Ralph Martin for Sheriff

Next week, the Orange County Board of Supervisors will meet for extended interviews with the nine finalists to fill the county sheriff position left vacant by the indictment of the disgraced Michael Carona on federal corruption charges. Our Supervisors are good people, and I believe they will make a decision that leaves Orange County in better hands. God knows we desperately need it. A decision will come for the County Board some time after next week. It is my firm conviction that the best man for the job is Commander Ralph Martin of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Orange County's present law enforcement paradigm is woefully sad. Sheriff Carona's right-hand man (George Jaramillo) sits behind bars for multiple felony convictions. His other main man (Don Haidl) has pled guilty to multiple charges related to corruption. Sheriff Carona himself, along with his wife and mistress, await trial for extensive corruption allegations, many of which are available to read more about in the transcripts of Carona's own conversation with the aforementioned Haidl. Corruption has permeated the department, and scandal has left us demoralized and shocked. Additionally, the deputy sheriff and public employee unions have squeezed promises out of the package that are unrealistic at best, and apocalyptic at worst. The John Chamberlain beating at the Theo Lacy Jail unit (leading to his death and a massive lawsuit against the city) has screamed for the need for a complete overhaul of the systems presently in place (this system functions under the oversight of the sheriff's department). Meanwhile, for those of us who prefer to discuss law enforcement in the context of catching bad guys and preventing future crime, rather than in the context of scandal, litigation, and headline embarrassments, Orange County is coming into the "big time" in the world of crime and sinister activity. We have grown in a plethora of ways that make us the envy of much of the world, but sadly, we also have grown into a big county that has big county crime problems (Mexican mafia, organized gang problems, MS-13 gang presence, international connections, and other insidious developments that would keep us up at night if we sat in on the briefings of what is being discussed and dealt with).

It is my position that we need a clean break from past OC Sheriff Department connections, because morale demands it, accountability insists upon it, and the new paradigm is screaming for it. Ralph Martin represents all of the above. He has avoided corruption and scandal throughout his highly decorated career. He has the pedigree and experience to lead us into the new century of law enforcement. He plays with the big boys in international crime connections, federal law enforcement, and massive gang control. He is ideologically solid, repudiating the parasites of gangs, drug lords, and sexual predators that represent a genuine and real threat to our communities. He knows how to build alliances with strategic partners that we need in the new paradigm of crime (unlike our previous sheriff, who seemed to believe Orange County was insulated to the threats that were invading Los Angeles to the north and San Diego to the south). He is an advocate of civilian oversight, and philosophically gets the idea that law enforcement is empowered by the people. No other candidate in the list of finalists comes close to holding the pedigree Commander Martin has, the ideological strengths, the respect of peers, and the personal character and virtue. I have gotten to know Ralph a bit over the last couple of months, and I believe that our county is best served with a new vision, and a new leader. That visionary leader, is Ralph Martin.