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Villanueva looks to fend off 8 challengers, avoid fate of his predecessor

by City News Service • June 6, 2022

[Top row L to R] Deputy Sheriff Karla Carranza, retired Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna, Los Angeles Airport Police Chief Cecil Rhambo, retired LASD Captain Matthew Rodriguez, parole agent April Saucedo Hood. [Bottom row L to R] LASD Captain Britta Steinbrenner, Los Angeles County Alex Villanueva, LASD Lieutenant Eric Strong, LASD Commander Eli Vera.
Unseating an incumbent Los Angeles County sheriff is no easy task, but eight people are vying to do just that in Tuesday’s election as they challenge Alex Villanueva, whose first term has been marked by clashes with the county Board of Supervisors and questions about so-called “deputy gangs.”

Over the past century, only one incumbent sheriff in the county has lost a re-election bid. That was four years ago, when Villanueva achieved a stunning upset of Sheriff Jim McDonnell, riding to an election victory with strong backing from reform-minded community groups and Democrats.

But over the past four years, Villanueva’s support among those groups has waned as he repeatedly clashed with the Democrat-dominated Board of Supervisors over funding and policy matters, fought back against claims of “deputy gangs” within the agency, defied subpoenas to appear before the Civilian Oversight Commission and refused to enforce the county’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate among his deputies and department employees.

He has openly criticized “progressive” policies and politicians, most notably District Attorney George Gascón, and assailed movements to “defund” law enforcement agencies. Those stances, however, have helped solidify his support among many of those working for him, exemplified by his endorsement by the Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs.

In a campaign statement, Villanueva’s campaign insists he has worked to restore public trust in the sheriff’s department, pointing to the rollout of body-worn cameras and boosting minimum requirements for new deputies. The campaign also boasts the agency is “the most diverse in the nation.”

“In his next term, Sheriff Villanueva will work to reduce violent crime, compassionately clean up homeless encampments and hold public officials accountable for their actions,” according to his campaign. While the incumbent maintains hope of winning re-election outright in the primary by garnering a majority of the vote, the race for sheriff will likely not be decided until November, when the top two vote-getters in Tuesday’s vote (short of an outright majority) would square off in the general election.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Karla Carranza says she wants to change the tenor of leadership in the department, vowing to overhaul the upper echelon within the agency. She has said she will work to bolster staffing to counter rising crime rates and improve safety in the jails. Carranza also vows to take a zero- tolerance policy toward “deputy gangs.”

Former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna contends the sheriff’s department is being “mismanaged” by Villanueva and said he will work to restore trust in the agency. Luna also touts his position as an outsider with no connections to the sheriff’s department, and he said he will work to “modernize” the sheriff’s department and its jail system and improve the mental well-being of deputies and employees.

Los Angeles Airport Police Chief Cecil Rhambo, a former assistant sheriff, touts his 33-year career in law enforcement and points to his testimony in the federal corruption trial of former Sheriff Lee Baca, saying he’s now running “to end Alex Villanueva’s corruption, bring reform and progress to LASD, while reducing crime and protecting the people of L.A. County.”

Retired Sheriff’s Capt. Matt Rodriguez, the only Republican in the nonpartisan race, is a 32-year law enforcement veteran whose father and brother also served in the sheriff’s department. He embraces being a “conservative Republican” in the field of candidates and says his campaign is built on “respect and integrity.” According to his website, Rodriguez said he “believes public safety is a shared responsibility that requires positive relationships built on trust, public consent and positive interactions.”

April Saucedo Hood, a parole agent, touts herself as “the only outside, female Spanish-speaking Mexican-American sheriff candidate,” saying she will bring a “unique approach” to leading an agency in need of improving trust within the community. She said she will “create transparency, lead by collaborating with our stakeholders and community partners and reduce violent crime.”

Retired Sheriff’s Capt. Britta Steinbrenner was most recently the head of the agency’s County Services Bureau, which provides security services at hospitals, libraries and county buildings. She said her career with the agency has helped her “understand the complexities of building a strong leadership team that supports the overall vision of the organization,” along with the need to treat “everyone, regardless of status, with respect.” She said she would work with other agencies to provide assistance for the homeless, “and not just sweep them off the streets for a photo opp.”

Sheriff’s Lt. Eric Strong said his perspectives on law enforcement have been shaped by personal experiences as a crime victim who has had negative interactions with police, and as someone who has had relatives incarcerated or killed by law enforcement. A former Marine and Compton police officer, Strong said he will “move decisively” to eliminate deputy gangs and work with the inspector general and oversight agencies. He added that he opposes construction of a new central jail, but wants to work to provide alternatives to incarceration to keep people out of the jail system and “break the cycle of addiction, petty crime and homelessness.”

Retired Sheriff’s Cmdr. Eli Vera was once a close confidant of Villanueva, but the pair had a public falling out, highlighted when Villanueva demoted him from captain to commander in response to Vera’s campaign. Vera has publicly challenged Villanueva’s leadership, and recently testified before the Civilian Oversight Commission about the actions of deputy gangs in some stations. Vera says that as sheriff, he would work to restore public trust in the agency and “focus on public safety,” while rebuilding relationships with the Board of Supervisors and the commission, while also providing “clear expectations and direction for LASD while fostering a culture of equity and inclusion.”

