Orange County Board Of Supervisors

John Moorlach, the Orange County treasurer-turned-supervisor who threatened to upend the county's relationships with its public employees unions when he took office little more than a year ago, became chairman of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday -- but left out the fiery rhetoric that characterized his once-aggressive stance.

Orange County supervisors accepted outgoing Sheriff Michael S. Carona's hand-picked successor as the new acting head of the law enforcement agency on Tuesday, setting aside concerns that the appointment was improper and that political calculations played a role in the selection.

Talked out of lobbying for a former sheriff's lieutenant to replace indicted and now retired Sheriff Michael S. Carona last year, the San Clemente City Council had second thoughts late Tuesday. The council agreed Tuesday night to write a letter to Orange County supervisors asking them to appoint former Lt. Bill Hunt as a permanent replacement for Carona, who is facing federal corruption charges.

Orange County supervisors Tuesday gave final approval to a plan to create a civilian oversight agency that will review misconduct complaints against county law enforcement officers, capping months of planning to establish it. The plan, put forward in May by board Chairman John Moorlach, creates a review board modeled on one used in Los Angeles County to take citizen complaints, investigate deaths and serious injuries involving Sheriff's Department personnel, and examine all deaths in custody.

Could a lawsuit seeking to cut pensions for Orange County sheriff's deputies be tried fairly in one of the county's own courtrooms? That question is at the heart of a motion filed recently by the board of the county retirement system, which has been sued by Orange County in a closely watched battle over $187 million in benefits.

Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby acknowledged Friday that he spent campaign funds to pay for a one-week stay at a Fullerton hotel last August because of marital problems, an expense he labeled a "study of homeless and motel families" on financial disclosure forms. "I'm surprised it was on the campaign [account]; it should not have been," Norby said. "And I'm going to reimburse the campaign because I was there for personal stay."

Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby, who earlier this month admitted using political contributions to pay for a hotel stay during a spat with his wife, spent nearly $8,000 from his campaign account in the last months of 2007 on unexplained charges, campaign finance records show.

A look at some upcoming news events: Address: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa delivers the annual State of the City address. Earthquake: Representatives of the Southern California Earthquake Center, the U.S. Geological Survey and the California Geologic Survey report new earthquake probabilities for the state. Monday O.C. bus service: The Orange County Transportation Authority will hold a hearing on proposed route changes.

Nine law enforcement veterans competing to become Orange County's next sheriff appeared before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday in an unprecedented public interview session to determine which one should replace the top cop who left office under indictment. The candidates were allowed an hour each to make a brief statement and then field questions from the five supervisors, with the session stretching into the night.

He is a first-time candidate with little money, no campaign mail and no endorsements. His opponent is a popular politician who has represented the northeast wedge of Orange County for a dozen years in the Legislature and on the Board of Supervisors, is flush with campaign cash and backed by the county's powerful GOP machine. It is the kind of campaign that highlights all the difficulties faced by any relatively unknown challenger.