BACA SUPPORT STAYS STRONG AS VOTE NEARS SHERIFF FACING CHALLENGES.

Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer

He runs eight miles before dawn nearly every day.

His office is adorned with a Buddha figurine, jade-colored vases with elephant-head handles and a photo of a panda bear.

He's been light-heartedly referred to as Sheriff Moonbeam and ``the Timothy Leary of law enforcement.''

He's been criticized for distributing condoms to inmates and buying a $2.4 million plane.

Yet political experts see an easy re-election for Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, a 36-year law enforcement veteran who is being challenged by two of his sergeants in the March 5 race.

In addition to name recognition, Baca has a campaign war chest of $528,000 and the backing of entrepreneur Lee Iacocca. Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg, the politically connected Democrat from Van Nuys, is co-chair of Baca's re-election campaign.

``Baca has always been a very good politician,'' said Rafe Sonenshein, an author and political science professor. ``He's avoided the big scandals and kept his ties to a lot of diverse pieces of the community. He's an incumbent running at the county level. All those add up to an easy election.''

``This is a sheriff who is highly regarded,'' said consultant Rich Lichtenstein, who anticipates Baca will garner at least 70 percent of the vote. ``I think he will be recognized for having had good intentions in terms of public oversight, citizen oversight and being engaged in reforms for the department.''

In the four years since Baca was elected - just days after the death of his opponent, longtime incumbent Sherman Block - Baca said the culture in the department has become more creative and that his biggest achievement has been gaining the public's trust.

Self-nurturing culture

``We have a culture that nurtures itself,'' said Baca, who holds a doctorate in public administration. ``We know the public is our priority, but we also know we are human beings and I have to have harmony and high integrity to do the things required of the Sheriff's Department.''

In his first term, Baca said, he is proud of starting task forces on Asian crime, high-technology and hate crimes; his work to obtain funding for the $96 million regional crime lab; and the creation of the Office of Independent Review, an independent body of civil rights lawyers who evaluate allegations of misconduct.

``The office is essentially a huge checks and balances component that is not from within our culture,'' Baca, 59, said in a recent interview at his Monterey Park office. ``There is no other review board or police commission in the nation that is established on this level of authority.''

But his challengers, Sgt. John Stites and Sgt. Patrick Gomez, are making their bid for their boss's job in part by claiming he has mismanaged his budget, wasted money on extravagances and ignored the needs of his deputies on the streets and in the jails.

Baca declined to debate his employees during a Tuesday night event at East Los Angeles College hosted by the 6,500-member Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association.

Deputy's death an issue

Stites, a 21-year sheriff's veteran who has raised $50,000, has criticized Baca for purchasing a $750,000 home in San Marino for no-money down and for not implementing protocols earlier with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that may have prevented the death of Deputy Hagop ``Jake'' Kuredjian in an Aug. 31 shootout in the Santa Clarita Valley.

``We have known for years that when we deal with federal agencies that their tactics are much different than ours,'' said Stites, a member of the board of directors of PPOA, which represents employees in the departments of sheriff, district attorney and coroner.

``Jake was allowed to ride right into the line of fire. There were no controls. It should have been a controlled environment.

``I think Baca's done a poor job,'' Stites said. ``He's failed to effectively manage the department fiscally. He's overbudgeted. He's spent money on extravagances, like his $2.4 million airplane. There is a lot of money being spent, but there is no accountability.''

Priorities criticized

Gomez, also a 21-year veteran, who has raised $18,000, said the department under Baca has shifted from a focus on law enforcement to social work.

``As a result, crime is going up. We have less deputies working in the jails and patrolling the streets. His priority is not the Sheriff's Department. It's not public safety.''

Gomez has criticized Baca for giving condoms to inmates, take-home vehicles to 300 department executives and volunteers, and for taking campaign contributions from the father of a San Fernando Valley drug dealer whose prison sentence was commuted and a Temple City man whose traffic ticket was voided.

``He's not realistic,'' Gomez said. ``He calls himself a visionary. But the vision he sees is through a kaleidoscope. It's a bunch of pieces. Nothing matches. He's a big dreamer and the problems facing the department and community need to be addressed.''

In response to critics, Baca defended the purchase of the $2.4 million airplane, saying no taxpayer money was spent. He also said the aircraft replaced an aging Cessna and will be used to fly to Sacramento and for detectives who need to interview out-of-town suspects and witnesses.

Rather than focus on his contenders' criticisms, Baca said he wants to give his 16,240 employees the tools they need to better serve their communities.

Next-term goals

If he wins another term, Baca said he intends to balance the department's budget and oversee the completion of the crime lab and the $123 million plan to renovate the historic Hall of Justice as the new sheriff's headquarters. He also plans to oversee the opening of new sheriff's stations in Palmdale, San Dimas and South Central Los Angeles.

Pasadena attorney Dan Stormer, who has filed numerous lawsuits against the department, said that while Baca has made some mistakes, he wants to learn and grow.

``All in all, I think he's someone who is sincerely trying to do a good job, unlike his predecessor who believed God had anointed him and unlike some of his contemporaries in the LAPD who believe it's LAPD vs. the world.''

For Baca, the knickknacks that adorn his office underscore his philosophy and way of doing business.

``The Buddha standing guard over this office symbolizes the greater force of support to me and that everyone who comes into my office is of importance and deserves protection.

``The elephants are powerful, obedient workers who if they are mistreated or threatened will revolt and so the sheriff has a lot of power and should not mistreat his employees or cause them fear,'' he said.

``The panda bear is becoming extinct. Everyone loves panda bears. I'm a preservationist. I believe in protecting trees, animals, beautiful buildings, and people obviously.

``We have to preserve society. We cannot lose our higher capacity as human beings.''