Baca Plans to Marry, Then Take Business Trip to Taiwan

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and his longtime girlfriend will marry this weekend, then travel to Taiwan--along with several of Baca’s aides--on a trip paid for by the Taiwanese government.

Baca accepted the trip, which the Sheriff’s Department says is for business purposes, as part of his ongoing efforts to crack down on criminals who target Los Angeles County’s large Asian community, a department spokesman said.

Also invited to go on the trip were Assistant Sheriff Bill Stonich, his wife, and two other department employees, according to sources.

“The trip is not a honeymoon,” said department spokesman Capt. Doyle Campbell. “It’s a business trip. . . . So much of the organized crime in our community is tied to Taiwan, Hong Kong and other parts of Asia. Having a relationship with law enforcement in those countries will be very beneficial for investigating crimes over here.”

Campbell said he was unsure how much the trip will cost the Taiwanese government. He said he hopes to have the figures later this week. Baca and his entourage are set to depart June 6, although that date could change, Campbell said.

“The details are not solidified yet,” he said. “I can tell you there will be no county taxpayer funds used.”

He said the department is working with the county counsel’s office to ensure that “there are no conflicts of interest and all the proper disclosures are made.”

Baca, meanwhile, declined to discuss the details of his planned marriage to Carol Chiang, whose family is reportedly from Taiwan. The couple are to be wed in a small ceremony Saturday, sources say.

The couple will live in San Marino in a home Baca recently purchased for $750,000, according to real estate records.

Baca has often introduced Chiang as his “Chinese girlfriend.” During his campaign, she helped arrange a fund-raiser for him in Rancho Palos Verdes, where she owns a house. Chiang also assisted Baca in his successful effort to win support among Los Angeles County’s Asian American communities.

After taking office, Baca set up the Asian Crimes Task Force, staffed with deputies who are fluent in various Asian languages, in Rowland Heights.

The effort is intended to combine “cultural understanding and language skills with public education, proactive intervention, criminal investigation and community oriented policing efforts,” department officials said.

So far, the efforts are going well, with teams investigating Asian gangs and software counterfeiting rings.

“They are making inroads,” he said. “They have had several major cases so far.”