SHERIFF VILLANUEVA NEEDS TO RESTORE TRUST IN HIS DEPARTMENT
WHEREAS Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva ran for office and was endorsed
by many Democratic organizations including the Los Angeles County Democratic Party,
he ran on a platform of reforming and restoring trust in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department; but, since his election, trust has only been further eroded by numerous
complaints of abuse of his office; and
WHEREAS criticisms of Sheriff Villanueva include the illegal rehiring of his former
campaign driver, Caren Carl Mandoyan, despite Mandoyan's clear record of
misconduct, along with the rehiring of other Deputies accused of serious violations, and
the hiring of his son, despite a history of driving under the influence; the creation of the
so-called Truth and Reconciliation Panel, which has been used to illegally circumvent
the County's Charter-established Civil Service Commission and threatens to be used to
rehire 400 more previously fired deputies; pressuring a Sheriff’s Department official to
cover up a record of misconduct; and, immigrants in the Sheriff’s custody continue to be
delivered to ICE agents; and
WHEREAS the Los Angeles County Democratic Party should hold its endorsed
candidates accountable and ask them to represent our values and the standards of
good government; the Sheriff has so far failed to adequately address the above
concerns, so, we are now making a public appeal to the Sheriff asking him to make
significant changes to restore the public’s trust in Sheriff’s Department;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Los Angeles County Democratic Party
recognizes that Los Angeles County Sheriff Villanueva's actions have eroded the trust
of the public, the Sheriff Department’s governmental partners, and this body; we call
upon Sheriff Villanueva to take immediate actions to restore trust in his department by
shutting down the Truth and Reconciliation Panel and reversing all its decisions,
returning to traditional hiring practices in line with the Civilian Oversight Commission’s
recommendations, ending prisoner transfers to ICE through all means including using
contractors as middlemen; we also ask the Sheriff to seek guidance from the Los
Angeles County Board of Supervisors as to how trust and transparency can be restored
in the Sheriff’s Department; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED this resolution shall be communicated to Los Angeles
County Sheriff Alex Villanueva and the members of the County Board of Supervisors.
Submitted by Richard Mathews, AD45, on behalf of DPSFV
Authored by
Damian Carroll, At-Large Member, Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley