Orange County Sheriff

As former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona prepares for trial on criminal charges that he sold access to his office for cash, favors and gifts, he has retained the best lawyers money can buy. And he's getting them nearly free of charge. Jones Day, the fourth-largest law firm in the United States, with 2,300 lawyers worldwide and estimated annual revenue of $1.3 billion, has agreed to represent Carona on a pro bono basis.

Based on polls of voters and their rank-and-file members, leaders of the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs said Tuesday they would ask county supervisors to appoint former Lt. Bill Hunt to replace Michael S. Carona as the next sheriff.

The acting sheriff of Orange County has gotten off to a rocky start in his relationship with the union that represents the county's sheriff's deputies. Three weeks after the union disclosed that its members didn't support Jack Anderson's effort to become sheriff, it has challenged his proposal to pull deputies from county jails and replace them with lower-paid correctional officers. The Assn.

The state attorney general has concluded that acting Orange County Sheriff Jack Anderson broke the law last year when he appeared in uniform before the San Clemente City Council and tried to discourage it from endorsing a former lieutenant for sheriff.

Lawyers for former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona made one of the most pivotal arguments in his corruption case Friday, asking a judge to prohibit jurors from hearing secret recordings in which Carona reportedly discussed hiding evidence that he illegally received cash and gifts. Carona's lawyers said the recordings should be excluded because federal law prohibits prosecutors from contacting a target who has an attorney, even through a third party.

Attorneys for former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona implored a federal judge Friday to dismiss most of the charges he is facing, contending that prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office overstepped their authority in targeting him. Carona attorney John D. Cline said the federal government is obligated to allow states to set and enforce their own political corruption laws.

Acting Orange County Sheriff Jack Anderson has expressed disgust at the mess he's inherited at Theo Lacy Jail. "I can't think of a lower standard they were acting at," he told a Times reporter Tuesday. "I will take it as far as I can take it," he said about possible further disciplinary actions, "and termination will not be enough for me." I hope he's not talking about knee-capping people, but I get the point: He's tough. He's embarrassed. He's angry. And, might I suggest, he's thrilled.

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.

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.

The final connections to former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona's troubled administration were severed Tuesday when county supervisors agreed to go outside the department for a new leader. County supervisors chose as finalists Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters and retired Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Division Chief Sandra Hutchens to rebuild a department damaged by Carona's indictment and a series of other scandals that tarnished his nine-year administration.