Alex Villanueva, who served as the 33rd sheriff of Los Angeles County from 2018 to 2022, is running to reclaim the office in the Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The race is nonpartisan. Robert G. Luna is the other candidate.
Villanueva said on his campaign website that he was the first challenger in over a century to unseat an incumbent sheriff when he won in 2018. He is running under the slogan "Rescue, Rebuild, Restore."
Candidate information
- Party: Nonpartisan (became a Republican in 2025, according to his Wikipedia biography, having previously been a Democrat)
- Born: Chicago, Illinois, 1963; son of a 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
Experience and public service
Villanueva said on his campaign website that he is a 36-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He joined as a deputy sheriff in 1986, was promoted to sergeant in 2000 and to lieutenant in 2011, according to his Wikipedia biography. He served as sheriff from 2018 to 2022.
He also served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, California Air National Guard and California Army National Guard from 1983 to 1993. He was an adjunct professor at California State University Long Beach from 2006 to 2010, according to BallotReady.
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, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. 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.
Public safety: Villanueva said he takes 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.
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 added he would rather have federal agents handle enforcement in the jail than chasing people through car washes or strawberry fields.
Budget: During his tenure as sheriff, Villanueva said he converted a $101 million budget deficit into a $74 million surplus, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.
Endorsements
Villanueva has been endorsed by the following, according to the sources listed:
- Los Angeles Sheriff's Professional Association (per the Daily News)
- Los Angeles County GOP (per BallotReady)
Candidate responses were drawn from FOX 11 Los Angeles, the Daily News and Villanueva's campaign website. The South Bay Tide did not interview the candidate for this profile.
