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Alex Villanueva (California)

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This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Alex Villanueva
Image of Alex Villanueva
Prior offices
Los Angeles County Sheriff
Successor: Robert Luna

Elections and appointments
Last election

March 5, 2024

Alex Villanueva was the Los Angeles County Sheriff in California. He assumed office in 2018. He left office on December 5, 2022.

Villanueva ran for election to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to represent District 4 in California. He lost in the primary on March 5, 2024.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Los Angeles County, California (2024)

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors District 4

Incumbent Janice Hahn won election outright against Alex Villanueva and John Cruikshank in the primary for Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors District 4 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Janice Hahn
Janice Hahn (Nonpartisan)
 
57.8
 
173,324
Image of Alex Villanueva
Alex Villanueva (Nonpartisan)
 
28.1
 
84,259
Image of John Cruikshank
John Cruikshank (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
14.1
 
42,272

Total votes: 299,855
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Villanueva in this election.

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Los Angeles County, California (2022)

General election

General election for Los Angeles County Sheriff

Robert Luna defeated incumbent Alex Villanueva in the general election for Los Angeles County Sheriff on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Robert Luna
Robert Luna (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
61.3
 
1,370,837
Image of Alex Villanueva
Alex Villanueva (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
38.7
 
867,029

Total votes: 2,237,866
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Los Angeles County Sheriff

The following candidates ran in the primary for Los Angeles County Sheriff on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Alex Villanueva
Alex Villanueva (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
30.7
 
454,556
Image of Robert Luna
Robert Luna (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
25.8
 
383,181
Eric Strong (Nonpartisan)
 
15.7
 
232,274
Cecil Rhambo (Nonpartisan)
 
7.6
 
113,386
Karla Yesenia Carranza (Nonpartisan)
 
5.1
 
75,688
Britta S. Steinbrenner (Nonpartisan)
 
4.5
 
66,191
Eli Vera (Nonpartisan)
 
4.3
 
63,757
Matt Rodriguez (Nonpartisan)
 
4.0
 
59,103
Image of April Saucedo Hood
April Saucedo Hood (Nonpartisan)
 
2.3
 
34,370

Total votes: 1,482,506
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Municipal elections in Los Angeles County, California (2018)

General election

General election for Los Angeles County Sheriff

Alex Villanueva defeated incumbent Jim McDonnell in the general election for Los Angeles County Sheriff on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Alex Villanueva
Alex Villanueva (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
52.9
 
1,310,780
Image of Jim McDonnell
Jim McDonnell (Nonpartisan)
 
47.1
 
1,169,184

Total votes: 2,479,964
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Los Angeles County Sheriff

Incumbent Jim McDonnell and Alex Villanueva defeated Robert Lindsey in the primary for Los Angeles County Sheriff on June 5, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jim McDonnell
Jim McDonnell (Nonpartisan)
 
47.6
 
579,213
Image of Alex Villanueva
Alex Villanueva (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
33.5
 
407,679
Robert Lindsey (Nonpartisan)
 
18.9
 
230,615

Total votes: 1,217,507
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Alex Villanueva did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Candidate Connection

Alex Villanueva completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Villanueva's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Alex Villanueva is the 33rd Sheriff of Los Angeles County, and he is the first Spanish-speaking sheriff in the county. In 2018, retired sheriff’s lieutenant Villanueva defeated incumbent Sheriff Jim McDonnell, becoming the first to unseat the incumbent in over 100 years. Sheriff Villanueva also became the first Democratic Sheriff in LA County in almost 140 years.
  • Reduce Violent Crimes: We must end the hiring freeze and begin to get more cops and detectives on the street.
  • Expand Homeless Outreach Service: We must help our unhoused get the help they need while regulating public space
  • Dismantle Homeless Industrial Complex: use those valuable resources to fund proven methods to treat drug addiction and mental health. If the board won't do it, we will take it to the ballot.
I am passionate about public service. I have dedicated my life to making the L.A. county's sheriff department better. Four years ago I ran on a promise to Rebuild, Restore and Reform the department. We have delivered on that promise!

