L.A. County sheriff is facing a crowded field of challengers

The race for Los Angeles County sheriff is already heating up — even with the primary not scheduled until June.

- BY CONNOR SHEETS

LOS ANGELES COUNTY Sheriff Robert Luna is already facing six challengers in the June primary. WILLIAM LIANG For The Times

(WILLIAM LIANG For The Times)

Six candidates have officially entered the field to unseat Robert Luna, with the early challengers slinging barbs, probing the incumbent’s political weaknesses and setting the stage for a heated campaign in the coming months.

Most vocal and well known among the contenders is former Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who lost to Luna in 2022 and is now vying for a rematch. He is among a field of current and former lawmen who have criticized Luna’s time in office as ineffective, uninspiring and opaque.

Luna told The Times he deserves to keep his job through 2030, arguing voters should choose stability as Southern California prepares to host major events in the coming years.

"The last thing we need is more inconsistency in leadership as we start working toward the World Cup and the Olympics," Luna said.

Villanueva registered a campaign committee in July and has since leveraged his ability to draw attention like few others in L.A. politics.

But the political dynamics have changed since 2022, when Joe Biden was president and Villanueva was still in charge of California’s largest law enforcement agency. Now, President Trump has ratcheted up political pressure on L.A., and last year, Janice Hahn defeated Villanueva in the primary for her county supervisor seat by a nearly 30-point margin.