OC Politics Blog

Orange County’s “Measure A” passes with nearly 80% of the vote

Posted on March 8, 2025 by Editor Posted in Orange County 1 Comment

Huntington Beach, CA – On Tuesday, Orange County voters passed Measure A, an important charter amendment that requires a two thirds majority vote by the County Board of Supervisors to place any future special tax proposal on the ballot.

Michelle Steel, Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, was joined by her fellow County Supervisors who unanimously passed her motion to place this charter amendment on the ballot to close this tax loophole, which further established measures to better protect Orange County taxpayers.

Yes on Measure A currently leads with 79.17% of the vote and over 375,000 votes.

“With the overwhelming support for Measure A, Orange County voters have sent a clear message that taxes are too high, and enough is enough. Measure A puts up another barrier that protects taxpayers from sacrificing more of their hard-earned money. I am proud to have fought for the measure and will continue to advocate on behalf of taxpayers. As Californians flee our tax-heavy state, I am aware there is more work to be done. I will continue to identify and close tax loopholes, make it more difficult for the government to raise our taxes, and support policies that let individuals and businesses thrive,” stated Michelle Steel.

O.C. Sheriff Barnes receives a Presidential appointment to a subcommittee

Posted on February 27, 2025 by Editor Posted in Don Barnes, OC Sheriff, Orange County Leave a comment

SANTA ANA, Ca. (Feb. 26, 2020) – Sheriff Barnes was recently appointed to the Social Problems Working Group, a subcommittee of the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice.
Sheriff Barnes was appointed by Attorney General William P. Barr to the Social Problems Working Group, a subcommittee of the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. On Oct. 28, 2019, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order No. 13896 authorizing and designating the Attorney General to create such a Commission that would explore modern issues affecting law enforcement that most impact the ability of American policing to reduce crime. The launch of the Commission was announced at a ceremony on Jan. 22, 2020, in Washington, D.C.

“The Working Groups are a critical component of the Attorney General’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice, as they cover wide ranging issues and themes impacting law enforcement, criminal justice components and our communities — everything from entire community groups to individuals in law enforcement,” said Phil Keith, the chair of the Commission “Each working group member’s diverse perspectives and experiences will provide tremendous value to the Commission’s overall mission.”

“I’m honored to be representing the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and serving on a Working Group of the President’s Law Enforcement Commission,” said Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes. “The Commission will ensure law enforcement agencies across the nation have the tools, training, and a collaborative strategy to address the many issues our deputies encounter on a daily basis. This is an opportunity to share the great work being done in our community, and learn best practices from other law enforcement agencies and community partners.”

The Commission is made up of 15 working groups, each of which will specialize in a range of topics from social problems impacting public safety, to officer health and wellness, to technology issues and much more.
The President’s Executive Order instructs the Commission to conduct its study by focusing on the law enforcement officers who are tasked with reducing crime on a daily basis. It also directs the Commission to research “important current issues facing law enforcement and the criminal justice system,” and recommends a variety of subjects for study, such as, but not limited to:

• The challenges to law enforcement associated with mental illness, homelessness, substance abuse, and other social factors that influence crime and strain criminal justice resources;
• The recruitment, hiring, training, and retention of law enforcement officers, including in rural and tribal communities;
• Refusals by State and local prosecutors to enforce laws or prosecute categories of crimes;
• The need to promote public confidence and respect for the law and law enforcement officers; and
• The effects of technological innovations on law enforcement and the criminal justice system, including the challenges and opportunities presented by such innovations.

The Commission will principally conduct its study through a series of hearings, panel presentations, field visits, and other public meetings. At these events, the Commission will hear from subject matter experts, public officials, private citizens, and other relevant stakeholders and institutions who can provide valuable insight into these issues.

The Commissioners, appointed by the Attorney General, are urban police chiefs, state prosecutors, county sheriffs, members of rural and tribal law enforcement, federal agents, U.S. Attorneys, and a state attorney general. In addition to their diverse experiences and backgrounds, each member brings to the Commission an expertise in formulating and shaping law enforcement policy and leading police departments and law enforcement organizations.

The Commission will meet monthly for the next year and then report its findings to the Attorney General, who will submit a final report to the President.

March 2020 Primary Voter Guide

Posted on February 2, 2025 by Editor Posted in 2020 Elections, Orange County Leave a comment

By Larry Gilbert

For those newer Facebook friends who are unfamiliar with myself let me provide a brief overview of my credentials in issuance of Voter guides. This is surely not to pat myself on the back but to express my fiscal and pro-life conservative values, beliefs and my experience vetting candidates. We have lived in Mission Viejo for the past 43 years so I surely know the landscape.

