Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/category/topics/public-safety/)
Over $100 million in taxpayer money has been spent since the most recent audit, which was in 2002. The aging system is proprietary, and no bids have been sought from other companies for its $140 million overhaul.
County Counsel Leon Page said the conflict of interest claims were “simply not true.”
It’s up to county supervisors to decide whether to settle the claims, which would prevent lawsuits. A settlement discussion is scheduled for Tuesday.
As the 1990s-era equipment becomes obsolete, county supervisors and Sheriff Sandra Hutchens have opted not to ask other companies what they could offer as a replacement for the current system. The upgrade project is expected to cost $140 million.
In a legal claim he filed against the city, Carlos Rojas said he “was forced to involuntarily resign his civil service position as a result of potential illegal activity and/or noncompliance [with rules and/or regulations] among city officials.”
Tom Conklin, an investigator for the Orange County District Attorney who filed a complaint in May claiming he has faced retaliation for whistleblowing, was placed on administrative leave July 13.
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens agrees that serious failures by her own jail managers probably enabled last year’s jailbreak.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Rackauckas, working with the state Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), is looking into Spitzer’s campaign fundraising and spending as well as allegations from a former Spitzer legal client that she couldn’t pay her legal bills so Spitzer put her on his campaign and county payrolls and she used $7,000 of that money to repay him in cash.
The move, which had been expected for years, set the stage for what is anticipated to be an intense election campaign.
The sheriff agrees with the grand jury about a lack of supervision the Central Men’s Jail regarding key issues that could have prevented the escape, like properly inspecting plumbing tunnels, and that her executives failed to take action when problems with inmate counts were raised.