Here is my record. All sheriff deputies on patrol are now equipped with body worn cameras and body cameras in county jails are coming soon. We promoted a record number of Asian, Latino, African American, female, and LGBTQ+ deputies and executives. All transfers of inmates to ICE have been permanently banned.

Perhaps most important, we publicly banned deputy gangs which led to his policy becoming state law. From day one, we have had zero tolerance of deputy misconduct, 154 individuals fired, 1,000 more disciplined.

As a result of these reforms, we decreased citizen complaints by 31%, lawsuits by 17%, violence in jails by 21%.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Candidate Connection

Alex Villanueva participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on May 30, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Alex Villanueva's responses follow below.[1]

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

Reform the LASD by cleaning house, top to bottom, and raising standards across the board
Rebuild the organization around the principles of community policing
Restore trust that has been lost between the community and the LASD, and within the LASD itself.[2][3]

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

Criminal Justice Reform, making the system fair to all involved and moving our society away from the mass incarceration model that has failed us the last 30 years. Likewise, fully implementing and defending SB 54 from unwelcome intrusion by the Trump administration. Joining forces with the Board of Supervisors, the city of LA, and surrounding communities to tackle the growing crisis of homelessnessCite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[3]

Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Alex Villanueva answered the following:

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow and why?

My mother. She never gave up in fighting for her children's education, and pushed us all to strive to be our best. She was kind to the incarcerated, quick to lend a hand to those in need, and an unshakable faith.[3]
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else that best describes your political philosophy?
Dead Poet's Society comes to mind, with the clever struggle between change and order so eloquently portrayed by the characters.[3]
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Honesty, hard work, and a good sense of humility - something missing in politicians today.[3]
What qualities do you possess that would make you a successful officeholder?
I've spoke truth to power my entire life, and I won't hesitate to right a wrong or empower the powerless.[3]
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Keep Los Angeles County safe from rising crime rates, the potential for terrorism and mass shootings, and addressing the changing needs of a dynamic society desperate to move beyond the failed policies of the 20th century.[3]
What legacy would you like to leave?
A reformed, fully-staffed LASD working hand in hand with the community as equal partners to ensure the safety of all who set foot in Los Angeles County.[3]
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at that time?
The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, I was five years old at the time.[3]
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
I was a student worker at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez campus, assigned to the biology lab ($2 an hour!).[3]
What happened on your most awkward date?
I take the Fifth, LOL...[3]
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Christmas, since my childhood in Rochester NY. I always remember the snow and my dad stringing up the lights, the smell of pine, and the promise of something waiting in the morning around the tree.[3]
What is your favorite book? Why?
The Art of Wordly Wisdom, by Baltazar Gracian. A book of aphorisms written 300 years ago, but the lessons remain eerily relevant today.[3]
If you could be any fictional character, who would you be?
Batman, of course.[3]
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
The computer, a window to the world.[3]
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
Never surrender, Corey Hart (don't ask me why)[3]
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
Dealing with the limitations others have wished to impose on me[3]
What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the local government?
It sets the tone for criminal justice for the entire county, impacting who gets arrested and who doesn't, how long people are detained, and how well we respond to critical incidents that can literally mean life and death.[3]
Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?
There are many, but the most important one is the office of sheriff is the appointing authority for all promotions. This authority wields enormous power in shaping the future leadership of the organization, and it is currently being misused to support nepotism and cronyism.[3]
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?
By all means. Lack of experience in this particular office is what has rendered the incumbent so ineffective in carrying out his duties.[3]
What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?
It requires a combination of organization knowledge and formal education, along with a healthy history of reform. After 32 years on the job, years of reform efforts that have led to significant changes within the organization, and a doctorate in public administration (DPA), I humbly submit that I fulfill all three requirements.[3]

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
  2. Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Alex Villanueva's responses," May 30, 2018
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.