Sheriff Lee Baca has accepted gifts from Michael Douglas, Steven Seagal, Lee Iacocca. Is it too much?
Since taking office in 1998, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has accepted more than $120,000 worth of gifts and free travel. In a recent three-year span, he accepted significantly more freebies than California's 57 other sheriffs combined.
He's accepted gifts from big names including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steven Seagal, Michael Douglas and Lee Iacocca.
And, according to an investigation by The Times' Robert Faturechi, he's accepted gifts from executives seeking his agency's business, individuals who later received special treatment from him, and even a pair of felons implicated in a massive money-laundering and fraud scheme.
Check out the entire database here, then weigh in with your own opinion. Should Baca be accepting these gifts? He says there is no conflict. But others disagree: "Doesn't he realize the appearance is terrible?" said Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies. "When you're taking gifts from strangers, there's only one reason. They only give gifts because they want something."
Share your views below.
Baca's gifts database
Search hundreds of gifts accepted by Sheriff Lee Baca since 1998 and see who gave them.
Photo: L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca. Credit: Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times
EDITOR'S PICKS:
This is like Villaraigosa saying he didn't know anything about illegal contributions to his campaign. I guess politicians just expect the public to be stupid and easily lead - oh wait, they are.
Posted by: DoneWithTheMan | May 01, 2011 at 12:08 PM
Why are these people giving Baca gifts? For what favors????
Posted by: Red Banks | May 01, 2011 at 01:08 PM
Wow, I'm a public servant so I must decline any and all gifts, including those at my own wedding, because the "appearance is terrible" and "everybody only wants something." L.A. Times, congratulations on the Pulitzer for your discovery and subsequent coverage of the Bell corruption scandal but this is a ridiculous non-story.
Posted by: Neal Jackson | May 01, 2011 at 01:20 PM
The amounts are not extreme IMO. If the amounts were several hundred or thousands each then theres a problem. A 50-60 dollar gift wont get you anywhere if you are trying to bribe someone.
Posted by: Craig | May 01, 2011 at 01:21 PM
Can't believe we are delving to this point. Seems little enough for 13 years!
Posted by: pat | May 01, 2011 at 02:22 PM
with no overtime in the department can we all except gifts, we will just be following the bosses lead.
Posted by: crazy legs | May 01, 2011 at 03:38 PM
hey strangers! i'm not a politician, send me some gifts too. i can't do anything for you either!
Posted by: kuruc | May 01, 2011 at 04:18 PM
I am wondering how it is that the Chief Law Enforcement Officer for Los Angeles County can accept any gifts, let alone this many without the appearance of inproprieties?
I am also wondering how he can hold his men and women to an ethical standard when it is apparant that he sold his badge and his ethics for gifts.
As a law enforcement officer, I am somewhat confused as to why this "Sheriff" isnt being investigated and put in prison.
Tell me Mr. Baca, what would IAD do if a Sergeant, Lieutenant or even a field Deputy had received even half of these?
Shame on you, no matter how you spin it, you have betrayed the men and women in your department.
Posted by: Cozmo | May 01, 2011 at 07:27 PM
This man is a crook and should be removed. How many lies do we take and he's really no better than Bin Laden....a liar, a thief, a murderer....yes!!
He's a joke and no "official" should be accepting gifts or anyother contributions from the very people he is suppose to serve. Its about the LAW Deputy Dogg!!!!
Posted by: jag136 | May 02, 2011 at 08:48 AM
Are you kidding me??? If you look at the list, it's mostly small wedding gifts and other low $$ items. The high cost items are for airfare for law enforcement related conferences that Sheriff Baca was probably asked by the host agency to attend, in which case why shouldn't they pay for him to go. SOME PEOPLE HAVE WAY TO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS!!!!
Posted by: downtownjs | May 02, 2011 at 09:55 AM
That's it? While the vigilance of the author is appreciated, the quantities described (especially spread over 13 years) are ridiculously low. If indeed everything is properly logged and recorded, all I can add is thank you Sheriff Baca for your restraint.
