Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has filed paperwork for an apparent 2026 bid to run for the county’s top law enforcement official. Villanueva, whose 2018 upset surprise victory over former Sheriff Jim McDonnell caused repeated clashes with the County Board of Supervisors, lost his second attempt for the post in 2022. Robert Luna won that election and has already announced his bid for reelection.
Villanueva registered a campaign committee with the California Secretary of State for next year’s November election. Villanueva originally ran in 2018 as a reform-minded Democrat who vowed to overhaul the department, but his term as sheriff became mired in controversy over allegations of ignoring alleged deputy gangs, mishandling leaked photos of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash, and resisting enforcement of