L.A. County Sheriff election map shows deep divisions as Villanueva battles for reelection
In the race for Los Angeles County sheriff, incumbent Alex Villanueva and former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna are headed to a runoff in November. Certified results from June’s primary election show they were the favorites in a crowded field of contenders. L.A. County residents will vote for the sheriff in the general election beginning Oct. 10.
Alex Villanueva
30.66%
454,556 votes
Robert Luna
25.85%
383,181 votes
In the primary, Luna led in Long Beach, Santa Monica and South Pasadena. Retired Assistant Sheriff Cecil Rhambo and sheriff’s Lt. Eric Strong dominated Inglewood and Highland Park.
Villanueva won a plurality of votes in precincts across the county – from expansive regions in the high desert to densely populated neighborhoods in East L.A.
Many of his votes came from areas where Sheriff’s Department stations are located, though Villanueva also won big in some parts of the city of Los Angeles that are served by the Los Angeles Police Department. Swaths of the San Fernando Valley and areas bordering Downtown L.A., like Pico-Union and Boyle Heights, saw Villanueva lead by large margins.
See how your neighborhood voted
The map shows the margin of victory and density of votes by voting precinct in the June primary. Darker shades indicate the size of a candidate's lead, while transparency indicates the density of voters in an area. Each color represents the candidate who received the most votes.
Leading by more votes
More votes per square feet
Other
Villanueva
Luna
Leading by more votes
More votes per square feet
Other
Villanueva
Luna
Leading by more votes
More votes per square feet
Villanueva
Luna
Other
Tie
No votes
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Areas with majority Latino voters
Villanueva won a majority of areas where Latino residents comprise 50% or more of the population, including Boyle Heights, Downey, South Gate and parts of West Covina. East of Los Angeles, suburban cities like Rowland Heights, Walnut and La Puente favored Villanueva as well. Eastern Los Angeles County overall, stretching from East L.A. to Pomona, was a Villanueva stronghold during the primary.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Lancaster
Palmdale
Santa Clarita
San Fernando
West Covina
Boyle
Heights
Pomona
Downey
Hawthorne
0
5
10 mi
Avalon
Wilmington
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Lancaster
Palmdale
Santa Clarita
San Fernando
West Covina
Boyle
Heights
Pomona
Downey
Hawthorne
0
5
10 mi
Avalon
Wilmington
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Lancaster
Palmdale
Santa Clarita
San Fernando
West Covina
Boyle
Heights
Pomona
Downey
Hawthorne
0
5
10 mi
Avalon
Wilmington
Northern L.A. County and the Antelope Valley
In northernmost Los Angeles County, Villanueva dominated in both sparsely populated precincts in the Antelope Valley and in more densely populated cities like Palmdale, Santa Clarita and Lancaster. In some northern precincts, the sheriff won by some of the biggest margins in the county, outpacing the second-place candidate by at least 40 percentage points.
Unlike areas nearer metropolitan Los Angeles, where the Sheriff’s Department, LAPD and other police departments patrol a patchwork of cities and unincorporated areas, the Antelope Valley is policed exclusively by Villanueva’s department. The North Patrol Division services some of the largest areas in the county, where Lancaster and Palmdale hold the two biggest contracts with the Sheriff’s Department.
Sheriff’s Department patrol areas in L.A. County
Lancaster
Palmdale
Santa Clarita
Altadena
Walnut
Malibu
Norwalk
0
5
10 mi
Avalon
Rolling Hills
Sheriff’s Department patrol areas in L.A. County
Lancaster
Palmdale
Santa Clarita
Altadena
Walnut
Malibu
Norwalk
0
5
10 mi
Avalon
Rolling Hills
Sheriff’s Department patrol areas in L.A. County
Lancaster
Palmdale
Santa Clarita
Altadena
Walnut
Malibu
Norwalk
0
5
10 mi
Avalon
Rolling Hills
The wins come amid increasing scrutiny over the Sheriff Department’s policing in the Antelope Valley. The county’s inspector general last month found that Black students in high schools patrolled by Lancaster station deputies were cited, arrested, suspended and expelled at higher rates than students of other races. The disparities in citations were first reported by KPCC/LAist.