Over the past 20 years I have generated Voter Guides based on personal contacts along with candidate vetting. In that effort I have compared notes with highly respected conservatives to see if they have a different analysis of the candidates and Ballot Measures.

As a former unit president of the Saddleback Republican Assembly we vetted numerous candidates for offices from local City council seats and state seats, to Judicial Offices and the governor of CA. In addition, I served as the Alternate for both Committee member Greg Woodard and Congressman Darrell Issa on the Republican Party of OC Central Committee where I met several of these same candidates.

Folks. This is a very crucial election. I am serious. Watching the lengthy House and Senate effort to impeach our duly elected president will continue unless we can flip the House and keep the small majority we have in the Senate.

The Democrats are livid. Some have openly stated they will continue to impeach POTUS even after he is exonerated next week. Democratic Representatives such as CA Maxine Waters and TX Al Green will lead this effort after POTUS is re-elected in Nov. They will be supported by Intel Comm Chair Adam Schiff and Judiciary Chair Jerrold Nadler. It needs to end now.

Wow. They actually placed Donald J Trump on our CA ballot. Vote Trump for president.

The next category on our Ballot is for members of our Central Committee. Due to the following opinion I will leave it to you to decide whom to support in that contest where you live.

We live in the 73rd AD. In a prior post I said that I will not be voting for any Incumbent due to their failure to utilize a key weapon in the 2018 election called ballot harvesting. Six of the seats flipped by Dems in the 2018 mid-terms were in CA with four based in our back yard. Central Committee chairman Fred Whitaker admitted their failure to utilize that tool while thousands of Ballots were dropped off by Democratic volunteers. In good conscience I cannot reward those same Incumbents for that leadership failure. We elect them to be our eyes and ears and to watch out for us.
My choices for the 73rd Central Committee, as they appear on the ballot, are as follows: Diane Harkey, Jake Vollebregt and Elaine Gennawey. Last three TBD.

Next on the Ballot is US Representative. I will begin my recommendations in northern CA.. Note: We have to deal with “top two” in these contests regardless of political party

CD 01 VOTE for (I) (R) Doug LaMalfa. His challenger Audrey Denny who has a large war chest. They will face off in the General where Doug should win
CD 04 VOTE for my friend (I) (R) Tom McClintock. Tom should easily win the primary and will be challenged by (D) Brynne Kennedy in the General. Brynne raised over $550,000 last year
CD 08 My recommendation is for (R) Jay Obernolte Jay should win the primary and face off against (D) Christine Bubser in the General. This should be a Republican victory. (I) (R) Paul Cook is out this year. He captured 60% of the vote in his last race.
CD 10 I recommend (R) Ted Howze. He will face four Republican challengers in this seat that was flipped in 2018. (I) (D) Josh Harder raised $2.4 mil last year where he captured 52% of the vote
CD 22 VOTE for (I) (R) Devin Nunez. This seat is safe. We owe Devin a huge thank you for standing tall against shifty Schiff in the bogus House Impeachment
CD 23 VOTE for (I) (R) House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. This is the safest Republican seat in CA
CD 25 I recommend (R) Mike Garcia. This seat was flipped in 2018 by Katie Hill who has dropped out .We should easily flip this seat back to the GOP column. Of the 10 candidates seven have zero money in the race (as of Dec 31,2024)
CD 39 VOTE (R) Young Kim. This seat was flipped in 2018 by (D) Gilbert Cisneros (who raised $1 mil in 2019 and has $600,000 left.) Gil captured 51.5% of the vote and can be defeated.
CD 42. VOTE (I) (R) Ken Calvert. This is a safe Republican seat
CD 45. VOTE (R) Don Sedgwick. Full disclosure. I’ve interviewed and endorsed Don. He has the horsepower in funding and boots on the ground to win the Primary and challenge (I) (D) Katie Porter in the General. As of 12-31-2019 she had $2 mil. left in her coffers.
CD 48 VOTE (R) Michelle Steel, 2nd District BOS Member. Michelle has been extremely active in her campaign. She will easily win the primary and face off against (I) (D) Harley Rouda in the General Rouda flipped this seat in 2018. At the end of 2019 she had $1 mil. left in the bank
CD 49. VOTE (R) Brian Maryott. Full disclosure. I recently met with Brian and endorsed his campaign. Some candidates get a break. There is only one Democrat and Brian in the Primary. As such Brian will face off against Mike Levin who flipped this seat in the 2018 mid terms.

