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The race for LA County sheriff will be Luna vs. Villanueva all over again
More about this race
Incumbent Robert Luna has held his lead in the race for L.A. County sheriff and will face off with former sheriff Alex Villanueva in November once again.
The last time that happened, Luna soundly defeated Villanueva in the 2022 general election by 23 points.
“We need change. We need progress. The only way to do that is for us to work collectively,” Luna had told voters in a video on Election Day, urging them to get out and vote. Villanueva said he looked forward to another chance to beat Luna: "We look forward to a runoff and much-needed public debate over public safety. The LASD will not survive four more years of mismanagement.”
Eric Strong, who was in a distant third place, conceded the contest.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is the largest sheriff’s agency in the nation — and is the third-largest local law enforcement agency just behind the New York Police Department and the Chicago Police Department. It’s also 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 election is seen as a referendum on whether Luna is addressing these and other issues adequately. The next sheriff will also help oversee security for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. 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.
Here are just a few of the things that the next sheriff must grapple with:
The jails
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit in September 2025 alleging unconstitutional, inhumane conditions inside county jails. The lawsuit cites severe filth, rat infestations, lack of clean water, spoiled food, and inadequate medical care and demands comprehensive reforms. 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.
Campaign finance
No outside spending as of last reporting date
Independent or outside committees can raise and spend without limits — but they're barred from coordinating with a candidate. A chart will appear above when any outside committees have spent money to support or oppose a candidate in this race. Updated every Tuesday and Thursday.
Go deeper on the issues
About the vote count
For LAist's charts showing vote counts, we get numbers directly from the L.A. County and Orange County registrars of voters for local races. Totals are updated on our site as soon as possible after the registrars provide new tallies. For statewide races, counts come from the California Secretary of State's Office.
Keep in mind that, in tight races particularly, the winner may not be determined for days or weeks after election day. That's because early voting and mail-in ballots have fundamentally reshaped how votes are counted and when election results are known. In L.A. County, for example, updates on the counting are expected to continue through June 26. After the polls closed on election night, we had updates to the official count regularly into the early hours Wednesday. After that, updates have been daily around 5 p.m. Expect updates on the following days: June 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 18, 24 and 26. Final results must be certified by July 10.
Our priority during the vote count will be sharing outcomes and election calls only when they have been thoroughly checked and vetted by journalists. To that end, we will report when candidates concede and otherwise rely on NPR and the Associated Press for race calls (before official results). We will not report the calls or projections of other news outlets. You can find more about NPR's and the AP's process for counting votes and calling races here, here and here.
About our live results
Keep in mind that, in tight races particularly, the winner may not be known for days or weeks after Election Day. That's because early voting and mail-in ballots have fundamentally reshaped how votes are counted and when election results are known.
Tracking your ballot
You can track the status of your ballot through California's BallotTrax website.
If your mail-in ballot has any problems (like a missing or mismatched signature), your county registrar must contact you to give you a chance to fix it.
Official results
The California Secretary of State's Office is required to certify the final vote tallies by July 10, marking the official end of the 2026 primary election.
LAist's Voter Game Plan will be back in the fall to help you prepare for the Nov. 3 general election.
What questions do you have about this election?
You ask, and we'll answer: Whether it's about who's funding the campaigns or how to track your ballot, we're here to help you understand the 2026 election
LAist senior editor Rene Lynch also contributed to this report.