It takes only a glance at the Santa Ana City Council to understand the demographics of the city, the ninth largest in the state. With Latinos accounting for 76% of the population, it is no surprise that the mayor and every person on the City Council is Latino.
Although the council reflects the makeup of this central Orange County city, Santa Ana has never had a Latino police chief. But that could soon change.
Paul Walters, who has led the city's Police Department for two decades, is one of two finalists in the search for a new Orange County sheriff. And it has left some to wonder if the time has finally arrived when a Latino will head a department in which Latinos make up nearly half the 390 sworn officers and 67% of the police staff.
"I think it's important to consider a Latino. We should seek a replacement based on our demographics," said Councilwoman Michele Martinez. "But we're an equal opportunity employer, and we need to find the best of the best."
Martinez and other council members interviewed said they would not lobby specifically for a Latino but agreed that one would bring a unique cultural awareness to the job. A Latino could start the job with "instant credibility in the community," one councilman said.
Walters has spent most of his career in Santa Ana, rising through the ranks until his appointment as chief in 1988. His rival in the search for the new sheriff is Sandra Hutchens, a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department division chief.
One of them will replace Sheriff Michael S. Carona, who resigned in January to focus on his upcoming federal corruption trial. The Orange County Board of Supervisors may select his replacement as soon as Tuesday.
If Walters becomes sheriff, Santa Ana City Manager David N. Ream would appoint an interim chief, and then his permanent replacement, subject to City Council approval. Ream was unavailable for comment, but Assistant City Manager Catherine Standiford said all applicants would be considered, not just Latinos.
"However, we encourage diversity and have a long record of hiring bilingual employees," she said.
The chief could come from within the department, from outside or could be a retired law enforcement official, Standiford said. Some council members said they prefer a national search, but she said no decision has been made about that.
