Carona goes on paid leave

Hours after sheriff’s deputies called for their boss to step down, Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona announced Tuesday he will take a paid leave to focus on the felony charges facing him.

Although Carona’s decision was designed to quiet criticism, which has built steadily since he was indicted last week in a federal corruption case, it also stoked anger from some who viewed the move as little more than a paid vacation.

Carona’s decision to step away from his job was a quick turnaround from the defiant stance he took last week.

“I will be taking a 60-day leave of absence in order to devote my full time and energy towards battling the untrue and baseless charges made against my wife, Debbie, and me,” Carona said in a statement Tuesday.

“This was not an easy decision for me to make, given that I know that the charges against me are without merit,” he said.

Carona appointed Undersheriff Jo Ann Galisky, his top aide, to run the department.

Supervisors were angry that Carona chose his own replacement, saying he may have usurped their authority.

“I think he can certainly delegate responsibility, but he can’t name an interim department head because the board does that,” said Supervisor John Moorlach.

County Counsel Ben de Mayo is researching whether Carona was allowed to name Galisky acting sheriff, said board Chairman Chris Norby.

Moorlach, who has called for Carona’s resignation since the indictment, called the leave of absence “close, but no cigar.”

Norby has asked county lawyers to research the paid-leave issue and report to the board. “I’m very concerned about this because he will be getting paid full time as a sheriff and not working,” he said.

Galisky, 47, said at a news conference that she would not hesitate to consult with Carona about department programs. “Will I be calling him to make decisions within the organization? No,” she said.

The acting sheriff also said it would be unlikely that Carona would overrule her decisions. “I can’t imagine any circumstances where the sheriff would step in,” she said.

Galisky, a 23-year veteran of the department, was appointed undersheriff by Carona in April. Though she is part of Carona’s inner circle, Galisky said the comparisons with disgraced former assistant sheriffs George Jaramillo and Donald Haidl stop there. The two men, charged as part of the conspiracy that led to Carona’s indictment, have brokered plea agreements with prosecutors.

Carona got bad news Tuesday from those working under him. The Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs issued a statement calling for him to resign or take a leave. The deputies said the corruption indictment had been a “growing distraction to the day-to-day operation of the department. His issues have caused an erosion in the public’s confidence in our ability to provide services to the citizens of Orange County.”

Sheriff’s Department managers had scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday night and, a source said, were expected to ask Carona to resign.

Carona decided on a 60-day leave because it gives him enough time to begin working on his defense and to decide how to proceed in his role as an elected official, said Michael Schroeder, a political advisor. Schroeder said Carona hoped to return in 60 days and get the supervisors’ approval to go on leave for another 60 days or more.

Norby said the sheriff didn’t need supervisors’ permission and could return from his leave, work for a day, then take another 60-day leave. But making such a move may infuriate the public and some supervisors, Norby said.

Mark Petracca, a UC Irvine political science professor, said Carona’s leave just pushed the problem back two months.

“Sixty days doesn’t buy us anything here,” he said. “Carona still gets paid, and it’s having him say ‘I need more time to Christmas shop. Oh, and by the way, pay me. I’ve got a lot of gifts to buy so give me some extra time.’ ”

Carona will be paid $33,166 during his leave.

County supervisors, meanwhile, rejected a proposal to amend the county charter to grant the board the power to remove from office an elected official, such as the sheriff, for neglect of his office.

The proposal also would have given the board authority to select an interim sheriff.

Supervisor Bill Campbell said the measure, which was hastily assembled to meet a deadline for the February ballot, left too many questions.

“I support the concept,” Campbell said, “but this has been rushed through, and the deadline creates a problem with me.”

Voting against the measure were Campbell, Janet Nguyen and Patricia Bates. Moorlach and Norby voted in favor.

Carona is charged in a broad conspiracy to sell access to his office for tens of thousands of dollars and gifts, such as a boat, pricey watches and tickets to the World Series and a Las Vegas boxing match. Carona has pleaded not guilty, as have his wife, Deborah, and Debra V. Hoffman, identified in court documents as his longtime mistress.

Although Carona had pledged to fight the charges and remain in office, pressure had been growing for him to step aside or at least delegate the department’s day-to-day operations.

Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas, who has worked closely with Carona, suggested the sheriff take a leave of absence because Carona’s attention would be on his indictment. Rackauckas said he was pleased with Carona’s decision to focus on his trial rather than remain on the job, because it “was the right thing to do.”

Because Carona is an elected official, supervisors cannot force him out of office. Rackauckas and De Mayo, the county counsel, told the board that if any elected official leaves his office for 90 consecutive days, the office is legally vacated, giving supervisors the power to chose an interim sheriff, they said.

During the meeting, Rackauckas cautioned the board about seeking the power to force elected officials to step aside when they are charged in a criminal indictment.

“It’s a form of punishment,” Rackauckas said, when, as in the indictment, there is no evidence against the individual. “Essentially, you become a tribunal.”

Carona may face more political problems. Bates said problems with Moorlach’s measure could still be resolved and put on the June ballot.

After hearing that it would take more than 151,000 signatures for a recall effort to remove Carona from office, Moorlach said he wouldn’t mind “being one of those 151,000.”

christine.hanley@latimes.com

david.reyes@latimes.com

hgreza@latimes.com