Sheriff — Los Angeles County

• Sworn member, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, 1986-2018
• Planning Commissioner, La Habra Heights, 2015-present
• Adjunct Professor, Criminal Justice, California State University, Long Beach 2006-2010
• Doctor of Public Administration, University of La Verne, 2005
• Founding President, Los Angeles Sheriff's Professional Association
• Master of Public Administration, California State University, Northridge, 1997
• Commissioned Officer, California Army National Guard, 1985-1992
• Enlisted, United States Air Force, 1983-1984

With over three decades of law enforcement experience, Alex Villanueva is a unique leader within the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.  Distinguishing himself early on as a straight shooter, Alex has been a tireless advocate for both the community and the hard working men and women who wear tan and green.  A life-long believer in education, Alex burned the midnight oil while working patrol, earning his Master's degree long before it was expected.  He took it a step further, earning a Doctorate in Public Administration while studying the impact of diversity on law enforcement leadership.     

 As an experienced military veteran, Alex learned many valuable lessons in leadership while serving our country in the United States Air Force and the California Army National Guard.  His first reform experience was as a young deputy, when he was thrown out of a commander's office for courageously advocating for a ban on smoking within jail facilities.  Sticking to his guns, Alex prevailed and the ban won overwhelming support throughout the department, saving the county millions of dollars in the process.  As a union organizer, Alex fought for both transparency and ethical representation, the catalyst for many reforms within the employee organizations representing LASD members to this day.  

Early on in Sheriff Baca's second term in office, Alex encountered serious evidence of corruption and executive misconduct which threatened the integrity of the entire organization.  Realizing the dire consequences of unchecked corruption, Alex courageously challenged the illegal conduct of department executives, and the retaliation was swift and severe from Undersheriff Paul Tanaka and his minions.   Both Alex and his wife Vivian, also an LASD deputy, were systematically shunned by managers and executives throughout the LASD.  Unable to dissuade Sheriff Baca and his staff from their corrupt ways, Alex never lost sight of his commitment to serving the community, his dedication to public service unwavering.  

History proved Alex's concerns to be spot on.  The tarnished reputation of the LASD, the convictions of over twenty department members for the crimes of obstruction of justice, lying to federal agents, and conspiracy, all point to the indispensable need to reform the LASD from the ground up.  With former Sheriff Baca and his undersheriff in prison, the LASD is in desperate need of real reform.  Jim McDonnell failed to reform the department, the one job to which he was elected for.   

As a bonafide reformer, Alex plans to rebuild the LASD from the ground up, reforming the organization around the principles of community policing and ethical standards of conduct.  Alex's experience within the LASD, the military, and as an educator, all point to a transformational leader who can reform the LASD, raise morale, inspire people to aim higher, and improve the relationship between the community and the LASD.  In 2018, Alex Villanueva is exactly the person Los Angeles County needs as our sheriff. 

A lifelong Democrat, Villanueva is a strong supporter of the California Values Act and will push back against Washington's attempts to make the county jail a pipeline for deportation.  He has a strong track record of defending organized labor, veterans, the environment, and equal opportunity in employment.  A supporter of the 2nd Amendment and gun control, Villanueva does not believe the two concepts are mutually exclusive.  Diversity is a strength, not a weakness, and key to the entire community being not only represented in government but fully engaged in the democratic process.  Villanueva's philosophy is forward thinking, pragmatic, and driven by evidence, not ideology.  A true progressive, Villanueva is not afraid of doing what is right, even when it's not the popular thing to do.

Sheriff Jim McDonnell began his law enforcement career in 1981 with the Los Angeles Police Department.  While with the LAPD, he helped create the blueprint for LAPD’s community-based policing program that led to building strong relationships between law enforcement and the community.  Sheriff McDonnell also served as Chief of Police of the Long Beach Police Department for five years where he implemented a number of initiatives that resulted in safer communities.  Sheriff McDonnell was elected County Sheriff of Los Angeles in 2014. 

Sheriff Jim McDonnell holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.  He is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Executive Institute and has completed executive education programs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Since first being elected County Sheriff of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Jim McDonnell has stressed the importance of treating all members of our community with respect, being transparent with and accountable to the individuals that the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department serves, and creating a working environment that recognizes and rewards character, competence, and compassion.