Carona’s ‘Rush’ to Make Changes Irks Gates

Outgoing Sheriff Brad Gates accused Sheriff-elect Michael S. Carona on Tuesday of jumping the gun to reshape the department that Gates has headed for 24 years, giving a rare public glimpse of a simmering private feud between the two less than a month before Gates leaves office.

Speaking to the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Gates said he was hurt and insulted by Carona’s implications that Gates has not operated the department cost-efficiently. He also accused Carona of injecting politics into the nonpartisan office by proposing to change hiring standards so he can install a political ally as one of his top commanders.

“I don’t understand what is the rush to get involved in changes when [Carona] should have enough courtesy to let the sitting sheriff finish his job,” Gates said. “Then he can make any changes he wants to make.

“I’ve been pretty amenable up to this point,” he said. “But it’s offensive to me to have someone who I like, but who is lacking in experience as I’ve said before, come to the board and get involved in an item he has little knowledge of.”

The spat exposed political wounds still raw from the June election, which Carona, now the county marshal, won over Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters. Gates did not endorse Walters but was outspokenly critical of Carona, saying he was not qualified to be a street cop, let alone the county sheriff. Gates’ choice, Assistant Sheriff Doug Storm, dropped out of the race after less than two months of campaigning.

Carona, clearly irked by Gates’ comments, told supervisors he was saddened that Gates was offended by some of his requests, specifically his proposal Tuesday to delay a $5-million expenditure to pay off leases for sheriff’s helicopters until after Jan. 4, when Carona is sworn in.

He said he wants to complete a financial audit of Sheriff’s Department funding to assure that the money can be spent without busting the budget. He told supervisors that “senior members of the Sheriff’s Department” questioned making the lease payments from federal funds. That money might be needed for other programs next year, he said, if state sales-tax revenue declines.

“If you’re wrong and the sheriff’s calculations aren’t correct and we’re upside-down on the budget, I’m going to have to come back to this board,” Carona said.

But the supervisors backed Gates, voting to let him pay off the helicopter leases early and thus save $400,000 in interest payments. Board members said Carona would have enough time to evaluate the overall department operation next year.

“Everybody’s antennas are up,” said Supervisor Todd Spitzer, one of three supervisors who endorsed Carona for sheriff. “This puts us as the board in the awkward position.”

Carona didn’t get a chance to argue for his second request: revising hiring standards for the Sheriff’s Department. That item was removed from Tuesday’s agenda by County Executive Officer Jan Mittermeier. She said the board meeting “wasn’t the proper place” to discuss whether minimum qualifications for assistant sheriffs should be changed.

Changing the qualifications for assistant sheriff would allow Carona to hire former Garden Grove Police Sgt. George Jaramillo, who was Carona’s campaign manager. Jaramillo, now an attorney, became a controversial figure in county law enforcement after filing a discrimination complaint against Garden Grove. He settled with the city and eventually retired at the rank of lieutenant last year. Carona hired him to work with the marshal’s office in July.

Carona said last week that he would make announcements on his top managers later this month and would not comment on whether he wants to hire Jaramillo. Jaramillo also would not discuss the possibility.