Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona appointed 86 political allies, campaign contributors, friends and relatives to the sheriff’s reserve program soon after he was elected in January 1999, a supervisor who once ran the program said in a deposition released Wednesday.

Ah, the sheriff! Yes, the one who sexually harasses his female staff members! Yes, the one who loves to hang out with THE LAS VEGAS MAFIA! Yes, the one who breached the county’s top-secret anti-terrorism plans to a con-artist! Well, it looks like Mike Carona has found himself in new trouble… And this time, it’s The OC Register that’s actually reporting it!

Go ahead and follow me after the flip for the latest on our favorite perverted politician… Oops, didn’t I mean “law enforcement officer”? You know you want to… ; )

So how has this latest scandal surfaced? Well, you can thank one trigger-happy reserve officer for this!

Lt. Jeff Bardzik’s deposition was taken earlier this month as part of a $4 million lawsuit brought by two golfers who allege the sheriff’s one-time friend and former reserve deputy, Raymond Yi, flashed a reserve badge and threatened them with a department-issued gun. Bardzik testified that he recommended the sheriff’s department take away Yi’s gun and badge. Yi, whose reserve status was suspended, also faces a criminal trial June 11 for his actions.

The sheriff himself is scheduled to give a deposition in the golfers’ lawsuit. But in a motion filed May 1, Carona asked a judge to seal the testimony to stop it from being given to the media. […]

On Wednesday, Bardzik declined to comment on his deposition because of his own ongoing lawsuit against Carona, which also contains the same criticisms of the sheriff’s reserve division. The 22-year veteran also alleges he was demoted because he did not support the sheriff during the 2006 election.

Ah, isn’t Mikey Carona precious? Hasn’t he named some fantastic reserve officers? Don’t you trust these individuals with YOUR safety? Well, if Carona had continued to have his way, you probably wouldn’t be able to trust them.

An April 2001 audit by Peace Officers Standards and Training, uncovered the appointments, and most of the volunteers were decertified due to their lack of training and not passing background checks.

About 5,000 reserve officers volunteer statewide. Their duties range from crowd control to helping transport prisoners to patrolling neighborhoods. They are allowed to carry guns on duty. In Orange County, there are 240 reserve deputies, said sheriff’s Capt. Dave Wilson.

But I guess these aren’t the duties that Mikey Carona cares about! No, he has far more important things on his mind. Like patronage. Like rewarding loyalty. Like hot chicks. Like getting a little help from a few good fellas in Vegas. Yes, Sheriff Carona knows what really matters here.

And this is someone that Arnold has named as a “homeland security adviser”? This is someone that Bush considers to be a “homeland security adviser”? Cheese, louise! I guess we still can’t really consider ourselves safe.

And this is Mike Carona, “America’s Sheriff“?

Here are some wild and wonderful Orange County stories that you have to see to believe:

– Is Brea Turning Up Its Nose to Walgreens? Is Brea being “hostile to property rights”, as Jubal/Matt Cunningham suggests at OC Blog?

I saw that a bankruptcy judge sided with Brea and against bankrupt Tower Records’ attempt to lease their 30,000 square foot space to Walgreens:

“There are a lot of places in our city where a Walgreens would be great,” O’Donnell said. “But not in an entertainment/restaurant district.”

A drugstore? Eeeewww…how tawdry! People with illnesses picking up prescriptions! Can’t possibly have that across the street from the multiplex!

Have we come to this? Local government inserting itself into the free marketplace to the extent of deciding where it is and isn’t appropriate to put a drugstore?

I really don’t know. I’ll leave that judgment call to you.

– Who’s Breaking the Law Now?. The Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals faults the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in its detention of an inmate who was cuffed to a hospital bed. The OC Register has more.

– Hmmm… Should I Feel Sorry for My Reps. in Sacto? Brian Joseph is reporting in today’s Register that state legislators don’t get as good health care and pension benefits (in fact, legislators get NO pensions) as their staffers. Still, I don’t know if I feel sorry for them quite yet… Especially when former State Sen. (now Congressman) John Campbell (R-Newport Beach) still refuses to pay back the $14,000 he lost the state by having the state buy him a yellow Mustang Saleen. And finally…

– Gingrich (Finally!!) Says He’s a Cheater! OK, so this is not a purely Orange County story… But still, Dan Chmielewski has something to say about it at The Liberal OC. : )