Alex Villanueva

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Alejandro "Alex" Villanueva is an American former law enforcement officer who served as the 33rd sheriff of Los Angeles County, California from 2018 until 2022. He defeated incumbent sheriff Jim McDonnell in the 2018 L.A. County sheriff's race, making him the first to unseat an incumbent in over 100 years. Before becoming sheriff, he was a lieutenant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The first member of the Democratic Party to be elected sheriff in 138 years, Villanueva campaigned as a reformer and appealed to some progressive values, but has received notoriety for more conservative policies during his tenure, as well as high levels of corruption. Villanueva lost his bid for reelection in 2022 by a wide margin of 61.3% to 38.7% against former Long Beach Police Department chief Robert Luna. He became a Republican in 2025.

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