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Ex-Sheriff Villanueva Eyes Supervisor Seat
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva speaks to media during an election night party at Quiet Cannon in Montebello, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
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Trevor Stamp for LAist
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Topline:
Former L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is expected to announce his candidacy for a Board of Supervisors seat today. He wants to challenge incumbent Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents District 4.
Why now: In an interview with Fox 11’s Marla Tellez, Villanueva said he wants to run for Hahn's seat because “county government is responsible for the health, safety and welfare of all the county residents. In that regard, the board has failed miserably. All you have to do is look at the news every day, you are assaulted by images of violent crimes, smash and grab robberies, senseless wanton violence.”
The district: District 4, home to over 2 million people, covers the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Long Beach and the Gateway Cities.
The backstory: Villanueva once led the largest sheriff’s department in the nation, but it is also one plagued with troubles. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra in 2021 launched a civil rights investigation into the agency to look into allegations of use of excessive force, retaliation and other issues.
Villanueva routinely attacked elected officials — including the supervisors — during his tenure as sheriff and even now. He took to X, formerly known as Twitter, yesterday to call out Hahn’s politics.
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