Endorsement: Yes on Los Angeles County Measure A
The best argument for Los Angeles County Measure A on the Nov. 8 ballot is actually the measure’s chief opponent, Sheriff Alex Villanueva. His abysmal performance as leader of one of the nation’s largest and most troubled law enforcement agencies is an advertisement for the county charter amendment, which would permit the Board of Supervisors to remove elected sheriffs from office, for cause, by a supermajority (4 out of 5 votes).
Enumerated causes include violating the law, neglecting the sheriff’s duties, misusing public funds, falsifying documents and obstructing investigations into the department’s conduct.
Sheriffs, in theory, are held accountable to voters every four years when they run for reelection, and it is our hope and expectation that L.A. County voters will soon oust Villanueva.
But in between elections, there is little beyond the sheriff’s own integrity to provide necessary guardrails to keep the entire department from running off course. Voter recalls are costly and rare, and they depend upon a level of midterm attentiveness that is difficult to muster in a county of 10 million people. Legal action (such as the county’s lawsuits to compel the sheriff’s compliance with subpoenas) generally takes years to reach a conclusion. The Civilian Oversight Commission and the Office of Inspector General are vital mechanisms for bringing to light misconduct or mismanagement of the department, but in the end they have little power to alter the conduct of a sheriff who does not respect their roles.
The L.A. Times’ editorial board endorsements for statewide ballot measures, elected offices in Los Angeles city and county, L.A. Unified School District board, L.A. county superior court, statewide offices, the state Legislature and U.S. House and Senate seats.
The department’s blatantly retaliatory search and seizure action on Sept. 14 targeting the homes of county Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and Civilian Oversight Commission member Patti Giggans — two of Villanueva’s most vocal critics — makes it quite clear that any person with such unfettered armed law enforcement power needs an additional check. The Times recommends a “yes” vote on Measure A.
Tighter civilian oversight of the department will be needed regardless of whether Villanueva or his challenger, former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna, serves as sheriff for the coming four years, and indeed is needed for any future elected Los Angeles County sheriff. Meaningful civilian oversight is a prerequisite for any law enforcement agency if it is to responsibly and constitutionally serve the people. Measure A will provide additional board oversight and sheriff responsiveness even if it’s never used.
Robert Luna would be a much better sheriff than the disastrous Alex Villanueva
The measure will not, however, set in motion a desperately needed broader fix for county government, including rethinking the sheriff’s job. Under meaningful reform, no sheriff should be elected in L.A. County, the largest local jurisdiction in the nation. More accountability and checks could exist if that position were appointed by a restructured Board of Supervisors or a new, empowered office of county executive, with other forms of oversight in place.
The board itself — a five-member, combined executive-legislative body granted enormous power, with 2 million constituents per supervisor — is seriously in need of reform. It is far too small to represent 10 million people, with far too little accountability to the public. There’s an absence of checks and balances and a spotty record of success in solving significant social and economic problems. The county is the nation’s largest jurisdiction that operates with no single accountable elected executive. Increasing the board’s power to rein in the sheriff will help solve only part of the problem, without curing the rest of the mess.
Nonetheless, inadequate civilian oversight of the elected sheriff is a significant, dangerous and immediate problem that needs to be addressed. Voters should support Measure A — and they should be aware that, like it or not, their county government will require additional restructuring.
See all of our endorsements online at latimes.com/endorsements.
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