L Word? The board of supervisors is exploring whether indicted Sheriff Michael S. Carona can legally name his temporary replacement while he takes the next two months off (with full pay!) to fight “baseless” charges by the FBI. Jo Ann Galisky, 47, played Al Haig yesterday. She told told reporters that she’s the boss now and (as part of the cesspool that Carona surrounded himself with at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department) she said she will continue to serve his “program” pleasures. No, no. I’m not alleging that Galisky and Carona are an item. Remember Gilligan’s Island? These two together are like the constantly drooling, dim-witted Skipper and an oblivious, more dim-witted Gilligan. Gil Reza, David Reyes and Christine Hanley at the Times report today that The Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs has joined the chorus of calls for Calamity Mike’s resignation. Meanwhile, Peggy Lowe and Amy Taxin at the Register outed Galisky as a lesbian.
Holy cow, Batman: Bribes! Mistresses! Witness tampering! Dirty deputies! Obstruction of justice! Did I say bribes? Crooked wives! Grotesque mismanagement! Badged lesbians! Yee-ha!
UC Irvine professor Mark Petracca tenders today’s money quote in the Reg: “This is not a good thing for the [Orange County] Republican Party.”
Late last night I spoke to state Assemblyman Todd Spitzer who was peeved because he said KFI’s John and Ken had unfairly tied him to our slimy sheriff. It is true that
Spitzer has never been part of Carona’s inner circle. However, it's also true that Spitzer, who someday wants to become OC's top prosecutor, is afraid of alienating Carona consigliere Mike Schroeder (pictured at work), whom he fears is powerful enough in local Republican circles to block that dream.Right about now, I’m guessing that any politician/operative/deputy who takes a call from the Carona camp has to wonder: is the FBI listening? Hi Janet Nguyen! Hi Frank Barbaro!
More Trouble At The Great Park: When Marty Bryant abruptly resigned from running the Orange County Great Park Corp.–“one of the largest and costliest public works projects in the nation earlier this year, Irvine city officials cited health reasons,” according to William Heisel at the Los Angeles Times. But Heisel reports that Bryant knows how to party. He's a convicted public funds embezzler with a history of cocaine abuse. Larry Agran, whose political machine operates the city and the Great Park project, promoted Bryant to Park CEO in January. Agran said he was unaware of Bryant’s rap sheet and that nobody had bothered to perform a background check. (Reminds me of THIS.) Writes Heisel: “Bryant’s hiring and sudden departure, and lack of steady leadership in general, have caused some to question the city’s grip on the project.” I’m skeptical about pretty much anything that comes from folks tied to the Irvine Co., but Dick Sim, a former company executive, is an honorable fellow with unquestionable expertise in real estate development. He’s been saying for years that Agran is botching the massive project.
Absolutely the Funniest item of the day: The Register investigative crew has done some excellent work (UCI fertility clinics, tainted candy etc) over the years. But it was mysteriously absent on Carona. (Hi Schroeder!) Yes, I’m being generous. Some might say the paper is an un-indicted co-conspirator for remaining relatively silent in the midst of a multi-year, massive fraud on the public. Others might say the paper's staff (except for the Opinion page guys) willingly sold Carona’s lies. Anyhow, are you seated? From the online Reg:
OC Watchdog: Sheriff Mike Carona indicted on corruption charges. Register Watchdog stories looking out for the public trust.
Oh, that's good!
— R. Scott Moxley / OC Weekly
CNN-featured investigative reporter R. Scott Moxley has won Journalist of the Year honors at the Los Angeles Press Club; been named Distinguished Journalist of the Year by the LA Society of Professional Journalists; obtained one of the last exclusive prison interviews with Charles Manson disciple Susan Atkins; won inclusion in Jeffrey Toobin’s The Best American Crime Reporting for his coverage of a white supremacist’s senseless murder of a beloved Vietnamese refugee; launched multi-year probes that resulted in the FBI arrests and convictions of the top three ranking members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department; and gained praise from New York Times Magazine writers for his “herculean job” exposing entrenched Southern California law enforcement corruption.