The problems there started well before Villanueva took office. A federal investigation in 2013 found a pattern of unreasonable force and unlawful stops and searches of Black and Latino residents in Lancaster. The Sheriff’s Department agreed in 2015 to implement sweeping measures to improve policing there, but monitors overseeing the settlement agreement have said progress has been slow. There have been calls by activists to cancel the Sheriff’s Department’s contracts in the Antelope Valley.
Long Beach
North
Long Beach
Cerritos
Lakewood
Bixby
Knolls
Carson
Los
Altos
Wilmington
Long Beach
Belmont
Shore
0
2.5
5 mi
North
Long Beach
Cerritos
Lakewood
Bixby
Knolls
Carson
Los
Altos
Wilmington
Long Beach
Belmont
Shore
0
2.5
5 mi
North
Long Beach
Cerritos
Lakewood
Bixby
Knolls
Carson
Los
Altos
Wilmington
Long Beach
Belmont
Shore
0
2.5
5 mi
Long Beach voters resoundingly supported Luna, who had strong showing across the city, with his biggest leads in wealthy neighborhoods like Belmont Shore and Bixby Knolls. Support for Luna waned outside the city, flipping in areas like Lakewood, Cerritos and Carson, each of which has a sheriff’s station.
If Luna wins in November, he will be the second police chief from Long Beach to head the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department after former Sheriff Jim McDonnell, who was elected in 2014.
West Los Angeles
West
Hollywood
Beverly Hills
Westwood
Brentwood
Culver City
Santa Monica
Venice
0
2.5
5 mi
West
Hollywood
Beverly Hills
Westwood
Brentwood
Culver City
Santa Monica
Venice
0
2.5
5 mi
West
Hollywood
Beverly
Hills
Westwood
Brentwood
Culver City
Santa Monica
Venice
0
2.5
5 mi
Last summer, Villanueva deployed his deputies to Venice in a controversial plan to clear out homeless encampments in the area, which as a part of the city of L.A. is patrolled by the LAPD. Critics saw this as an overstep of the sheriff’s authority. Villanueva touted his agency’s efforts to address homelessness in the city, including at Olvera Street and on San Vicente Boulevard in Brentwood. Even so, Luna won a majority of the precincts in both Venice and Santa Monica, with a notable lead in Mar Vista.
The West Hollywood sheriff’s station has become a flashpoint in the debate about redirecting law enforcement funds toward social services. In June, the city council voted to reduce the number of deputies at the station, while increasing the number of unarmed security guards in the city. Luna and Strong were the top vote getters in a majority of the city’s precincts.
Beverly Hills was the only city in this region to give Villanueva a majority. Residents from this wealthy community donated more than $100,000 to Villanueva's campaign, according to a Times analysis.
From Culver City to Compton
Culver City
Leimert
Park
Ladera
Heights
Inglewood
Westmont
Willowbrook
Hawthorne
Compton
Gardena
0
2.5
5 mi
Culver City
Leimert
Park
Ladera
Heights
Inglewood
Westmont
Willowbrook
Hawthorne
Compton
Gardena
0
2.5
5 mi
Culver City
Leimert
Park
Ladera
Heights
Inglewood
Westmont
Willowbrook
Hawthorne
Compton
Gardena
0
2.5
5 mi
In a race where two candidates took a clear lead countywide, Compton, Inglewood, and Leimert Park showed a stark preference for other contenders. Rhambo, a retired assistant sheriff, and Strong, a Sheriff’s Department lieutenant, gained more support from precincts around Culver City, Inglewood and Compton, where Black and Latino people make up the largest share of the population. Villanueva and Luna often placed behind these candidates.
Rhambo, who received 7.6% of all votes in the primary, was directly involved in these communities. He formerly served as assistant city manager of Carson and city manager of Compton. He was endorsed by the California Legislative Black Caucus, the mayors of Compton and Carson and L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl.
Strong came in third in many of the precincts won by either Villanueva or Luna, with a particularly strong showing in Echo Park, Highland Park and East Hollywood. He trailed Luna and Villanueva in individual precincts across the county. He ultimately came in third overall with 15.67% of the vote.
Earlier this month, the Board of Supervisors proposed asking voters in the November general election for the power to remove an elected sheriff from office. Villanueva has been a lightning rod for controversy since taking office four years ago. He has clashed with the board on his efforts to rehire deputies fired for misconduct and over department funding, among other issues.