Baca was elected Los Angeles County's 30th Sheriff against his mentor Sherman Block, who had died in office days prior to the election but remained on the ballot. Election donations included $1,000 from William Barron Hilton,[1] and having won he was sworn in on December 7, 1998.
He was re-elected to a third term in 2006. He has been criticized for proposing a half-percent sales tax increase in 2004 to hire more deputy sheriffs, placing friends on the payroll, taking of gifts and for releasing inmates from the Los Angeles County Jail.[2]
Policy on early release of county jail inmates as of November 9, 2006
On November 9, 2006, Sheriff Baca and Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley issued a press release regarding their joint policy on early release, which requires all jail inmates to serve at least 25 percent of their sentence before becoming eligible for early release. In the press release, Sheriff Baca said, "I also want to thank District Attorney Steve Cooley for his most valuable input on this matter. This new policy will move us forward to where one day all inmates will serve the entire time required." Also in the press release, Cooley said, "I commend Sheriff Baca for implementing this new policy". "This will assure that sentences imposed by the court will be carried out in a predictable and even-handed manner. The policy was also applauded by then Redondo Beach City Attorney Michael W. Webb, who said, "Defendants will no longer be able to routinely turn down offers that involve alternative sentences such as Cal Trans or other forms of community service."[3]
Controversies
Special reserves program
In 1999, Baca established a special reserves program. According to the Los Angeles Times, the program was designed to cater to celebrities, executives, star athletes and other "notable persons". Some members of the Sheriff's Department said they were worried that the program would be abused, particularly by those seeking a backdoor way to secure a concealed weapons permit in Los Angeles County.[4]
Within a month of Baca swearing in his first new celebrity reserve deputies, one of his recruits had been suspended and relieved of duty for brandishing a firearm in a confrontation outside his Bel-Air home.[5] Less than six months later, another member of the special celebrity reserve unit was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of international money laundering. No well-known celebrities joined the program, and less than 20 little-known wealthy individuals actually participated. It was suspended in November, 2006. [6]
Mel Gibson
After the July 28, 2006 arrest of Mel Gibson for drunk driving, the Los Angeles Sheriff Department initially told the press that Gibson was arrested without incident or special treatment. Subsequent to this, the original arrest report was leaked to the media, which included controversial statements by Gibson. Prior to his arrest, Gibson filmed a PSA for Baca's relief committee dressed in a sheriff's uniform.[7] Upon questioning by the Los Angeles Times about charges of celebrity favoritism, Baca denied that his department tried to cover up Gibson’s behavior.[8][9] At the time, the Times reported that a civilian oversight committee had decided to investigate whether Gibson had received favorable treatment because of his celebrity status or his longtime friendship with Baca.[10]
On June 3, 2007, celebrity Paris Hilton surrendered herself to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to serve a 45 day sentence as ordered by Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer. The 45 day sentence could be reduced to as few as 23 days for good behavior. She was placed in the Lynwood facility and separated from the general population for her safety.
Around 2 a.m. on June 7, 2007, Baca's department released Hilton after serving only 79 hours of her sentence. She was allowed to return home and her sentence was converted to 40 days of house arrest, amid rumors of a medical condition, which later emerged to be psychological.[11]
The decision to convert her sentence was made by Baca without the consultation of either the presiding judge or the prosecuting city attorney. Further complicating the matter is the initial ruling in which the judge specifically said Hilton would not be allowed to use house arrest in lieu of jail. However, Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini did acknowledge this is normally the purview of the sheriff saying, "Early release decisions are the province of the sheriff every day due to jail overcrowding, but not always". [12]
The situation led the city attorney to file a petition suggesting that Baca should be held in contempt of court for his actions. [13] Though the judge chose not to pursue any action against Sheriff Baca, he did reverse the decision and returned Hilton to jail while reaffirming the original sentence length. Hilton's attorney, Richard Hutton, saw his offer to brief the judge in private chambers on her condition, but this was declined. No written evidence was produced during the court session.[14]
Baca commented on Paris Hilton's sentence, saying "The only thing I can detect as special treatment is the amount of her sentence. Under our 10 percent early release program, (Hilton) would have not served any time in our jail or would have been directly put on home electric monitoring system.
Baca later described Hilton's medical condition as a deteriorating, life-threatening condition that left her speaking incoherently.[15]
