LONG BEACH—Los Angeles County residents voted for Long Beach Police Chief, Robert Luna, as the new Los Angeles County Sheriff defeating incumbent Sheriff Alex Villanueva, by close to 200,000 votes.
On the night of the election, Villanueva was ahead and sent out a message to his supporters indicating he expected to win.
“Overnight the polling is trending upward with a day of ballots in our favor. Like four years ago, we remain optimistic that when all votes are counted, we will be victorious,” Sheriff Villanueva stated.
Sheriff Villanueva earned 42.5 percent with 563,482 votes. Chief Luna earned 57.75 percent with 770,084 votes.
Alejandro, “Alex,” Villanueva, a 10-year military veteran, was the first Democrat to be elected sheriff in 138 years on November 4, 2018. He won with 53 percent of the vote over former Sheriff Jim McDonnell who carried 47 percent of the vote. A third contender, former Commander Robert, “Bob” Lindsey trailed behind Villanueva and McDonnell with 17 percent of the vote.
During his term, Villanueva faced accusations of having deputy gang members in the ranks at the LASD. According to reports, the gangs were still active as late as 2021. Sheriff Villanueva is married to Vivian Villanueva who retired from LASD after 24 years of service.
Luna was trained by the FBI National Academy. He is a 36-year veteran of Long Beach Police Department, serving as Police Chief for the last seven years. According to reports, during his tenure there has been a slight reduction in crime.
