The head of the nation's largest sheriff's department has died, but supporters of Sherman Block have vowed to give voters a chance to re-elect the spirit of his leadership.
Block died Thursday night at USC University Hospital of cerebral hemorrhaging, five days before Los Angeles County voters were to decide whether to give him a fifth term. He was 74.Within minutes, Block's political consultants made clear that his re-election campaign will go on against retired division chief Lee Baca.
"Sheriff Block remains on the ballot," said campaign chairman Jay Grodin. "The campaign continues forward to maintain the sheriff's vision."
If Block wins, an interim sheriff appointed by the county Board of Supervisors would serve until 2000 and have the option of running for a two-year term. If Baca wins, an interim sheriff would be appointed to serve until the new sheriff is sworn in Dec. 3.
Block had surgery Monday to remove a blood clot in the brain, which was discovered after he fell at his home Saturday. His health already had been a key campaign issue; he twice battled cancer and regularly underwent kidney dialysis.
Block was popular with voters but faced a tough re-election battle against Baca, a former subordinate. Block was the first incumbent in more than a century to be forced into a runoff.
"When tragedy strikes a strong family, like the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, differences are put aside for family's sake," Baca said Thursday. "Our family has lost its leader."
Block came to Los Angeles from Chicago in the 1950s and worked his way up through department ranks. County supervisors appointed him to the vacant sheriff's office in January 1982, and he was elected to the post later that year.
Block ultimately became the nation's highest-paid elected official, earning $234,016 a year - more than the president's $200,000 annual salary.
He oversaw 12,400 employees and was responsible for policing 2.5 million people in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County as well as 40 cities that contract with the department for service. He also operated the nation's largest jail, with 19,000 inmates.
Block guided the department through years in which it dealt with natural disasters and major law enforcement problems such as gang violence, drug trafficking, soaring jail populations and the 1992 Rodney King riots.