Los Angeles County lawmakers have passed a controversial motion that they hope will allow them to get rid of elected Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who has consistently called out their “woke” behavior during his past two years in office.
Villanueva, who is a centrist Democrat, has battled the board over its “defund the police” stance, enabling a growing homeless population, and support of social welfare programs for criminals in lieu of jail time.
Tuesday’s measure passed 4-1 and will go before the voters Nov. 8. If it passes, the board could remove the sheriff for “just cause” for several reasons including “flagrant or repeated neglect of duties.”
“We can’t just sit back and watch the destruction of a wayward sheriff,” said Supervisor Hilda Solis, who co-authored the measure. “If the sheriff is not able to follow the law … and engages in misconduct, the board needs stronger mechanisms to check this harmful behavior.”
Solis pointed toward numerous use-of-force investigations into the sheriff’s department, which has a $3.5 billion budget, 17,000 employees, and manages the largest jail system in the nation. The department patrols 2,500 of the county’s 4,000 square miles.
The supervisors mentioned the past troubles of former Sheriff Lee Baca, who went to federal prison following an FBI investigation into systematic abuse in the county jail. However, none of this had anything to do with Villanueva, who was elected as a reformer.
Instead, fellow law enforcement colleague District Attorney George Gascon has endured withering accusations of anti-victim bias and faces a likely recall in the next several months.
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The lone supervisor holdout said she could not vote yes because the measure appeared targeted at Villanueva himself rather than the office.
“This is more personal than the office of the sheriff,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “I strongly disagree with the action. … If we are going to do it for the sheriff, we should do it for the assessor, the DA, and this board itself.”
Villanueva says such an ordinance would be unconstitutional and overturned by the courts if it becomes law. The California Constitution was enacted in 1850 and allows for the election of a district attorney and sheriff in each county. The officials could be removed in one of four ways: through an election, recall, a grand jury, or the state attorney general for criminal behavior, Villanueva said.
Villanueva is running for reelection in November, and Barger criticized the timing of the motion, saying the board should let the voters decide whether the sheriff keeps his job.
The battle between the board and the sheriff has played out in the media, gaining steam after the death of George Floyd when Villanueva adamantly opposed any marches that could turn into storms of looting like what took place across the nation, causing deaths and billions in damages.
SHERIFF VILLANUEVA’S RESPONSE TO AGENDA #12 – PROMOTING ACCOUNTABILITY AND COMMUNITY SAFETY THROUGH CHECKS AND BALANCES OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF pic.twitter.com/9Et5DAD66W
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) July 12, 2022
“I was never going to be part of that group — never,” Villanueva told the Washington Examiner in discussing the board’s far-left agenda and support for Gascon. “They want to disenfranchise the voter who put me in office, trying to take away the voter’s will.”
Villanueva, who helped lead a recall campaign against Gascon, took on the district attorney in a letter to the board.
“Last week, the same day this motion was leaked to the media, over 715,000 signatures were delivered to recall current District Attorney George Gascon for not doing his job, exemplifying that with sufficient public support recalls are a viable tool. In direct opposition to this, your Board wants to grant yourselves the power to get rid of a sheriff with four votes, nullifying the will of ten million residents,” he wrote.
Dozens of callers spoke during the public comment period and were evenly divided between supporting the motion and opposing it.
“You want … a puppet. Villanueva is standing up against you guys, which is what you don’t like,” said caller Richard Denning. “You guys need to be put on notice. Let’s put you guys on the agenda. This charade needs to stop now. It’s not about checks and balances — it’s about you don’t like what this man stands for. So you want to remove him.”
However, the board said it was merely trying to ensure that the sheriff abides by the law and has oversight.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Though sheriffs enjoy certain limited areas of independent authority under the California State Constitution, as an independent elected official, it is imperative that such privilege be balanced by accountability and oversight measures,” the motion says. “Abuse of power has been able to thrive unchecked with few, if any, meaningful consequences.”
