Sheriff's Open Letter To the People, Los Angeles County

The next Sheriff's election on March 5, 2002, will be crucial to the people of Los Angeles County. All county voters regardless of whether you live in Los Angeles, Rosemead, Pasadena, or other incorporated cities in Los Angeles County are eligible to vote in this election. A choice must be made on whether we continue on the path currently traveled by Sheriff Baca or we become actively involved in changing the direction the Sheriff's Department is headed.

Lee Baca has begun a process to change the focus of the Sheriff's Department from protecting life and property to a department concerned only with social issues and promoting his personal agenda. The events occurring on September 11th have taught all of us a valuable lesson. The function of government is to protect the public. The function of the Sheriff's Department is to protect life and property. Your vote counts. Now is the time to demonstrate it.

We now have a Sheriff's Department more than $100 million over budget. We have a Sheriff's Department that is mismanaged and disorganized. Lee Baca refuses to establish a working relationship with County Supervisors. This has damaged his ability to effectively manage the Department.

I am an elected member of the Board of Directors of the Professional Peace Officers Association (AFL-CIO), representing 6,500 members from the Sheriff's Department, District Attorney's Office, Office of Public Safety, and the Coroner's Office. I have had first hand experience in examining policy changes that Lee Baca is attempting to implement without regard for the lawful input of member unions. Policies that would disarm Sheriff's Deputies off-duty. Policies that prevent Sheriff's personnel from aggressively pursuing criminals and identifying criminal activity. Policies that repress Deputies' legal right to free expression even within their own homes. Within some areas within Sheriff's jurisdiction, Deputies are dissuaded from pursuing possible criminal activity by restrictive policies apparently motivated by political payback.

The failure of Lee Baca to manage our Sheriff's Department effectively has been demonstrated by his failure to establish protocols to insure the safety of Department members and the public when assisting outside law enforcement agencies. I believe this directly contributed to the death of Deputy Hagop "Jake" Kuredjian in a botched ATF raid at Stephenson Ranch on August 31, 2001.

DNA samples from the four to eight thousand specimens collected from rape cases have been sitting in freezer storage at Central Property, some for up to six years, because he will not hire proper staffing. This evidence could be used to capture serial rapists operating in Los Angeles County. Baca has failed to get the Consolidated Crime Lab off the ground after more than a year and $1.5 million wasted in the process. The $96 million allocated for the lab is in danger of disappearing. He has failed to properly staff unincorporated county areas with Deputies and resources to insure the public’s safety. He failed to establish a release policy for inmates that would ensure they were not over-detained. This lack of action for 2 years resulted in a $27 million civil judgement against the Department. An Ontario man, over-detained due to this lack of action, was brutally raped by inmates. The subsequent civil suit resulted in a settlement of $1million. Sheriff Lee Baca is the man that states he cannot provide health care for inmates yet squandered over $50 million of the inmate welfare fund that was available. What happened to the money?

Lee Baca has yet to honestly explain his involvement in the Carlos Vignali pardon signed by President Clinton on his last day in office. Young Vignali was serving a 15-year federal sentence for his involvement as a main player in a cocaine smuggling network moving over 800 kilos of cocaine to the mid-west. Lee Baca made phone calls to the White House, wrote letters, and spoke with Hugh Rodham who brokered the deal for over $200,000 paid by Vignali's father, Horacio. The elder Vignali contributed over $11,000 to Baca's campaign. Baca has either denied involvement, mislead the public, or lied outright about his participation. He currently refuses to comment. Surely this does not meet the tenants of his Department’s Core Values. The case is under investigation by the Federal Grand Jury and the U.S. Attorneys Office in New York. President Clinton even went on record to express his regret for signing the pardon. Previous campaign contributions have also been questioned. Of seven area politicians involved in the pardon effort, five have either retired, dropped from the scene, or have been convicted of crimes. Antonio Villaraigosa lost a close election for Mayor of Los Angeles and many believe his involvement in the Vignali scandal was the reason. Villaraigosa's involvement was much less than Lee Baca.

The recent debacle over voiding a ticket of a Baca political contributor at Temple Station requires closer scrutiny. A phone call to the Sheriffs Office and the ticket is fixed. When does a Sergeant working in the Sheriffs Office have the authority to order a Lieutenant to void a ticket? Why would the Lieutenant void it on the orders of a Sergeant? This is a violation of policy and of law. It must have involved personnel of higher rank than a Sergeant and Lieutenant. This is not the first time this has happened according to my sources. This cannot be swept under the rug. It should be investigated by an agency outside the Sheriffs Department. Corruption must be dealt with.

I have requested investigations of Lee Baca's involvement in the Carlos Vignali pardon, the Temple Station ticket voiding debacle, and the purchase of the 10 passenger twin engine turbo prop airplane by the Public Integrity Unit of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

As Sheriff, I will get back to basics in law enforcement. I will put together a management team that is focused on providing the best service to the public and not personal career considerations. I will examine all Sheriff's Department efforts in non-traditional law enforcement roles to determine continued feasibility. I will establish protocols that will insure Deputy personnel and members of the public remain safe during inter-agency actions. I will ensure that any policy change that affects the working conditions of Department members will have the full involvement and input of member unions. I will insure units are focused on law enforcement and investigation rather than units established as political payback or social remedies. I will insure the budget is balanced and Department members are provided with the resources necessary to do their jobs. I will establish a working relationship with the Board of Supervisors. Corporate perks such as take home vehicles, cell phones, credit cards, etc., shall not be the rule. I will insure that promotions are decided on merit and demonstrated ability. I will insure that honesty and integrity are traits practiced by all Department members.

I ask all Los Angeles County voters to join me in my effort to ensure Lee Baca is a one term Sheriff. I ask for your support. We have some work to do. It is time to restore the pride.