Gates Appeals Order to Identify Holders of Weapons Permits

Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates on Monday appealed to the state Supreme Court to overturn an appellate court decision requiring him to identify people with concealed-weapons permits.

The ruling that Gates hopes to have overturned was handed down last November by the 4th District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana in response to a demand by CBS Inc. for the names of individuals granted concealed-weapons permits in Orange County.

The Court of Appeal decision in Gates’ case was based on a state Supreme Court ruling last October. In that decision, the high court ruled against Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block, saying that the public had the right to know about holders of concealed-weapon permits. Block contended that the names should remain secret to protect the permit holders’ right to privacy.

Arthur Wahlstedt Jr., an Orange County deputy county counsel representing Gates, said a petition for hearing the matter was sent to the state Supreme Court on Monday. He said the court could agree to hear the appeal or refuse to grant a hearing.

Wahlstedt said Monday that the newly reconstructed state Supreme Court is “more likely” to grant a hearing on the concealed-weapons issue.

Three of the five high court justices who rendered the opinion in the Los Angeles County case in October lost their bids in November to retain positions on the court. They were Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird and Justices Joseph R. Grodin and Cruz Reynoso.