Robert Luna will be the next Los Angeles County Sheriff as Alex Villanueva conceded the race Tuesday, after falling behind in the polls.
In the most recent poll results, Monday, showed Luna with 987,730 votes (59.84%) and Villanueva with 662,893 votes (40.16%), a difference of 324,837 votes.
"It's been a pleasure to serve the people of Los Angeles County for 36 years and the last four as your Sheriff," Villanueva said in a briefing Tuesday. "I want to wish the incoming Sheriff well. I want him to succeed for a simple reason, the safety of the community depends on him succeeding. The welfare of every person in the department depends on him succeeding."
Villanueva said the lawsuits against the department, claiming there were deputy gangs killing civilians for the sake of initiations, "are beginning to fall apart when they get to court because the judges are saying, 'Where is the evidence.'"
Villanueva then went on to accuse the L.A. County Board of Supervisors of creating a narrative that he was "resisting oversight," while claiming the Office of Inspector General Max Huntsman recanted all the allegations he made against Villanueva and the department in a "behind closed doors" testimony.
"If we don't dance the way they (The Board) want us to dance, I am 'resisting oversight,'" Villanueva said. "Nothing could be further from the truth. We actually wanted to provide them all of the information they're legally entitled to and we've done exactly that."
After Sheriff Villanueva made his announcement, incoming Sheriff Robert Luna thanked voters and released a statement, saying:
"I'm deeply honored and humbled that you have elected me as your next Sheriff.
"With your vote, you have entrusted me with a clear mandate to bring new leadership and accountability to the Sheriff's Department. And that's exactly what I will do.
"I want to offer my best wishes to Sheriff Villanueva and his family.
"And I look forward to working with the talented and courageous sworn and professional staff of the Sheriff's Department who are dedicated to keeping our communities safe."
Luna is the former Long Beach Chief of Police, serving in law enforcement for 36 years before running for the position of L.A. County Sheriff. Under Luna, Long Beach saw a 6% decrease in violent crimes, as well as a 10% decrease in property crime.
The sheriff-elect also ran under the premise that officer-involved shootings and police misconduct complaints dropped during his time as Long Beach Chief.
With those points, Luna said he wanted to "Restore public trust and accountability in the Sheriff’s Office."

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