–

Filed Under: Crime/ Safety, Home, Los Angeles County, Politics

8 comments for "Villanueva looks to fend off 8 challengers, avoid fate of his predecessor"

  1. ACE says

    June 8, 2022 at 10:15 am

    AN OVER LOOKED WAY TO GET THE HOMELESS OFF OF OUR STREETS AND OUT OF SIGHT…

    NO ONE RIDES THE BUSES AND TRAINS ANYWAY BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT DEPENDABLE…

    FREQUENTLY BEING STOPPED FOR LONG PERIODS FOR CRASHING INTO CEMENT TRUCKS OR RUNNING OVER PEDESTRIANS…

    ***

    AND THEY LACK TOILETS…

    RIDERS CAN NOW ONLY USE THE PORT-A-POTTIES OUT IN THE STATION PARKING LOT…

    IF THE HOMELESS GET OFF THE TRAIN TO USE THE PORT-A-POTTIES THEY RISK LOSING THEIR SEAT…

    ***

    IF WE PUT TOILETS AND SMALL KITCHENETTES ON THE TRAINS…

    THE MANY HOMELESS COULD CONTINUE TO USE THEM AND BE OFF THE STREETS…

    ***

    RUN THE BUSES AND TRAINS 24-7 AND THE HOMELESS COULD SWING HAMMOCKS AND SLEEP IN THEM TOO…

    WITH OUR BRAVE SHERIFFS DEPUTIES RIDING ALONG WITH THEM…

    ***

    ADD MORE BUSES AND TRAINS AS NECESSARY…

    OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK…

  2. ACE says

    June 7, 2022 at 3:38 am

    OUR LOSER SHERIFF – ALEX VILLANUEVA HAS TURNED OUT TO BE JUST ANOTHER…

    – BIG PIECE OF CRAP…

    USES HIS MASSIVE RESOURCES TO CHASE ILLEGAL POT GROWING PROCLAIMING IT TO BE A CAUSE OF MAJOR CRIMES…

    A BIG FAT LIE BY ANOTHER MARIJUANA PHOBE…

    ***

    OUR LOSER SHERIFF CHOOSES TO IGNORE THAT LARGE SCALE, CRIMINAL,EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND HARMFUL SALES AND USE OF FIREWORKS BY HUGE PORTIONS OF LOS ANGELES…

    THAT WOULD BE TOO TOUGH, I SUPPOSE…

    GOING FAR OUT IN THE DESERT WITH ATTACK HELICOPTERS AND THE SWAT TEAM TO CUT DOWN WEEDS THAT NO ONE WOULD BUY OR SMOKE ANYWAY IS WAY SAFER…

    AND IT SORT OF LOOKS LIKE OUR LOSER SHERIFF IS DOING SOMETHING…

    CTING LIKE HE CARES…

    NO WONDER CRIME IS SO OUT OF HAND AND OUR STREETS, CHURCHES, SCHOOLS AND PARKS ARE SHOOTING GALLERIES FOR CRAZIES…

    NO WONDER METH AND HEROIN IS SO CHEAP AND SO EASILY AVAILABLE…

    ALL OVER THE ANTELOPE VALLEY…

    KILLING PEOPLE AND CAUSING CRIME…

    GET SOMEONE NEW IN THERE WHO WILL FIGHT CRIME AND NOT JUST FIGHT THE LA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS…

    HE STINKS..!

    AFTER HE IS VOTED OUT, MAYBE HE COULD GO GET A JOB AS THE NEW LOSER SHERIFF OF UVALDE, TEXAS …

    DO THEY HAVE A BIG POT PROBLEM TOO..?

  3. Duh says

    June 7, 2022 at 12:18 am

    Thank you for your unwanted opinion Tim Scat. To add mine, your boy Gascon rates a ten out of eight.

    • Dave says

      June 7, 2022 at 10:16 am

      Gascon is running for Sheriff ?

  4. Iconoclast says

    June 6, 2022 at 8:44 pm

    Eli Vera is the only one of the nine who knows the department from top to bottom. He will stop the quarreling with the Board of Supervisors, deal with the gangs at the station houses, and bring a fresh approach to dealing with issues involving the various communities. He has support from various community groups such as Eastside Hispanics, Glendale and Valley Armenians, Progressives, a law enforcement group, and other concerned citizens throughout the County. Time for a better sheriff!

    • America;s Most Unwoke Bloke says

      June 7, 2022 at 6:14 am

      Progressives? Is he woke? We don’t need any more “woke”.

  5. Tim Scott says

    June 6, 2022 at 5:45 pm

    Without checking into the other eight I can safely rate Villanueva as ninth out of nine.

    • Ian O. says

      June 7, 2022 at 1:14 pm

      Without even looking into them???

      Says a lot about you dude.

      I just hate the guy sooooo much, I’ll ditch solid judgment of all candidates just to replace him…

      Oh crap, sounds like a similar story, TDS dude, get treated ASAP

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