The nine candidates competing to become Orange County's next sheriff have 263 years of law enforcement experience among them. They share the same views on what ails the department and how to fix it: strong leadership to force institutional culture change and restore the public's trust.
The Board of Supervisors will embark Tuesday on an unprecedented process to choose a replacement for Michael S. Carona, who resigned this year after being indicted on federal corruption charges.
At a marathon daylong hearing, each candidate is scheduled to appear before the board for an hourlong public interview.
Ordinarily the sheriff is chosen by voters, but county lawyers concluded that supervisors could appoint someone to fill the remainder of Carona's term.
A final vote is scheduled for June 3, but some board members are eager to conclude the process and may seek a vote Tuesday night after the interviews conclude. But other supervisors say they will want to take time and digest what they've heard before making a selection.
Close observers and insiders have spent weeks reading tea leaves hoping to see which candidate has the best chance of winning the job -- the acting sheriff, Jack Anderson, who was appointed by Carona; other well-known local law enforcement figures such as Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Cmdr. Ralph Martin; or outsiders such as Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams.
But publicly, at least, board members and their aides have said they have not settled on any particular candidate and want to hear from all applicants before formulating an opinion.
"I've got a very open mind, and I think that's what you have to go into it with," Supervisor Patricia Bates said.
"Hopefully the best person is very obvious to us and the public."
The county conducted an international search for candidates and had an initial list of nearly 50 to choose from.
But in the end, eight of the nine finalists come from Southern California -- six of them live in Orange County.
In addition to Anderson, Martin, Walters and Adams, the candidates are Salt Lake County Undersheriff Beau Babka; San Bernardino County Undersheriff Richard Beemer; former Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Bill Hunt; Anaheim Deputy Police Chief Craig Hunter; and Sandra Hutchens, former Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department division chief.
Even the three candidates considered favorites by many insiders -- Anderson, Walters and Martin -- will have significant obstacles to overcome.
