LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva accuses supervisors of "trying to seize even more power"
LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is firing back at the Board of Supervisors, who is preparing to ask voters to give them the power to give him the boot.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors next week will consider a proposal to ask voters in November to give them the power to fire the sheriff. The proposal has raised the hackles of the sheriff.
"The people of Los Angeles would be better served if the supervisors spent their time doing their jobs by reducing homelessness and improving healthcare, instead of trying to seize even more power," a statement from Villanueva's campaign said. "The sheriff is an elected position, just like the supervisors. Just as the sheriff has no business asking for power to fire the supervisors, the reverse is also true."
Since Villanueva took office in 2018, he has racked up a slew of negative headlines, including rehiring a fired deputy, clashing with the department's inspector general, and defying the county's covid vaccine mandate. In turn, the sheriff frequently accuses the board of trying to undermine him.
The proposal would ask voters to give the board the power to remove an elected sheriff from office for cause in the November election — the same election in which voters could choose to reelect Villanueva to a second term. Villanueva's reelection bid is headed for a November runoff against former Long Beach police Chief Robert Luna, after they finished in the top two in a nine-candidate field in the June primary.
"If passed, this illegal motion would allow corrupt supervisors to intimidate sheriffs from carrying out their official duties to investigate crime," Villanueva's campaign statement said.
Zev Yaroslavsky, a former LA County supervisor, said he had misgivings about the board's plan.
"I think the board is right about being frustrated with this sheriff who just believes he's Donald Trump, that he's judge, jury, and executioner here. And it's a problem," Yaroslavsky said. "But they need to be careful that the remedy does not undermine their position."
The motion, introduced by Board Chair Holly Mitchell and Supervisor Hilda Solis, does not mention Villanueva by name. The board will take up the issue at its meeting Tuesday, and if they approve it, it will be on the ballot on Nov. 8.
