Joe Arpaio Raises Cash for Bill Hunt in Orange County, Ask A Mexican's Gustavo Arellano Dogs Arpaio

By Stephen Lemons Sat., Apr. 24 2010 at 1:03 PM

Categories: Feathered Bastard

Gustavo Arellano has some fun with Joe about 29 seconds in

Despite horrendous mismanagement of his department, corruption, a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into his office, and a federal grand jury looking to indict his sorry self, Sheriff Joe remains popular in some quarters outside of Maricopa County. Specifically, in Southern California, where Arpaio was this Friday and Saturday, stumping for Orange County sheriff's candidate Bill Hunt.

It's one of several trips Arpaio's made to SoCal to support Hunt and San Diego County sheriff's candidate Jay LaSuer. On one occasion, he even had a photo op with well-known California nativist Barbara Coe, a shameful display of pandering to the racist fringe.

You see, Coe likes to refer to Mexicans as "savages," and is essentially the female version of our own number one bigot, state Senator Russell Pearce.

The day before Arpaio's appearance in O.C., I did a radio interview on L.A.'s KPFK 90.7 FM with the OC Weekly's Gustavo Arellano, author of the syndicated, and frequently hilarious, Ask a Mexican! column.

OC Weekly is one of Phoenix New Times' sister papers, so we discussed, among other things, Arpaio's record of corruption, his anti-immigrant sweeps, and his arrest of our bosses, Village Voice Media executive editor Michael Lacey and VVM CEO Jim Larkin back in 2007 on bogus charges that were dropped less than 24 hours later.

Considering Arpaio's $43 million-plus payouts in lawsuit settlements and judgments, and the fact that the feds are looking to indict him on abuse of power charges, Arellano wondered what I would like to convey to Hunt, who has repeatedly sought Arpaio's support.

I suggested that if he wants to emulate his hero Arpaio, Hunt should slap the cuffs on himself and wait to be picked up by FBI agents.

The big fundraiser was today, Saturday, April 24 in Costa Mesa, California, with gullible fellow Republicans shelling out anywhere from $25 to $500 to play footsie with the two men.

Last night, Arellano caught the lovey-dovey pair in a parking lot nearby some Santa Ana bar, and harangued Arpaio with inquiries as to why Arpaio arrested Lacey and Larkin in 2007 and why he wouldn't speak with me.

Arellano was referring to the fact that I'm banned from all of Sheriff Joe's press conferences, though I have to admit than when I catch the septuagenarian sheriff on the fly, he will respond if peppered with questions. He can't help himself, particularly if I have a camera in my hand.

Outside of Arizona, most of what people think about Arpaio is guided by the image of the supposedly tough, gruff lawman they see on TV from time to time. Of course, he ain't so tough that he'll let me into his press conferences. Maybe he's afraid I'll swat him on the nose with a preposition.