Los Angeles County · Statewide General Election
Sheriff — Los Angeles County
Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.
On the ballot
- Robert G. Luna
- Alex Villanueva
This person leads the LA County Sheriff's Department: county policing, the jail system, and court security.
The county's marquee November rematch: Sheriff Robert Luna (44.2% in June) faces the man he unseated in 2022, Alex Villanueva (21.7%), on November 3. The department they're fighting over runs county policing, court security — and a jail system in genuine crisis.
The sheriff serves four years running the largest sheriff's department in the country: patrol for dozens of contract cities, security for the courts, and custody of a jail system under multiple court orders. The Board of Supervisors controls the budget — and since 2022 has held the power to remove a sheriff for cause.
Three questions decide this race. The jails: deaths in custody rose to 46 in 2025, and the state Attorney General is suing the county and Luna personally over conditions. Oversight: Luna cooperates with watchdogs and four federal consent decrees; Villanueva's term was defined by fighting them. And crime: violent crime has fallen under Luna. Decide which record — and which relationship with accountability — you want for four more years.
Robert G. Luna
Sheriff since 2022, former Long Beach police chief. Violent crime is down each year on his watch and he cooperates with oversight — but jail deaths hit 46 in 2025 and the state AG is suing him over conditions. He's the county establishment's candidate.
Strengths
Homicides down about 25% since 2023; created the Office of Constitutional Policing to work through four federal consent decrees and address deputy gangs; backed by the county's Democratic establishment and, reportedly, all five supervisors.
Trade-offs
The jail crisis deepened on his watch — 41, 32, then 46 in-custody deaths across his term — and reformers say deputy-gang measures remain incomplete (no tattoo ban; courts have blocked identification efforts).
Keep in mind
The state AG's September 2025 lawsuit over 'unconstitutional, inhumane' jail conditions names him personally. It's the strongest factual criticism of his tenure, and it comes from his own party.
Alex Villanueva
Sheriff from 2018 to 2022, career LASD before that. His term was defined by fights with oversight bodies; voters removed him by about 20 points in 2022. He's running on fiscal management and a harder public-safety line.
Strengths
Four years actually running the department; campaigns on turning a $101M deficit into a surplus (campaign figures, not independently verified); channels voters who think the establishment has failed on crime and homelessness.
Trade-offs
His term brought refused subpoenas, resistance to civilian oversight, and criticism that deputy-gang allegations went unaddressed.
Keep in mind
The county placed him on its 'do not rehire' list after findings he violated discrimination and harassment policies (he denies wrongdoing), and his office opened investigations into critics, including a journalist. Weigh whether the comeback pitch answers what happened last time.
Financial info
- Small donors
- Individuals
- PACs & committees
- Businesses & other orgs
Robert G. Luna
$366,531 raised
- Small donors$178,50749%
- Individuals$138,39938%
- PACs & committees$9,0002%
- Businesses & other orgs$40,25011%
Alex Villanueva
$113,945 raised
- Small donors$76,40070%
- Individuals$30,44528%
- Businesses & other orgs$2,1002%
1Total raised is each calendar year's cumulative (Form 460 Summary line 5) from that year's latest filing, summed for the 2026 cycle; the breakdown lists direct contributions, so the pieces can sum below the total. Figures are filings through 2026-06-30, per the county's NetFile e-filing data, retrieved 2026-08-02.
June 2 primary — how they advanced
Source review: Very strong (94/100) · 6 cited sources
Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.
- results.lavote.gov (opens in a new tab)LA County RR/CC — Certified results, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-06-26)
- content.lavote.gov (opens in a new tab)LA County RR/CC — Offices Scheduled for Election, November 3, 2026 (6/26/26)
- laist.com (opens in a new tab)LAist — June 2026 primary voter guides
- oag.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)CA Attorney General press release — lawsuit over LA County jail conditions (Sept 8, 2025)
- nbclosangeles.com (opens in a new tab)NBC Los Angeles — June 2026 primary results coverage
- campaignfinance.lacounty.gov (opens in a new tab)LA County campaign-finance disclosure (Registrar-Recorder / NetFile)
Last updated August 7, 2026.