Villanueva challenges Luna in 2026 LA County sheriff race

Alex Villanueva, who served as the 33rd sheriff of Los Angeles County from 2018 to 2022, is running to reclaim the office on Nov. 3. The nonpartisan general election features Villanueva against Robert G. Luna, who defeated him in 2022, according to BallotReady election data and the Daily News.

Villanueva said on his campaign website that he was the first challenger in over a century to unseat an incumbent sheriff when he won in 2018. He is running under the slogan "Rescue, Rebuild, Restore."

Candidate information

Party: Villanueva became a Republican in 2025, having previously been a Democrat, according to Wikipedia. The race is nonpartisan.
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois (1963)
Education: Associate's degree in liberal arts, San Bernardino Valley College (1986); bachelor's degree in liberal arts, Excelsior College; master's degree in public administration, California State University Northridge; doctorate in public administration, University of La Verne
Military service: 1st lieutenant, U.S. Air Force, California Air National Guard and California Army National Guard (1983–1993)

Experience and public service

Villanueva said he is a 36-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He joined as a deputy sheriff in 1986 and was promoted to sergeant in 2000, according to Wikipedia. He served as a lieutenant from 2011 until his election as sheriff in 2018. He also served as an adjunct professor at California State University Long Beach from 2006 to 2010, according to BallotReady.

On the issues

Staffing and recruitment: Villanueva said he would reverse staffing shortages, pointing to his first year in office when he said he hired 1,100 deputies. He said he aims to hire 2,000 new deputies in two years and would restore what he called a "merit-based system" over political patronage, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.

Budget: Villanueva claimed he converted a $101 million budget deficit into a $74 million surplus during his tenure as sheriff, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.

Public safety: Villanueva said he takes a firm law-and-order approach. He cited his past raids on illegal cannabis grows, deployment of resources during the 2020 civil unrest and clearing of major homeless encampments without use of force as examples, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.

Immigration enforcement: Villanueva said people in jail who are in the country illegally should be deported. "Let's stop playing games here, and let's not get involved in obstructing federal immigration," he said, according to the Daily News. He added he would rather have federal agents handle it in the jail than chasing people through car washes or strawberry fields.