Incumbent Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva conceded defeat to former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna on Tuesday.
Villanueva, who oversaw the county as it experienced rapid and historic rises in violent crime, cartel activity and homelessness as well as the twin crises of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter riots, conceded the race to Luna during a Tuesday afternoon press conference, according to NBC Los Angeles. His loss marks the second time in four years that an incumbent sheriff in LA County has lost reelection.
The local NBC affiliate also notes that Villanueva “repeatedly defied subpoenas to appear before the Civilian Oversight Commission” and refused to compel his deputies and other sheriff’s department employees to comply with the county’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Homicides during the first half of the year in Los Angeles are at their highest level in a decade.https://t.co/LY97JbEbvT
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 21, 2022
Villanueva used the press conference to present his grievances with news media, the LA County Board of Supervisors and his opponent, NBC noted. “Unless God intervenes and does a miracle with the remaining ballots, we don’t see it’s going to change,” Villanueva told reporters. “We’ll leave the keys in the ignition with the engine running. What he does with it, that’s entirely up to him.” (RELATED: ‘So I Went Out With A Baseball Bat’: Residents Describe Dealing With Rampant Theft In San Francisco)
Luna will inherit a county rife with problems, such as homelessness, which remains a predominant source of criminal activity and continues to worsen despite the billions of dollars devoted to mitigating the crisis. He’ll also have to contend with the movement to defund law enforcement. In June, West Hollywood’s city council voted to defund the sheriff’s department amid a rise in violent and property crime.