Luna leads Villanueva in L.A. County Sheriff race

Sheriff Robert Luna held 1,062,630 votes, or 70.1%, to former Sheriff Alex Villanueva's 446,338 votes, or 29.5%, in the Los Angeles County Sheriff race on Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to unofficial results from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. The count is not complete. Luna's margin stood at about 616,000 votes.

What was at stake

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is the largest sheriff's agency in the country. It runs the county's jail system, serves as police in unincorporated areas and contracting cities, and provides security at county courts, hospitals and community colleges, according to the Daily Bruin.

The key issues:

• Crime: Luna argued his leadership brought down violent crime and cut homicides by 25% in areas patrolled by deputies, according to LAist. Villanueva claimed the department has fallen apart under Luna.
• Staffing: Villanueva campaigned on hiring 2,000 new deputies to address shortages, according to FOX LA. Luna pointed to rising numbers of academy graduates, according to a Yahoo News election guide.
• Jails: The U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into conditions at Men's Central Jail, and California's attorney general filed a lawsuit alleging unconstitutional conditions inside county jails, according to LAist.

The winner will also help oversee security for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, according to LAist.

A little history

Luna, a former Long Beach police chief who spent 36 years with the Long Beach Police Department, was elected sheriff in 2022. He unseated Villanueva that year by a 23-percentage-point margin, according to LAist.

Villanueva served as the 33rd Sheriff of Los Angeles County from 2018 to 2022. He was the first challenger in over a century to unseat an incumbent sheriff when he won in 2018, according to his campaign website. After leaving office, the County Equity Oversight Panel placed him on a "do not rehire" list after finding he violated discrimination and harassment policies. Villanueva denied the allegation, according to LAist.

Eight candidates ran in the June 2 primary. Luna and Villanueva advanced to the general election.

What's next

The results remain unofficial until the canvass is complete. Mail-in ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Nov. 10 will still be counted. The California Secretary of State is scheduled to certify statewide election results on Dec. 11, according to the Secretary of State's office.

Election results: Los Angeles County Sheriff (California General Election, 2026-11-03)

Source: Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Results current as of Nov. 3, 2026, 8:31 p.m. PST. Unofficial results; the count is not complete.