O.C. Sheriff’s Shining Star Now Smudged

Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona, once hailed by Larry King as a hero and regarded in California as a lawman with golden political prospects, now faces an uncertain future.

Two top aides -- friends who supported his first campaign in 1998 and won their appointments shortly thereafter despite a relative lack of experience in the Sheriff’s Department -- have left in a blaze of unfavorable publicity that, some observers say, could dim Carona’s chances to win higher office.

Assistant Sheriff Don Haidl resigned late last month after spending the past year helping defend his 19-year-old son, who faces retrial with two others in a gang-rape case involving a girl who was 16 at the time and allegedly unconscious.

Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo, fired by Carona in March, was arrested and charged last week with corruption and could get prison time. He is accused of misappropriating public money by using county equipment to demonstrate a device being pitched by a Newport Beach company, CHG Safety Technologies. Jaramillo was being paid by the company and had a financial stake in the firm.

Carona has not been accused of any wrongdoing and has stressed that he knew nothing of Jaramillo’s alleged conflict of interest.

But Carona may be blamed for misjudging his friends and letting them keep their jobs too long, said George Wright, chairman of the criminal justice department at Santa Ana College.

“People will look at that and say he wasn’t smart enough to realize what was going on,” Wright said. “At best, it shows bad judgment, and that’s not a good thing for someone who wants to move up” in politics.

Carona was out of town and could not be reached for comment. Others say the sheriff, who has been mentioned as a potential candidate for lieutenant governor in two years, has enough time to dust himself off before his term runs out.The most recent, and most serious, threat to Carona is the Jaramillo case. After the arrest, Carona issued a statement saying he was saddened that Jaramillo, a man he referred to as “my brother,” may have betrayed the public trust.

Jaramillo has said Carona was aware of his financial arrangements with CHG, which he revealed on conflict-of-interest forms he filed with the county. Carona never read the forms, a department spokesman said.

Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas said there is no evidence that Carona knew of Jaramillo’s “consulting” payments from CHG -- or that he knew Jaramillo and Haidl signed an agreement with CHG that would have netted them as much as $640,000 each if they found a buyer for the company. Haidl wasn’t charged because he wasn’t involved in misusing public resources, Rackauckas said.

That was small comfort, however, in terms of Carona’s political aspirations, because public perception alone can stall momentum.

For two years, Carona has been touted as a probable Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, thanks to his close friendship with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his national exposure in the summer of 2002 when deputies nabbed the man who allegedly kidnapped, molested and killed 5-year-old Samantha Runnion of Stanton.

An impressed Larry King declared Carona “a genuine American hero” for his resolve and quick action.

Carona hasn’t said publicly whether he will run for lieutenant governor or even for reelection. During his 1998 campaign, he said that, in the spirit of term limits, he intended to serve only two four-year terms, though he left some wiggle room by saying he might rethink that if the county is facing a serious threat of some sort at the time.

Carona has time to redeem himself should he decide to run locally or statewide, said Allan Hoffenblum, a former Republican strategist who now publishes the California Target Book of political races.

But much of the political positioning is out of his hands. The overriding question remains whether Schwarzenegger runs for reelection. And Carona’s supporters say the Republican is not interested in being lieutenant governor under anyone else.

“The main question is what Arnold is going to do,” Hoffenblum said. “I know he likes Carona, but there are a lot of people out there.”

The governor has not commented on his prospects, let alone anyone else’s, for 2006.

Schwarzenegger’s recent actions, however, suggest that Carona is not far out of favor: Last week, after Haidl resigned and long after Jaramillo had been fired, Schwarzenegger named Carona to the state Athletic Commission. Members, who receive $100 per meeting, regulate boxing, kickboxing and martial arts.

The charging of Jaramillo and resignation of Haidl could, paradoxically, be good news, clearing two political liabilities from Carona’s path far enough in advance of the 2006 election that the sheriff would have time to move on and redeem himself.

In addition, the man accused of killing Samantha Runnion is scheduled to stand trial next year, which is expected to draw media attention and could renew favorable publicity for Carona.

But if Jaramillo’s case goes to trial next year and there are more embarrassing revelations, Carona could find himself mired anew.

The sheriff is likely to be called to testify, and Jaramillo may well challenge his claim that he knew nothing of his former aide’s financial ties to CHG.

“Carona can’t afford to have someone squeal,” said Mark Petracca, political science professor at UC Irvine. “The best thing for Carona is if Jaramillo pleads and there’s no trial.”

Shirley Grindle, a political activist who helped craft the county’s campaign reform ordinance, said Carona’s political future will hinge greatly on whether he can prove he did not know about Jaramillo’s business ties.

“Considering how close they were before this all happened, it’s really amazing that Carona didn’t know about this,” Grindle said.

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Times staff writer Christine Hanley contributed to this report.