Jan 15, 2008 5:12 am US/Pacific
Carona's Replacement Choice Comes Under Fire
SANTA ANA, Calif. (CBS) ―
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Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona (file)
AP
Orange County supervisors will begin the process of replacing Sheriff Mike Carona Tuesday, who abruptly resigned to concentrate on his defense to federal corruption charges. John Moorlach, who chairs the Board of Supervisors, told reporters that he wants to resolve the question of whether Carona adhered to regulations in choosing Assistant Sheriff Jack Anderson as interim replacement until the supervisors choose a replacement.
Moorlach also questioned why Carona fired Assistant Sheriff Dan Martini before stepping down.
Moorlach said he directed county counsel to prepare a report, and hopes it will address those issues as the board takes its first steps to selecting a new sheriff to complete Carona's term, which expires in 2011.
The issue of the search for a replacement is not on the board's agenda, so supervisors will be limited in action they can take, but Moorlach said he hopes that the foundations of the search and answers to the "interim" question can be resolved.
Carona, his wife, Deborah Carona, and attorney Debra Hoffman, referred to in the indictment as Carona's long-time mistress, are accused of accepting at least $350,000 in gifts and cash while selling the perks of the department to individuals, notably wealthy businessman Don Haidl, who became assistant sheriff without a law enforcement background.
At a news conference, Moorlach said Monday that state codes call for the appointment of undersheriff to the interim post.
But Undersheriff Jo Ann Galisky, who handled day-to-day operations of the department while Carona was on a 60-day leave of absence to work with his lawyers, declined the post of interim sheriff and took a demotion to assistant sheriff.
Carona then appointed Assistant Sheriff Jack Anderson to the post of interim sheriff but fired Assistant Sheriff Dan Martini.
"The state's code says when the sheriff resigns, then the undersheriff would then be the interim," Moorlach said. "It appears that the undersheriff has accepted a demotion to assistant sheriff and that Assistant Sheriff Dan Martini was relieved of his position.
"So now we have four assistant sheriffs, and so how do you determine which of those four is then the interim?" Moorlach asked. "That's something that's still unresolved and hopefully we can get clarified as quickly as possible."
Michael Schroeder, Carona's legal adviser, said Carona conferred with County Counsel before naming Anderson interim sheriff.
"He got clear direction and research from county counsel," Schroeder said.
Supervisor Chris Norby said the process of finding a replacement for Carona could take about 60 days.
Among the issues the board will consider is whether to select an "insider" who knows the department, or an "outsider" with a fresh perspective, Moorlach said.
In any event, the post is a political one, which will require whoever is chosen as Carona's replacement to win an election in order to stay in the job beyond 2011.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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