Red County/OC Blog News Roundup --

Today's top stories from behind the Orange Curtain:

IRS Owes Tustin Residents Thousands -- OCR
Forty-four Tustin residents are cumulatively owed $32,209 from IRS.

Mock Terrorist Attack At Angel Stadium Closes 57 Freeway -- OCR
Police and firefighters hustle preparing for any disaster that might come.

Smog Check Program Beams Up Polluters -- OCR
Remote sensors will be on O.C. freeway onramps this week in a hunt for the highest polluting cars.

Possible Human Remains In Disney's Pirate Ride -- OCR
Security officials respond to a suspicious powder at the Pirates of the Caribbean.

City Sees A Vision For Little Saigon -- OCR and LAT
Panel suggests a downtown with electronic screens, open-air market, cultural center.

Strong Santa Ana Winds Expected Next Week -- OCR
Long-term computer models indicate that Orange County will  experience strong Santa Ana winds next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Newport Sues Drug Rehab Homes -- OCR
Addiction treatment houses opened in violation of city law, officials say.

Parkside Project Gets OK From Coastal Commission -- OCR
Shea Homes proponents and opponents are confused, however, as to exactly how much land both sides lost for their causes.

Southland Home Prices Drop To 2005 Levels -- LAT
The median last month was $444,000, down 8% from a year earlier.

OCC's Living History -- DP
Former OCC faculty member thanks others for his success while he is honored with renaming of campus’ first lecture hall.

City Hall Traffic A Concern -- DP
Newport residents against ballot measure believe building city hall next to the city’s central library would cause gridlock.

Op-Ed: Campaigns Not Way To Elect Sheriff -- DP
Barbara Venezia sounds like she's calling for making the post appointive, rather than elected.

Newport Activists Push Stricter Rehab Stance -- DP
Newport Beach activists say a lawsuit the city recently filed against two local rehabilitation centers is a good start but not enough.

The Political Landscape: Air Transport Just Dream -- DP
News from Newport-Mesa's political waterfront.

Comments

[redperegrine]

Barbara may be on to something vis-a-vis the Sheriff. Being Sheriff (or DA) requires the ability to manage a large and diverse organization with a huge budget. Many of the requirements of the job are executive/administerial. Even the "policy" decisions are pretty much based on options among professional standards.

And yet we award the job to the most successful political candidate.

[Flowerszzz]

Red it is much the same way we elect all of our elected officials. There are some qualifications like being a citizen, registered voter, living in the area you are runnig for (unless you are running for congress)but nothing that requires experience for any political office.

No matter the process, if a person is corrupt they will be corrupt no matter the education or qualifications for the job.

[redperegrine]

Right, but the electeds (Supervisors for example) are not executives in any real sense. Their mission is to create overarching policy goals and to have those implemented by hirlings - people who meet professional standards. So they hire a "County Executive" (or City Manager, etc.).

The Sheriff has to be a cop; the DA a lawyer. There are lots of people out there who qualify to these absurdly low standards. In Carona's case it was like going from the stock room to the executive suite.

The real challenge is to get elected - which means the Sheriff-to-be (or would-be DA) has to raise lots of money and ingratiate himself with the power brokers: the successful law enforcement elected starts off his new job owing important people favors. If they are naturally corrupt it only makes things worse.

Maybe it's time to rethink the way we select these folks.

[One Who Knows]

Maybe it's time to rethink the way we select these folks?"

Think all you want, but you had better think big.

California Constitution, Article XI, Sec. 1 (b) states: The Legislature shall provide for county powers, an elected county sheriff..."

[redperegrine]

Of course, State law establishes county government. So let's think big.

[redperegrine]

Of course, State law establishes county government. So let's think big.

[One Who Knows]

Red:

It's more than "state law" which establishes that the Sheriff is to be elected, it's the State Constitution.

So...once you gather the two million or so dollars needed to qualify a Constitutional Amendment, let us know.

[redperegrine]

Gee, can't legislators put that kind of stuff on the ballot?

[One Who Knows]

"Gee, can't legislators put that kind of stuff on the ballot?"

Fine! Once you round up 2/3 of both houses of the legislature who want to put their name on an amendment which will strip the voters' right to elect their Sheriff, let us know.

Then we can start pondering whether your suggestion has any merit or not.

[redperegrine]

No, you've got it backwards. Let's "ponder" whether the idea has merit then discuss the pragmatic politics of the issue.

If you don't want to talk about it because you believe it is ultimately too hard or impractical, fine - don't talk about it.