State Senate races. Not a pretty picture. The Democrats currently have a “super majority”. Our Legislature contains 40 Senators whose term of office is for four years. Half of these seats are voted on every two years.

This year’s election will be for the 20 odd number Districts plus one “special election” in SD 28 See below. All of these races fall into the “top two” regardless of party. To break their “super majority” Republicans would need to control 17 seats. As reported earlier the Democrats already control 15 of the 20 even numbered Districts.

Of this years 21 Senate races there are six (I) (D) seats on the Ballot in which there are no Republican challengers. Seats of all five retiring Incumbents will remain in the Dem. party. The one Republican Senate seat where the Incumbent is retiring, SD 23, will be a toss up.

SD 23 VOTE for (R) Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh. I believe she will win the Primary and face (D) Kris Goodfellow in the General election. Note: (I) (R) Mike Morrell was termed out in this San Bernardino seat.

SD 29 VOTE (I) (R) Ling Ling Chan. Her major Democratic challenger is the one and only June 2018 recalled Josh Newman. Josh’s vote on AB -1 gave the Democrats their dual “super majority” which increased the taxes on gas and diesel and raised DMV fees. without a public vote.

SD 28 VOTE (R) Melissa Melendez. This is a “special election to replace Jeff Stone who joined the Trump admin in the Dept of Labor

SD 37 VOTE (I) (R) John Moorlach. For full disclosure I’ve endorsed John ever since he ran for OC TTC. He has two Democratic challengers.Dave Min and Katrina Foley.

State Assembly races. All 80 seats are up every two years. As I’ve stated before the Democratic Party has a “super majority” that will not change after this year’s election. A super majority requires holding 54 seats.
There are no Republican challengers in 15 of the 80 seats. Eight Incumbent Assembly members are not on the March ballot. That could be due to Term Limits, seeking higher offices, or simply retiring. Of those eight six are Democrats and two are Republicans.

My focus will be Orange County with a few outside races.

AD 42. Palm Springs. Former Republican Chad Mayes is the Incumbent who voted for “cap and trade.” He captured 55.3% of the 2018 vote and is running as an Independent. At the last minute San Jacinto mayor pro-tem (T) Andrew Kotyuk entered the race. There is one Democrat on the Ballot endorsed by the DNC and Planned Parenthood

AD 65 NO recommendation.

AD 68 VOTE for (I) (R) Steven Choi. Steven should prevail in both the Primary and General election. The second place will be contested however I think (D) Melissa Fox will finish ahead of (R) Benjamin Yu

AD 69 VOTE for (R) Jon Paul White. Jon is the only candidate other than (I) (D) Tom Daly in this Anaheim area District

AD 72. VOTE for (R) Janet Nguyen. The (I)(R) in this Garden Grove District is Tyler Diep who voted for AB -5 opposing independent contractors. There are three Dems in this contest.

AD 73 This strong Republican District will be a Republican Primary toss up. There are three Republicans in this race headed by (I) Bill Brough, Laguna Niguel mayor pro-tem Laurie Davies and Mission Viejo City Councilman Ed Sachs .Recommendation TBD

AD 74 VOTE (R) Diane Dixon. (I) (R) Matt Harper lost this seat to (D) Cottie Petrie-Norris in this Irvine District. My sense is that they will face off in the General. Cottie has a a large war chest and is supported by Planned Parenthood

Board of Supervisors

District 1 VOTE for (I) Andrew Do
District 3 VOTE for (I) Don Wagner

O.C. Board of Education Area 3. VOTE for (I) Dr. Ken Williams, Jr.

Judicial seats. O.C Superior Court. Note: 42 of the 44 races are uncontested

Office #1 VOTE for (I) John S. Adams. Trivia. We, the Saddleback Republican Assembly, vetted and endorsed Judge Adams when he first ran and secured this seat in Nov. 2002

Office #4. VOTE for Tony Ferrentino No challengers The seat that covers our voting area.

Office #22 (I) Sheri L. Honer received several negative comments This is a contested seat. Her challenger is Paul Viriyapantau

Office #28 (I) Sandy L Neal This is a contested seat. Te other candidate is Robert J. Keenaw

We are almost done. Ballot Measures.

