Opinion: Orange County’s new sheriff
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 today for Sandra Hutchens. The Times reports:
Hutchens, 53, spent nearly 30 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department before retiring last year....The board’s decision capped a historic process in which supervisors -- and not the voters -- selected the county’s sheriff. Supervisors narrowed a field of nearly 50 applicants to two, holding an unprecedented day-long public interview process two weeks ago.Hutchens will oversee more than 4,000 employees and a budget of more than $700 million; most importantly, she will have the task of turning around a department tarnished by allegations of corruption, cronyism and a string of embarrassing scandals.
Hutchens becomes the first female sheriff of the O.C. -- Times’ columnist Dana Parsons wonders if the county is ready for her.
The editorial board notes today that Hutchens made a strong candidate to replace the disgraced Michael S. Carona. See its previous takes on Carona here and here.
*Photo by Mark Boster, Los Angeles Times