Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is running for office again, this time setting his sights on the Board of Supervisors.
Villanueva scheduled a news conference for Wednesday morning to formally announce his bid for the county’s 4th Supervisory District, a seat currently held by Janice Hahn.
In an interview with KTTV Tuesday evening, Villanueva asserted that the current board has not served Angelenos well.
“The county government is responsible for the health, safety and welfare of all the county residents, and in that regard, the board has failed miserably,” he told the television station. “Today, they’re so far to the left of center that no one can even recognize them. They do not represent the will of anyone much less the residents of the 4th district. So, we’re going to bring this back to the middle.”
During his one and only term as sheriff, Villanueva frequently clashed with the Board of Supervisors over issues including civilian oversight, the investigation of alleged deputy gangs, and his refusal to enforce a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for his department.
He was defeated in the 2022 election by former Long Beach police chief Robert Luna.
Janice Hahn, whose father served on both the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and L.A. City Council, has represented the 4th District since 2016.
In a scathing statement, her campaign advisor called Villanueva a “fraud and a failure.”
“L.A. County voters – including District 4 – resoundingly rejected the man known as the ‘Donald Trump of LA County’ last November for his incompetence and corruption,” a spokesperson said. “L.A. County became less safe under Villanueva’s reign … voters won’t be fooled again.”