The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will consider a motion Tuesday seeking options for removing Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who in recent weeks has faced growing calls to step down because of what many describe as his resistance to oversight and transparency.
“Week after week, there’s a new problem with the sheriff,” Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who authored the proposal, told the Los Angeles Times on Monday. “Increasingly, he’s being viewed as a liability.”
If approved at Tuesday’s board meeting, the motion would direct county lawyers to look into how to impeach Villanueva or take away some of his responsibilities, and explore legislative changes that could make the position of sheriff one that’s appointed. It seeks a report back in 30 days.
Villanueva, who is independently elected and has only limited oversight from the board, did not respond Monday to a request for comment about the motion. He has previously pushed back against criticism, touting his ban on transferring jail inmates to federal immigration authorities, his rollout this month of body cameras for deputies at five stations, and his policy blocking deputies from forming illicit cliques. He has said he has no intention of stepping down.
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