O.C. Register endorses Craig Hunter for O.C. Sheriff

The editorial board at the O.C. Register has endorsed Anaheim Deputy Chief of Police Craig Hunter for O.C. Sheriff. Here are a few excerpts from their Op-Ed:

While Ms. Hutchens has, at the very least, rehabilitated the stained reputation of the department, and Mr. Hunt has a “tough cop” energy about him, the Register endorses Craig Hunter.

We compared the candidates’ positions on six issues: community policing, pension reform, immigration, budget management, jail management and gun permits. Mr. Hunter’s and Ms. Hutchens’ outlook most closely aligned with ours on the first three categories. Mr. Hunter expressed a stronger reform approach on pensions and new ideas for jail management. Ms. Hutchens has done a credible job of improving practices and policies at the once-troubled Theo Lacy jail facility and she supports a two-tiered pension system. Mr. Hunter manages a sizeable but arguably relatively stable budget; Ms. Hutchens has overseen cuts to a much larger sheriff’s budget.

Mr. Hunter has a long history in the county and is respected by the greater law enforcement community, demonstrated by endorsements from a number of retired police chiefs. He is even-tempered and measured in his leadership style and is the only candidate to abjure contributions from unions. On the issues, Mr. Hunter is a strong advocate for the Second Amendment and exhibits the desire to buck the status quo and advocate for sensible yet hard-to-achieve pension reform in the form of a 401(k)-like system for new deputies instead of current unsustainable, defined-benefit pension plans.