After emerging as the winner in the county's closest race, Sheriff-elect Mike Carona said Wednesday that he will seek to patch up differences between himself and the sheriff's deputies who so fervently supported his opponent, Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters.
"The task before me now is to build a coalition with the people who were against me," said Carona, who beat Walters by a margin of 6%. "The vast majority will be loyal to whom the sheriff is. They just want to be treated fairly."
Carona, who will succeed longtime Sheriff Brad Gates as the county's top law enforcement officer, said he hopes to meet with Gates soon to discuss transition plans.
As Carona basked in his victory, Walters held an emotional press conference to thank his supporters and to announce that he will "probably" challenge Carona in 2002.
Meanwhile, Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Rackauckas celebrated his decisive win over Assistant Dist. Atty. Wallace J. Wade for the job of district attorney, which is being vacated by Mike Capizzi.
"I'm relieved," Rackauckas said. "It's a relief to actually win after going through the entire campaign. The stakes got to be pretty high. So many people were counting on me winning. They felt the quality of their careers depended on the outcome of the election."
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Rackauckas' victory was a popular one among the rank and file that had been unhappy with Capizzi's management style.
"I think there's a quiet euphoria throughout the office," said Deputy Dist. Atty. Dan McNerney, who supported Rackauckas. "You don't have people running up and down the halls screaming and yelling but as you see your colleagues, everyone has a smile on their face. I think there's a great anticipation of positive changes in the office."
Rackauckas said he is looking forward to "reorganizing" the office from top to bottom.
"I want to do everything I can to arrange a smooth transition during this next period so when we change hands it's not going to be traumatic for anyone," said Rackauckas, who plans to meet with Capizzi at some point to discuss transition plans.
Rackauckas, 54, who worked in the district attorney's office for 16 years before becoming a judge, said he wants to improve working conditions for prosecutors including better workstations and upgrading computer systems to improve research capabilities. He also wants to give front-line trial attorneys more input into their individual cases.
