Probe of Alleged Bias in County Delayed : Rights: Investigations in L.A., Sacramento take priority with U.S. panel weighing claims that local agencies discriminate against minorities.

A federal investigation into complaints of widespread discrimination in Orange County is being delayed by inquiries in Sacramento and Los Angeles, federal officials said Tuesday.

The Orange County investigation is also taking longer than expected, and a fact-finding hearing originally scheduled for spring will probably be pushed back until the summer, said Philip Montez, head of the Western regional office of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which oversees 10 states, including California.

“We’re taking on more than was anticipated,” Montez said.

In December, an advisory panel of the commission ordered an inquiry into allegations that minorities in Orange County routinely face discrimination by local and county government.

Key complaints include the lack of minority representation in politics and on the Orange County Grand Jury, which has since taken steps to improve minority recruitment. Another subject of complaint was the practice in some police departments of photographing young people--often Latinos or Asian Americans--for gang mug books, even when no criminal wrongdoing is suspected.

Montez said the scope of the investigation is widening to include looking at the scarcity of women in politics, as well as practices at several police departments.

“It takes a lot more work,” he said.

John Palacio, head of Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and a Latino leader who helped bring the complaints to the federal government’s attention, said the delay will result in a more thorough investigation.

“To me, it means that the commission is taking its task very seriously, waiting until it has enough time and resources to look at the complaints carefully and completely,” Palacio said.

The date for a fact-finding hearing will probably be set by May 20, Montez said.

Many officials in Orange County do not believe a hearing is warranted. If the advisory panel uncovers discrimination, however, it can forward the complaints to the Civil Rights Commission. The commission in turn can refer violations to other federal agencies for possible action. Violations can lead to losses in federal funding or even legal action.

The investigation in Orange County is continuing, but at a slower pace, Montez said. An investigation of hate crime allegations in Sacramento and complaints that several Los Angeles television stations discriminate against minorities have taken priority, he said.