UPDATED: Robert Luna on course to become county’s new sheriff

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Former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna has widened his lead over Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva for a margin of nearly 260,000 votes.

Updated Election Day totals released Saturday by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office showed Luna about 59% of the vote and Villanueva with around 41%. The updated count released Saturday had Luna with 867,704 votes to Villanueva’s 608,520.

The next update will be provided Monday between 4 and 5 p.m., according to election officials. Further updates will be announced every Tuesday and Friday until all ballots are tallied.

“So far, the returns look good, and our campaign has a significant lead,” Luna said in a statement Wednesday. “And I believe that as more votes are counted in the days ahead, I’ll continue to maintain a lead in this race. L.A. County voted for change, and if I’m elected sheriff, I’ll bring new leadership, accountability and effective strategies to reduce crime.”

Luna is looking to pull off a rare feat by unseating a sitting sheriff.

Villanueva’s victory four years ago over incumbent Jim McDonnell marked the first time in roughly a century that a sheriff had lost a re- election bid in the county. But now Villanueva finds himself in danger of meeting the same fate at the hands of Luna.

The sheriff expressed confidence, however, that he would make up the deficit from early balloting as vote counting continued over the coming week.

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“Let’s see what the vote says,” he told KCAL9 at his Monterey Park election night party Tuesday. “… I think people just want to see the things that matter to them addressed — homelessness and violent crime.”

Luna, speaking to his supporters in Long Beach Tuesday night, noted that the vote-counting will take a long time, but said he feels good about the direction of the numbers.

“As I have met so many people throughout this great county, there was one thing that was very obvious to me … people were talking about the need for change,” Luna said.

He said that as sheriff, he will be “accountable at the end of the day,” and will work to ensure “integrity” in the department.

The candidates ran a spirited campaign, with Luna attacking the incumbent over his torrid relationship with the county Board of Supervisors and accusing him of ignoring the issue of deputy gangs within the department. Villanueva has deflected such criticism, saying his battles with the board show he is a fierce defender of the department and its deputies, and insisting that he has gone to great lengths to attack and ban alleged deputy cliques in the agency.

Villanueva’s victory four years ago came 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.

He has also repeatedly 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.

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.

Luna has argued during the campaign that the sheriff’s department is being “mismanaged” by Villanueva and said he will work to restore trust in the agency. He also touted his position as an outsider with no connections to the sheriff’s department.

“Growing up in East Los Angeles, patrolled by the sheriff’s department, opened my eyes to examples of both good and bad policing, and inspired my 36-year career in law enforcement,” Luna said in a candidate statement.

Luna said he will work to “modernize” the sheriff’s department and its jail system and improve the mental well-being of deputies and employees.

Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc.

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[…] Robert Luna unseats Alex Villanueva […]

James Roth
James Roth
1 year ago

Stolen election. The machine picks the most spineless candidates and then injects mail in votes. The candidates that have been “selected” do not represent who the people of California actually want.

Brad Leron-Koo
Brad Leron-Koo
1 year ago

Can’t wait for the blowhard Villanueva to be gone. Prison next please

carleton cronin
1 year ago

A. real sheriff just like Jim McDonnell, also from Long Beach.

Koweho
Koweho
1 year ago

Luna is just a better leader. Villanueva really was not prepared when he won and his actions were of someone “over their skis” as they say. I also hope the city of West Hollywood starts a new agreement with the Sheriff department that increases staffing and opens a Sunset sub station.

Temperament
Temperament
1 year ago

Perhaps it is time for someone to “walk softly and carry a big stick”.

JF1
JF1
1 year ago

Disappointing.

David
David
1 year ago

I don’t have any idea why this publication didn’t see what the majority of people saw wrong in Villanueva. He was well on his way to believing he was untouchable.

Seasoned Individuals
Seasoned Individuals
1 year ago

Villaneuva arrived with a huge chip on his shoulder which is never a good thing. Luna appears competent and relatable.

SeeMe
SeeMe
1 year ago

Despite this blog’s fanboying over Villanueva, there is too much evidence he is a vindictive sociopath who doesn’t believe the rules apply to him. Good riddance. It’s amazing how a smooth, calm speaking voice can disguise the vitriol that lies beneath.

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