Posted by: Jon R | May 02, 2011 at 10:50 AM
The relatively minor gifts that Baca received from fellow Americans are clearly not the issue. Does anyone honestly think it is a coincidence that 5 of the 6 largest gifts Baca received were from Islamic government agencies in Arab nations like the Saudi Arabian Foreign Intelligence Service? Those 5 gifts ranged from over $4,000 to almost $12,000 and dwarf the gifts given by local and regional political/entertainment figures
Don't take my word for it, check the conclusive spreadsheets accompanying Mr Faturechi's excellent article. They shed new light on Baca's controversial relationship with Saudi-financed groups like CAIR, as well as Saudi-financed mosques in southern California.
Posted by: Verballistic | May 02, 2011 at 01:06 PM
It's not the amount of any individual gift. It is the fact that he is accepting them at all. As a top law official in Los Angeles County, he needs to avoid any appearance of impropriety. If the gifts are from anyone but a family member or a close personal friend, he should just say no.
California State law allows local officials to accept gifts, with some restrictions. Why is this, are they not compensated sufficiently for their duties? Join me in requesting that the CA State legislature pass legislation banning the acceptance of all gifts with a cash value over $5.00 (what a reasonable person would consider cash value, not a lawyer) by all municipal, county, and state officials.
Posted by: Michael Machado | May 02, 2011 at 01:39 PM
I think the investigative reporter should look a lot closer at the actual bribes, I mean gifts he took.. I live in LA and it is an anomaly to play golf for $50 and have dinner in Beverly Hills for $50. Uh-huh. Where did he play golf? Where did he actually eat? and the bottles of wine please.. no-one is giving him a $25 bottle of wine.. what is the label/year.. It's more likely $200 rounds, $200 dinners, $1000 bottles of wine...he's hiding their true value which would make this figure A LOT HIGHER ...there should be complete disclosure.. because this is bogus..
Posted by: Anne Kelly | May 02, 2011 at 02:33 PM
and concert, Lakers, baseball tickets $50? When was the last time you got such a good deal on tickets? these figures are totally bogus! And I guarantee he was not sitting in the nose bleed seats at any event!!
Posted by: Anne Kelly | May 02, 2011 at 02:36 PM
Yeah, big deal.
So he took a few small gifts.
$120,000.00 worth of them. No conflict of interest there.
Posted by: Dario | May 02, 2011 at 02:47 PM
FEDERAL INVESTIGATION
Posted by: eMan | May 02, 2011 at 06:29 PM
@Neal Jackson: LMAO! Given your fellatial treatment of Baca, it's obvious you must be some hapless, slow-witted deputy in his employ, with forlorn aspirations of promotion. Maybe you're a deputy at that dumpy station in Montebello. Or perhaps you're just a third-rate intern from DeVry working for Baca's publicist. Whatever the case, I suggest you keep your knee-pads on, fella. You have a lot more work to do if you're gonna get anyone to believe that horsesh-- you're peddling.
Posted by: Sroaney | May 02, 2011 at 10:37 PM
I am tickled beyond measure, watching the sad spectacle of deputies, cops, and their sycophantic groupies twist and contort themselves into pretzels, trying to find a way to justify their crooked boss' conduct.
Who says there's never a cop when you need one? I needed a good laugh, and here they are!
Posted by: Sroaney | May 02, 2011 at 10:40 PM
Dirty cop? I am SHOCKED!!!
Posted by: Hot-Rod | May 03, 2011 at 08:14 AM
The Departments very own Policy and Procedure Manual prohibits department personnel from accepting "gratuities". Can you say double standard???
Posted by: Mike | May 03, 2011 at 07:40 PM
I'm smelling gun permits - remember that scandal the County had back in 1999 when Baca was also cozying up? Malibu is a LA County Sheriff enclave - something's fishy.
Posted by: rusoviet | May 03, 2011 at 07:40 PM
In the same manner that he is accepting gifts, what he is saying is that all his men on the dept. should do the same. This is wrong and he knows it. He is to lead by example and by being the top cop he should be the cleanest when it comes to the policies that govern the dept.. I do believe they have one against accepting gifts becuase they may be deemed bribes.
Posted by: Ray | May 04, 2011 at 06:34 AM
Bad cop, no donut!
Posted by: Rob | May 04, 2011 at 06:48 AM
What's the difference between Baca taking gifts from the wealthy and a congressman taking money from the wealthy?
The Republican dominated Supreme Court made it legal to buy congressmen and you don't even have to disclose it.
Posted by: affableman | May 04, 2011 at 10:43 AM