New Sheriff, D.A. Take Up Crime-Fighting Torch

At separate ceremonies Monday, Orange County’s new top law-enforcement officers were sworn in, both pledging to help poor and underprivileged youth.

New Sheriff Michael S. Carona, speaking at his swearing-in ceremony at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, urged residents to donate their time and money to needy children. If they do not, he said, those children will grow up to occupy jail beds at taxpayers’ expense.

Carona also said the hallmark of his administration will be targeting criminals: “If you’re a bad guy, if you’re a drug pusher, I’m coming after you. If you’re a gang member, I’m coming after you. If you’re a child abuser or want to terrorize Orange County, I’m coming after you.”

Meanwhile, new Orange County Dist. Atty. Anthony J. Rackauckas Jr. pledged at his inauguration in Santa Ana to crack down on gang violence and on parents who don’t make child-support payments.

“Let deadbeat parents beware: Your free ride is over,” he said.

Rackauckas made no mention of political corruption, though he made clear during his campaign that he would place less emphasis on misconduct than did his predecessor, Mike Capizzi.

Capizzi, who served nine years, drew criticism from county Republicans for prosecuting Assemblyman Scott Baugh (R-Huntington Beach) and several GOP campaign aides involved in the special 1995 election to recall then-Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress).

Rackauckas stated during his campaign that he would prosecute political cases only if they are felonies and would turn over minor election law violations to the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

In his speech Monday, however, he made no mention of that issue. Rather, he emphasized the tough-on-crime themes of his successful campaign against Assistant Dist. Atty. Wallace J. Wade. He said anti-gang units would be bolstered and efforts to collect child-support payments strengthened for “hard-working, single parents . . . who are struggling because they cannot collect court-ordered child support.”

Collections of child-support payments have increased in recent years--more than doubling since 1993 to an estimated $107 million in 1998, according to a recent report--but Rackauckas said there is room for improvement.

Carona, too, emphasized youth programs in his speech. He said he will ask local philanthropists and civic clubs to help at-risk youth. Local leaders such as Donald Bren of the Irvine Co. and developer George Argyros will be hearing from him soon, he said.

Other speakers referred to the beginning of a new era after the 24-year reign of former Sheriff Brad Gates.

Speaking after the ceremony, Carona said the transition process was not smooth, though it did improve toward the end.

Officers had been told that he was “the devil incarnate,” Carona said, so he must work to prove himself otherwise.

He said, “We’ve made inroads” with the deputies’ union, which did not support him during the campaign. But the trust of the department will be his only when he keeps his campaign promises, such as his pledge not to balance the budget by cutting personnel, he said.

The two ceremonies drew thousands of county workers as well as several police chiefs, federal and state judges and county supervisors. Both events featured speeches by officials and citizens who commented on Rackauckas’ career as a prosecutor and Superior Court judge and Carona’s service as a bailiff and county marshal.

Rackauckas’ and Carona’s counterparts in Los Angeles County were among those who attended.

Gil Garcetti, district attorney of Los Angeles County, gave a short speech promising to assist Rackauckas in any way to combat “gangs, hate-mongers, white-collar criminals and those who fail to support their children.”

William Bedsworth, a state appeals court judge, praised Rackauckas for being a man of “unshakable ethics” and “impeccable integrity.”

Rackauckas, he said, is “up to the task to guaranteeing fairness for the people of Orange County.”

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca praised Carona as a man who cares for people and makes them feel important. The two sheriffs pledged to work closely together.

Carona also was lauded by his 8-year-old son, Matt. Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo quoted the child as saying: “I think my dad is kind. He would make a good sheriff because he would let people do what they want--but he won’t let them do what is wrong.”