Prop 13. Vote NO. “This year’s PROP 13 is a PHONY. Don’t be confused by the deceptive title of this spending measure to be “Prop 13.” Unlike the landmark taxpayer protection of 1978, this year’s Prop 13 instead will put taxpayers on the hook for $27 billion.” - Jon Coupal president, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

In reviewing each City and School District’s Ballot Measures I find 9 Bonds totaling $2.66 Billion dollars. My recommendation is to vote NO as follows:

Meas B in Anaheim, Measure G in Brea, Measures H and I in the Capo USD, Measures J and K in Fullerton, Measure L Santiago CCD, Measure M in the SVUSD, and Measure N in Tustin Unified.

Vote YES on Measure O in the Lowell Joint SD Res 767. This transfers jurisdiction from LA County to O.C. Orange .County currently pays $250,000 for admin. support.

Vote YES on the County Charter Amendment. This Measure “requires a Two-Thirds Vote of the Board of Supervisors to Propose Taxes to Voters for Approval.”.

2020 CA Primary election State Assembly Voter Guide

Posted on January 30, 2025 by Editor Posted in Orange County Leave a comment

By Larry Gilbert

Sorry folks. As told to me by Fullerton councilman Bruce Whitaker. “Numbers, numb.” However we do need to review them in our candidate vetting process.

Those of us living in CA have to endure progressive political actions from coast to coast.. While we suffer with the House of Representatives lacking a Republican majority we have a bigger challenge in our own State Legislature.

In a prior report I confirmed the Democratic party holding a super majority. Two-thirds of the seats. When combined the 2/3rd in our state Senate with 2/3rds of our state Assembly they were able to increase gas taxes without a vote of the public.

My next report covers the current and projected Assembly winners in both the Primary and General elections as detailed at the end of this post..

Every two years, just as we have with the U.S. House of Representatives, every CA Assembly member has the opportunity to run for re-election. Our Assembly is made up of 80 members. Of that number Republicans would need win 26 seats in 2020 to block a “super majority” in that House. If we fail, than our Legislature can raise future gas taxes as mentioned above. The Democrats currently hold 61 seats while Republicans hold 18. Do the math. They can lose one seat in November and retain that power. We have one Independent member, Chad Mays, former Republican, who voted for Cap and Trade.

Eight Incumbent Assembly members are not on the 2020 Primary ballot. Six are Democrats: AD 13, AD 25, AD 37, AD 38, AD 57 and AD 78. The two open Republican seats are AD 33 and AD 67. All detailed below.

There are no Republican challengers in 15 of the 80 seats. Having reviewed the voting records of those Districts I can understand why. Democrats won those seats in 2018 capturing 65% to 80% and more of the votes cast in the 2018 General election.

Let me simply project the overall winners for the Nov General election. Note: A future report will address the contested races once we receive the year end campaign income and expenditure reports that are due next month.

I predict Democrat Incumbents will win the following 52 seats. AD 2, AD 4, AD 7, AD 8, AD 9, AD 10, AD 11, AD 14, AD 15, AD 17, AD 18, AD 19, AD 20, AD 21, AD 22, AD 24, AD 27, AD 28, AD 29, AD 30, AD 31, AD 32, AD 39, AD 40, AD 41, AD 43, AD 44, AD 45, AD 46, AD 47, AD 48, AD 49, AD 50, AD 51, AD 52, AD 53, AD 54, AD 56, AD 58, AD 59, AD 61, AD 62, AD 62, AD 63, AD 64, AD 66, AD 69, AD 70, AD 76, AD 77, AD 79 and AD 80.

Republican Incumbents should retain the following 12 seats. AD 1, AD 3, AD 5, AD 6, AD 12, AD 23, AD 26, AD 34, AD 35, AD 55, AD 71 and AD 75

The following Assembly races will be addressed after i can review their latest financial reports and voter registration.

AD 13 Stockton Only 3 Dem’s in the race. (D) Incumbent is out

AD 16 Walnut Creek(I) (D) only won 50.6 % of the votes in 2018. Need to vet (R) Joseph Rubay

AD 25 Fremont (I) (D) is out. Won with 74.3% in 2018

AD 33. Big Bear. (I) (R) is out. Won with 60.2% in 2018

AD 36 Lancaster. (R) (I) Tom Lackey won in a close race with 52.1% in 2018. He could be a target

AD 37 Ventura (I) (D) is out. Limon won with 80.4 % in 2 018 AOC endorsed Jonathan Abboud. Six Dems and one Rep. This is a solid Dem seat

AD 38. Simi/Santa Clarita. Flipped from GOP to Dem in 2018 with 51.2% (D) (I) is out

AD 42 Palm Springs Former Republican Chad Mayes is the Incumbent. He is running as an Independent. We remember Chad from his vote on “cap and trade.”

