' response, I have only to hear from Ken Maddox and Commander Ralph Martin.



CB:  What are your thoughts on the current OC CCW controversy?

KEYES:  The Sheriff has Grand Jury reports from 2006 and 2007 outlining a laundry list of problems in the Sheriff's department and her first apparent action is the CCW issue.  OC has one of the smallest CCW per capita in the United States.  With some 3.3 million people, only 1,200 permits were issued.  Bill Hunt and I debated this issue at a public forum during the selection process and both agreed to a "shall issue" policy completely opposite to the appointed Sheriff - an issue, the OCBS did not even ask her a question on during the EEOC appointment process.

The taxpayer pay the bills and it seems her first act was to attack her employers.  Last week the Grand Jury noted it was her role to determine the policy on this and the OCBS should focus back on the more important and larger issues to the tax payers.  That said, I am hoping in the next election, since it is now the Sheriff's policy to determine the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, our next Sheriff will agree with me and we won't need a 17 officer Sheriff escort in and out of public meetings for our Sheriff.

CB:  Why has the union not taken a position on this issue?

KEYES: They have by rigging the appointment process and getting us the Sheriff we have.

CB:  What would you do different in the jail management  issue?

KEYES: Actually many things.  I would like to privatize sections of it that are not cost effective. Rotate jail responsibilities throughout the department equally sharing the burden and it would put more senior offices rotating in with junior offices allowing more command and control and accountability.  During the selection process, I had several conference calls with one of the countries largest jail service providers on how to cost effectively implement this.  Not long ago, our state senator, Diane Fienstein was successful in setting aside 10 million acres of California for turtle refugee's, despite the fact California cannot build power plants, refineries or job creation cities.  To cure the overcrowding problem, I would set up tents out there and have the guests of the county take care of and manage these turtles so important to the federal government.  

CB: Are you planning to run in  2010 and if so, when will you announce?

KEYES:  The Sheriff's department has a budget of over 700 million per year making it almost more than a top Fortune company and there is not experience in a Sheriff's career that teaches them how to manage a business of this size. 

I am a businessman and believe the department should be run by a non union, public citizen that believes the tax-payers need to be protected.  I can see myself running if the people and support system can get in place.  The people of OC need one of their own that they can trust in the position, guard them against zealot unionized unaccountable bureaucracies and to Serve and Protect their interests.