Tom's crowd

As you know, a few years ago, the IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGE Foundation honored Orange County Sheriff MIKE CARONA as it’s “Hometown Hero.” How did that happen? Well, at the time, Carona was a Republican star, and Tom Fuentes, one of our trustees, was the chair of the OC GOP. Maybe that's it. Dunno.

So, anyway, Carona gets this hero prize. But there's a turd in the punchbowl, cuz Carona, as it turns out, is a seriously out-of-control lecher, is generally sleazy, and is a member of the ruthless and corrupt gang that seems to own this county. Some hero.

The gang? Some people call ‘em the Republican Mafia. (See our recent "The man who sued his own mother".)

For a while, Carona’s best pal was similarly unsavory Assistant Sheriff GEORGE JARAMILLO, Carona’s likely successor. But, somehow, Jaramillo got on somebody’s bad side, and so he was charged with bribery and corruption by the OC DA, TONY RACKAUCKAS, another member of our Republican central mob.

Naturally, Jaramillo doesn’t want to be prosecuted by Rackauckas, cuz Rackauckas is part of Carona’s gang, and he’s advised by the same rat bastard who advises Carona, namely, Friend-of-Fuentes MICHAEL SCHROEDER.

Schroeder seems to be the Republican Mafia’s consigliere—you, know, like Robert Duvall's “Tom Hagen” in The Godfather. He may be more than that. Brando? Dianne Keaton? Talia Shire?

Today’s papers explain that Jaramillo’s request to move his case out of the OC DA’s office was denied. (DA still on Jaramillo case.) According to the Reg,

Jaramillo said he was a friend of Rackauckas' before he was fired by Carona in 2004, and that Rackauckas' office filed charges against him after being influenced by Carona and Republican activist Michael Schroeder. Schroeder is an adviser to both Carona and Rackauckas.

MEANWHILE, the state has been investigating our boy Carona for sexual harassment. But, yesterday, in the blog Total Buzz, Peggy Lowe reported that one of Carona’s accusers now refuses to cooperate with the state:

The state AG's office had to drop its probe into the claims made by Erica Hill, who had said Carona made inappropriate sexual advances, because she refused to cooperate. I left her a message yesterday and she got back to me last night. I picked up her message today...Hill, as those of you following the sheriff saga well know, is the sister-in-law of George Jaramillo.

Here's what she told me about why she wouldn't talk to investigators:

"Look what happened to George Jaramillo when he became a threat. Look what happened to BILL HUNT when he became a threat. I'm just a little, single mother of three."

See Hill speaks on sheriff investigation

Lovely, isn’t it?