L.A. County Board Could Remove Elected Sheriff — If Voters Pass Measure A This November
This article was produced with UT Community News, which is produced by Cal State L.A. journalism students and covers public issues on the Eastside and South L.A.
Should the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors be able to kick a county sheriff out of office?
A proposed amendment to the Los Angeles County Charter will be up for voters to decide this Election Day, November 8, 2022.
Both supervisors and the sheriff are elected positions, so some say it doesn't make sense to give one group of elected officials authority over another elected official. Supervisors already make decisions on the sheriff's budget — and some worry any additional power could potentially be abused.
Others say this would create more checks and balances on sheriffs who are elected but go rogue and perhaps do more harm than good. They say since all the supervisors are elected from different districts in the county, they can be trusted with providing that kind of oversight.
The motion to get the Measure A "Removal of Sheriff for Cause Amendment" ballot initiative started was authored by Holly J. Mitchell, a Los Angeles County supervisor for the Second District, with Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, of the First District, co-authoring it.
The motion cites problems with past sheriffs such as Lee Baca, who was imprisoned for obstruction of justice and lying to federal investigators during his term in late 2012 and was investigated by the FBI for it.
Supporters of the measure say that corrupt sheriffs should be voted out of office immediately, whether that is by the citizens of the county or the board of supervisors or both.
"For decades, the current system has allowed abuses of power to thrive largely unchecked with serious consequences for public safety," Mitchell said in a press release about the measure.
Local media outlets have been reporting tensions between current supervisors and sitting Sheriff Alex Villanueva the past few years, especially over injuries, deaths and other problems in local prisons and jails and sheriff's deputies who participate in groups (or "cliques") that effectively operate as gangs.
Villanueva has also been accused of targeting his critics with investigations.
For instance, Villanueva opened an investigation into two prominent critics of the sheriff: Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and Patti Giggans, commissioner for the Los Angeles County Civilian Oversight Commission, an independent organization tasked with keeping the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) in check. The investigation involved a contract from Metro to a nonprofit Giggans runs.
After sheriff's deputies raided each of their homes — a move that sparked public outcry — California's attorney general intervened and took over the investigation in late September.
And after L.A. Times reporter Alene Tchekmedyian exposed what appeared to be cover up by the department of an incident in which a deputy sheriff kneeled on the head of a handcuffed inmate, Villanueva briefly opened an investigation on her.
Sheriff Villanueva is up for reelection this November, and is running against former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna.
Some people worry that giving the power of removing a sheriff to the Board of Supervisors — which would require a consensus of at least four among the five sitting board members — could cause safety issues for the community and politicize the process, especially if it comes at a time when some supervisors are up for re-election.
Ellie Perez, 29, who lives in the Northeast Los Angeles community of Highland Park, said she is undecided when it comes to giving the power to the board of supervisors to remove a sheriff.
"… We should only give the board the power to rid the sheriff if there is some backup plan because giving them too much power is not OK," Perez said.
"[Citizens] should have the power to vote … [and] have the right to say whether a sheriff is good enough to protect the county."
Perez said the issue matters because whoever is sheriff often helps set practices and the tone for sheriff's deputies in the community — which have affected Black and Brown communities disproportionately, as targets of police brutality.
James Mendez lives in the unincorporated East Los Angeles neighborhood of City Terrace — which is served by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for law enforcement — and says he worries the board could have too much power when it comes choosing and voting out a sheriff, especially if there are supervisors at some point who are overly influenced by special interests.
"I think the power to remove the sheriff should be held with people ... If we give the board this power, can they abuse it?" Mendez said.
