Block Announces Candidacy for a Second Term

Flanked by 36 area police chiefs, Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block on Tuesday announced that he will seek election next year to a second term--maintaining a tradition that incumbent sheriffs establish an early and strong campaign presence to discourage potential challengers.

Block, who was appointed to head the 8,500-employee department in 1982 and easily won his first four-year term in an election that same year, said that both his announcement nine months before the election and a large fund-raising dinner this week are intended to remove “any doubt” about his candidacy.

He said he knew of no candidates who would oppose him and noted that he has received endorsements from every police chief in the county.

Longevity has been a hallmark in the sheriff’s office. In the last 65 years there have been only four sheriffs, including Block. And the last three sheriffs have moved up, with the blessing of their predecessors, after having served in the department’s No. 2 post.

In his first term, Block, a 30-year veteran of the department, has brought a very different style to the post than his predecessor, Peter Pitchess. Unlike Pitchess, who was often at odds with the county Board of Supervisors and the press, Block has worked quietly to cultivate good relations with both.

At a press conference, Block praised his department as one of the finest in the world. He cited the security provided for last year’s Olympics and the apprehension of Richard Ramirez, the suspected Night Stalker, as among the accomplishments of his first term .

Jail overcrowding continues to be the most serious problem facing the department, Block said, and the solution is to move prisoners through the court system faster. To accomplish that, state funds now set aside for court construction should be used to pay for additional judges who could conduct night court in existing buildings, he said.

Block also said that he opposes the retention of California Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird. Block attacked those who claim that Bird’s opponents are politicizing the court system, and said that their claim is a “smoke screen” meant to protect her. Officials in all three branches of the government must stand for judgment by the voters on the basis of the officials’ performance and philosophy, he said.

Block raised more than $400,000 for his 1982 campaign. He said Tuesday he does not know how much he will spend in this campaign. It depends who challenges him, he said.