AD 57 Industry/Norwalk. (I) (D) Calderon is out. Won with 64.9% on 2018. Eight Dems and one GOP. This is a Dem seat

AD 65. Fullerton/Ana. (I) (D) Sharon Quirk -Silva defeated Alexandria Coronado with 57%. I’m not sure about R challenger Cynthia Thacker

AD 67. Lake Elsinore Republican(I) Melissa Melendez is running for State Senate. She captured 67% of the 2018 vote. Four Republicans seeking her seat .One Dem. GOP should retain this seat.

AD 68 Irvine/Lake Forest. (I) (R) Steven Choi captured 59% of the 2018 vote. He is being challenged by R Benjamin Yu and D Melissa Fox Irv. C.C.

AD 72 Garden Grove. (I) (R) Tyler Diep won in 2018 with 51.6% of the vote. He is being challenged by former State senator (R) Janet Nguyen and two Dems. This should remain a R seat. The OC GOP just pulled their endorsement of his campaign based o n his vote supporting AB 5. My recommendation is to vote for Janet Nguyen. Caution . There is another Nguyen on the Ballot (D) Diedre Nguyen.

AD 73. Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo. (I) (R) Bill Brough won in 2018 with 56.2 % of the votes cast. He is being challenged by Laurie Davies and Ed Sachs. Much has been written about Bill relating to his conduct. I will not address those allegations in this post nor will I indicate my preference as this is my District. Stay tuned. This should remain a GOP seat.

AD 74 Irvine. (R) Matt Harper lost to (D) Cottie Petrie-Norris in 2018 where Cottie won with 52.7% of the vote. We need to flip this seat back to the GOP. Newport Beach Mayor Diane Dixon and Kelly Emby are competing as Republican challengers

AD 78. La Jolla. What a shame. After winning this seat in 2018 (I) (D) Todd Gloria is not on the ballot nor are there any Republicans. The three Democrats are a queer single mom, and Environmentalist and a S.D. city council member. Obviously without a Republican candidate this is an automatic Democratic seat.

As stated above I have to engage in additional analysis to give my projections on this last group. While we can flip a few Assembly seats, IMO, the Dems will easily retain their “super majority” of both Houses for another two years.

RIP former O.C. Board of Ed. Trustee David L. Boyd

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Editor Posted in Costa Mesa, David Boyd, Education, OC Board of Education, Orange County Leave a comment

David L. Boyd, a long-time resident of Orange County, died on November 22, 2019. He was born in 1948.

David was raised in North Long Beach to a blue collar working class family. He graduated in 1966 from Jordan High School and was a proud member of the Moore League champion track team.

In 1968, he was appointed House Manager of the newly opened Lakewood Center Theater at the age of 19. In this capacity he supervised a staff of over 30 employees including his future wife, Patricia Kreger, and developed friendships that lasted a lifetime. He continued to work in various capacities at theaters throughout his undergraduate college years.

Upon earning his bachelor’s degree in 1970, he was hired by the firm currently known as KPMG. During this time he earned his CPA license and rose to the position of Tax Supervisor.

From 1975 through 1984 David worked in various entrepreneurial ventures in the consulting, real estate, and travel industries. During this period he earned a Juris Doctor degree and became a member of the State Bar of California. He later completed post graduate studies at Harvard Law School.

In 1984, David co-founded the educational institution currently known as The Taft University System. He continued at Taft until the time of his death, most recently serving as Chancellor.

David, who considered himself to be a fiscal conservative and a liberal on social issues, served eight years as an elected Trustee of the Orange County Board of Education representing Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, Fountain Valley, and portions of surrounding cities. In 2014, he was selected by his fellow trustees as President of the OCBE.

During leisure time, David and Patricia enjoyed live theatre and attended countless concerts and sporting events. A long-time season ticket holder, David was fortunate enough to see the Angels win the World Series in 2002 and the Ducks win the Stanley Cup in 2007.

As children, neither David nor Patricia had vacationed east of the Rockies. A “Grand Tour” of Europe in 1971 gave David a love of travel that lasted until his death. Both for business and leisure, David enjoyed seeing many of the great wonders of the world. London was his favorite destination and he always made it a point to stop in London for a few days anytime he was in Europe.

At the time of his death, David was a member of the Board of Directors of Children of the Night (COTN). David and Patricia have been listed for years as major donors to COTN and the Speech Foundation.

