Sergeant Joins Race to Unseat Sheriff Block

A Los Angeles County sheriff’s sergeant announced Monday that he is running for the department’s top job, joining a growing number of candidates seeking to unseat Sheriff Sherman Block in the June election.

Patrick Gomez, 40, a field sergeant at the department’s Temple Station, said he decided to join the race because he believes the leaders of the Sheriff’s Department lack vision.

“I have seen this department go from being the best-trained, best-equipped, most innovative department to one that does not place training as a high priority, has fewer resources available and is stagnant,” Gomez said. “It is very disappointing to see the morale of those who have given their best to this department down so low.”

Gomez, who has been with the department for 17 years, acknowledged that he faces an uphill battle. He has raised just $20,000 to fund his grass-roots campaign, compared to $276,000 collected by Block.

“I’m not a politician,” Gomez said. “I have never had the desire, nor felt the need to be involved in politics, until now. . . . The men and women of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deserve to have a leader who will support them and be actively involved in what is taking place in the department.”

Gomez is the third candidate to announce that he will challenge Block, who is seeking a fifth term in the nonpartisan June 2 primary. Also in the race are sheriff’s Chief Lee Baca, who supervises six patrol stations, and former Chief Bill Baker, who was in charge of the department’s detective division before he retired in 1995.

If no one wins a majority in the June election, the top two vote-getters will go into a runoff in November. More candidates are expected to join the race before the March 6 filing deadline.

Like the other candidates, Gomez expressed concern that Block, 73 and suffering from a variety of chronic ailments, has fallen out of step with the needs of the department. “The members of the Sheriff’s Department need a sheriff who will be proactive, not reactive,” Gomez said.

He criticized the sheriff for his handling of several problems, particularly the woes facing the overburdened county jail system.

“During the past four years, we have had numerous inmates escape from various Los Angeles County jails,” Gomez said. “The largest in the history of the Sheriff’s Department was 14 inmates, several years ago. I will fully staff our jails and I will assign canine handlers and dogs to the custody facilities to be used for random searches for narcotics and to act as a deterrent for those inmates who are thinking about escaping.”

Block could not be reached for comment. He has maintained that his experience makes him the best candidate for the job.

Gomez made his announcement on the steps of the county Hall of Administration. He was joined by about a dozen supporters, including Joan Schmidt, a member of a town council serving an unincorporated region wedged between Monrovia, Arcadia and Duarte.

“I think it’s time for a change,” Schmidt said. “Sheriff Block’s health hasn’t been too good. I think Sgt. Gomez has some good ideas.”

During his 17 years with the department, Gomez has served as a deputy in the jails and on patrol. In April, he was promoted to sergeant.