Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna won a second term on Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating former Sheriff Alex Villanueva by a wide margin.

Luna captured 68.53% of the vote to Villanueva's 31.47%, according to semiofficial returns from the Los Angeles County Registrar's office, as first reported by LAist. Luna collected more than 1.3 million votes to Villanueva's roughly 611,000, according to the Daily News. Ballots are still being counted, and the registrar's office is scheduled to certify results by Nov. 27.

The outcome matters for Bel Air and Holmby Hills residents. The Sheriff's Department is the largest sheriff's agency in the country, according to LAist, and Luna will oversee security planning for the 2028 Olympic Games in and around Los Angeles.

As we reported Nov. 2, the race was a rematch of the 2022 contest, when Luna unseated Villanueva by 23 percentage points.

Luna calls it 'a team effort'

Cheers erupted at Luna's watch party at a Mexican restaurant in Carson on Tuesday evening when a local TV news feed showed the race had been called in his favor, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Luna thanked family and supporters in brief remarks, calling the win "a team effort," according to the Daily News.

In an interview just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, Luna told the Los Angeles Times he was "very, very humbled" by the support but was holding off on declaring victory while votes were still being counted.

"It's a good feeling to know that the voters in L.A. County trust me to move the sheriff's department forward and make our communities safe," he said, according to the Times.

Neither Villanueva nor a spokesperson for his campaign responded to requests for comment on Tuesday evening, the Times and LAist reported.

What shaped the race

The two candidates painted starkly different pictures of the department during the campaign. Luna argued his leadership brought down violent crime and cut homicides by 25% in areas patrolled by his deputies. Villanueva claimed the department had fallen apart on Luna's watch and described Luna's approach as overly permissive, according to the Times.

There were no debates between the two candidates, and the race generated less attention than their 2022 matchup, the Daily News reported.

Luna has faced criticism over county jail conditions. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launched an investigation into conditions at the Men's Central Jail, and California's attorney general filed a lawsuit alleging inhumane and unconstitutional conditions inside county jails, according to LAist. The department also faces ongoing staffing challenges and allegations of deputy gangs.

On deputy gangs, Luna acknowledged the problem publicly before the Board of Supervisors. "I recognize the serious issue deputy gangs pose to our department and the community that we serve," Luna told the board earlier this year, according to the Daily News.

What comes next

Luna's second term brings a full slate of challenges. The 2028 Olympic Games are less than two years away, and the Sheriff's Department will play a major role in keeping visitors and athletes safe, according to the Times. The department also faces ballooning overtime costs tied to sworn-officer vacancies.

The L.A. County Registrar's office is expected to provide daily vote-count updates through Nov. 13, with additional updates on Nov. 17, 19, 25 and 27, when results are scheduled to be certified.