Alex Villanueva, the former Los Angeles County sheriff, is running to reclaim the office he held from 2018 to 2022. He faces incumbent Robert G. Luna in the nonpartisan Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
The department serves unincorporated areas and contract cities across the county, including communities bordering Santa Monica.
Villanueva, according to his campaign website, said he is a 36-year veteran of the department who joined in 1986 and retired as a lieutenant before winning election in 2018. He said he was the first challenger in over a century to unseat an incumbent sheriff.
Candidate information
- Party: Nonpartisan race; Villanueva became a Republican in 2025, having previously been a Democrat, according to his Wikipedia biography
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois (1963); Puerto Rican father and Polish-American mother
- Education: Associate's degree in liberal arts, San Bernardino Valley College (1986); bachelor's degree in liberal arts, Excelsior College; master's degree in public administration, California State University Northridge; doctorate in public administration, University of La Verne
- Military service: 1st lieutenant, U.S. Air Force, California Air National Guard and California Army National Guard (1983–1993)
Experience and public service
- Deputy sheriff, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (1986–2000)
- Sergeant, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (2000–2011)
- Lieutenant, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (2011–2018)
- Adjunct professor, California State University Long Beach (2006–2010)
- 33rd Sheriff of Los Angeles County (2018–2022)
On the issues
Staffing and recruitment: Villanueva said he would reverse current staffing shortages, pointing to his first year in office when he said he hired 1,100 deputies. He said he aims to hire 2,000 new deputies in two years and restore what he called a "merit-based system" over political patronage, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.
Public safety: Villanueva is running under the slogan "Rescue, Rebuild, Restore." He emphasized what he described as a firm law-and-order approach, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. He cited his past raids on illegal cannabis grows, deployment of resources during the 2020 civil unrest and clearing of major homeless encampments without use of force as examples.
Immigration enforcement: Villanueva said people in jail who are in the country illegally should be deported. "Let's stop playing games here, and let's not get involved in obstructing federal immigration," he told the Daily News. He said he would rather have federal agents figure it out in the jail than chase people through car washes or strawberry fields.
Budget: During his previous tenure, Villanueva said he converted a $101 million budget deficit into a $74 million surplus, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. The claim has not been independently verified.
Endorsements
Villanueva has been endorsed by the following, according to the sources listed:
- Los Angeles Sheriff's Professional Association (as reported by the Daily News)
- Los Angeles County GOP (according to BallotReady)
Candidate positions in this profile are based on responses Villanueva provided to FOX 11 Los Angeles and the Daily News, as well as statements on his campaign website. They reflect the candidate's own claims and have not been independently verified.
