GET TO KNOW THE CANDIDATES

• What’s at stake in this race
• What does the sheriff do? 
• Fast facts about L.A. County sheriffs
• What’s on the agenda for next term
• The candidates<b> </b>
• Follow the money
• How to keep tabs on the sheriff’s department

Incumbent L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna faces off against Alex Villanueva, the man he ousted from the job in 2022 by a margin of 61% to 39%. The two men paint starkly different pictures of the current state of the department — the largest sheriff’s agency in the nation.

Villanueva says he wants to return to office to fix a department he alleges “has just fallen apart” since he was defeated. Luna says new policies since he took over have helped to drive violent crime down and cut homicides by 25% in areas patrolled by his deputies

What’s at stake in this race

The Sheriff’s Department has been plagued by problems including a recruitment crisis, complaints of excessive force by deputies and reports of “inhumane” conditions inside the jails, which the department oversees. The Department of Justice informed current sheriff Robert Luna on Sept. 9, that it is launching an investigation into conditions at the Men’s Central Jail.

Some critics say the department also has a culture problem — exemplified by the presence of so-called “deputy gangs,” whose members allegedly have matching tattoos, defy orders and engage in activities that constitute misconduct. Others say these allegations are little more than urban legends.

The next sheriff will also help oversee security for the 2028 Olympic Games which take place in and around Los Angeles.

Voters must decide whether Luna is addressing these and other issues adequately or whether returning Villanueva to the top job would be better.

What does the sheriff do? 

The sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer in L.A. County. His or her duties include:

• Overseeing policing in 42 cities as diverse as Lancaster, Compton and Malibu that contract with the Sheriff’s Department rather than employ their own police force.
• Handling law enforcement in the county’s unincorporated areas, including East Los Angeles, Florence/Firestone in South L.A. and much of northern L.A. County.
• Determining how to spend a budget of approximately $4 billion.
• Operating the sprawling county jail system, which houses approximately 14,000 people. Nearly half suffer from some sort of mental illness.
• Setting policy for the department.
• Proclaiming states of emergency in L.A. County caused natural or manmade disasters.

What the sheriff doesn't do

The Sheriff’s Department doesn’t patrol the cities of L.A., Long Beach, Pasadena and several others that have their own police departments.

The sheriff doesn’t determine the department budget — the county Board of Supervisors does that. (The sheriff decides how to spend it.)

The sheriff doesn’t run the medical care system inside the jails. Correctional Health Services does that.

Fast facts about L.A. County sheriffs

• Historically, incumbent sheriffs are hard to beat. But the last two have been voted out of office after one term. Villanueva in 2018 defeated Jim McDonnell, who served one term as sheriff after Lee Baca was sent to federal prison for trying to hamstring an FBI investigation into abuse of jail inmates. McDonnell now leads the LAPD. Villanueva’s single term was also marked by controversy. 
• The sheriff’s uniform has five stars on the collar. A city police chief’s uniform has four.
• The sheriff is the only elected official in the county who wears a badge and carries a gun.
• There are 8,703 sworn personnel in the department and 5,431 civilian positions.

What’s on the agenda for next term

The jails: The Department of Justice recently informed current sheriff Robert Luna that it is launching an investigation into conditions at the Men’s Central Jail. The federal investigation comes a year after California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit in September 2025 alleging unconstitutional, inhumane conditions inside county jails. That lawsuit cites severe filth, rat infestations, lack of clean water, spoiled food and inadequate medical care and demands comprehensive reforms. Meanwhile, Luna has asked the National Institute of Corrections to review conditions inside the jails after an increase in jail deaths. The next sheriff will have to address jail conditions.

Recruitment: Like all law enforcement organizations, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is having a hard time finding new recruits. Deputies are sometimes forced to work overtime shifts because of a shortage of personnel. The next sheriff will have to figure out a way to recruit more deputies while maintaining standards.

Use of force: Communities heavily patrolled by the Sheriff’s Department continue to have concerns about excessive use of force by sheriff’s deputies. People who protested against the presence of federal immigration officers in L.A. last summer complained of sheriff’s deputies using excessive force to break up peaceful demonstrations. The next sheriff will have to address this, as well as incidents involving use of force against people with mental illness.

Deputy gangs: There have long been concerns about subgroups within the Sheriff’s Department marked by deputies who wear matching tattoos. They allegedly engage in misconduct ranging from excessive use of force to planting evidence. A 2021 report by Loyola Law School found 18 deputy gangs had operated in the Sheriff’s Department at one time or another over the past 50 years. The next sheriff will have to figure out how to approach the problem.

Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission: The current sheriff has at times refused to respond to subpoenas from the commission, bucking oversight by the panel. The next sheriff will have to decide how committed they are to transparency and accountability

The candidates

Robert Luna

Incumbent, Los Angeles County Sheriff

Robert Luna was elected in 2022 after serving as chief of police in Long Beach for seven years. He grew up in East Los Angeles and holds a master’s degree in public administration from Cal State Long Beach.

Since he became sheriff, violent crime has fallen every year in the areas patrolled by the department, and homicides are down 25% since 2023, according to his website. That’s part of a nationwide trend of declining crime.

But Luna is seeking a second four-year term amid harsh criticism of how he’s operated the jails. The state attorney general has filed a lawsuit claiming unconstitutional and inhumane conditions inside the jails. Human rights activists have complained about conditions inside the jails for years — long before Luna arrived.

Luna has asked for an outside review by the National Institute of Corrections.

In his own words

More voter resources:

• Website: LunaForSheriff.com
• Social media: Instagram, Facebook

Endorsements:

• Los Angeles County Democratic Party, ALADS — Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, L.A. County Federation of Labor, Los Angeles County Police Chiefs Association
• Full endorsements list here.

Go deeper: 

• Read the attorney general’s lawsuit alleging deplorable conditions inside the jails.

Alex Villanueva

Former Los Angeles County Sheriff

Alex Villanueva was L.A. County sheriff from 2018 to 2022, when Luna defeated him. Before that, he’d been a sheriff’s deputy for more than 30 years, rising to the rank of lieutenant.

Villanueva says as sheriff he led the department to work “hand in hand” with the community to fight crime and that he is running to restore the luster to the department.

His time as sheriff was tumultuous. He clashed regularly with the Board of Supervisors and opened investigations into critics, including a Los Angeles Times reporter who covered the department.

After he left office, Villanueva was placed on a "do not rehire" list following findings by the County Equity Oversight Panel that he violated policies regarding discrimination and harassment during his term. Villanueva denied the allegation.

In his own words

More voter resources:

• Website: AlexVillanueva2026.com
• Social media: Facebook

Endorsements

• L.A. County Republican Party, L.A. County Taxpayers Association, Los Angeles School Police Officers Association
• Full endorsements list here.

Go deeper: 

• LAist Imperfect Paradise podcast on Villanueva
• Fox 11 News interview with Villanueva

Follow the money

How to keep tabs on the sheriff’s department

• The sheriff’s oversight commission meets on the third Thursday of the month at Huntington Beach from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Anne's Conference and Event Center, 155 Occidental Blvd, Los Angeles
• You can also watch the commission meetings on a livestream: YouTube.com/@LACountyCOC of call into the meeting at (213) 306-3065, code: 2525 703 0247 
• You can submit public comments through this form.  
• Previous recordings and transcripts are available on the commission’s website. 

LAist's Jared Bennett and Megan Garvey also contributed to this report.