After being diagnosed with a rare, terminal blood disorder in 2018, he commented that while he would have enjoyed a few more years, he believed he lived an incredibly lucky life and would leave with no complaints.

He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Patricia, a son, Bob (Sandra), two daughters, Kelly (Kody) and Loni (Matt) as well as six grandchildren. He was grateful for the years spent with Patricia and proud of the achievements of his children.

David requested in lieu of flowers a donation be made to either Children of the Night or the City of Hope.

O.C. Sheriff Barnes provides an update regarding the evidence audit scandal

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Editor Posted in Crime, Don Barnes, OC Sheriff, Orange County Leave a comment

SANTA ANA, Ca. (Dec. 4, 2019) – In 2016, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department became aware of an individual instance in which evidence was booked outside of Department policy. The Department immediately conducted an internal criminal investigation on the deputy, and submitted reports for filing consideration to the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) Office in August 2017. At that point, there was no reason to believe it was anything other than an isolated incident by a single deputy.

In January 2018, the Department was made aware of a second instance where evidence was booked outside of Department policy. Again, an immediate criminal investigation was conducted on the deputy and reports for criminal filing consideration were submitted to the OCDA.

After the second instance, the Department went well beyond any legal obligation and immediately launched an initial audit to examine if there were additional individuals booking evidence outside of Department policy. The initial audit examined two years, February 2016 to February 2018, consisting of more than 98,000 reports, more than 27,000 evidence bookings, and more than 1,500 deputies. The audits determined there were systemic problems with evidence being booked outside policy, which states evidence must be booked prior to the end of the deputy’s shift. The majority of the evidence booked outside of policy was digital evidence, consisting of items such as photographs, surveillance video, and/or audio recordings.

Fifteen internal criminal investigations, which were initiated and investigated by the Sheriff’s Department, were conducted and submitted to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office as recent as July 2019. No criminal charges were filed by the District Attorney. In criminal cases that were adjudicated before evidence was booked or without evidence being booked, the OCDA issued letters to the attorneys of record. To date, we are aware of more than 50 letters sent to either the public defender, the alternate defender, or the defendant when they represented themselves.

Following the refusal of criminal charges against the deputies who violated policy, the Department conducted internal affairs investigations into the actions of the deputies involved. To date, four deputies have been terminated, seven have been issued discipline, and four investigations are ongoing.

A secondary audit examined a sampling of cases from the initial audit. The secondary audit identified cases where the deputy’s report indicated evidence was collected, but the evidence tracking system indicated that the evidence may not have been received. Results from the secondary audit indicated, just as the initial audit showed, that the system for booking digital evidence was lacking.

The Department has conducted further review of the findings from the secondary audit. The secondary audit incorrectly identified items as “missing” that had in fact been booked into and remained in evidence the whole time. Some items were booked into evidence under another report number, some evidence was booked by Crime Lab staff under a Crime Lab report number, and some was located by conducting a physical search in the property and evidence warehouse. The Department is continuing to conduct further review of the remaining items. The majority of the remaining items are digital evidence such as photographs or audio recordings, and one is a debit card. Of the remaining items, none of the cases associated were filed for criminal charges by the OCDA.

“Our Department alone identified this issue, conducted two internal audits, and held accountable individuals who violated Department policy, including submission to the District Attorney for their consideration to prosecute the individuals involved,” said Sheriff Don Barnes. “This is an issue of policy that we identified, we addressed, affected parties were notified, and we have remedied with safeguards to ensure this does not happen in the future.

“In only one case have we received a request for evidence that we have been unable to produce. That instance prompted our immediate investigation that has since resulted in the termination of the deputy involved. Additionally both the District Attorney and defenses’ counsel through the OCDA were notified. To date, there have been no additional instances where evidence has been requested for a criminal case that we have not been able to produce.

“The Public Defender’s office has recklessly attempted to paint a picture that is inaccurate and misleading. Neither of these audits, nor any factual circumstances, have indicated or implied that there are ‘thousands’ of cases affected, that there was ‘evidence tampering’ or that ‘hundreds of deputies lied.’ Any baseless accusation to the contrary is a thinly-veiled attempt to discredit law enforcement and is their blatant attempt to allow people accused of crimes to go free and not be held accountable for their actions.

“As the Sheriff, I am elected by the people to serve as their chief law enforcement officer. It is my duty to represent the best interests of the public and ensure their Sheriff’s department is operating at a high level. Just as we have in this case, I will continue to identify areas that need correction, implement necessary change, and hold accountable employees who do not meet my or the public’s expectations.”