It's primary election day in seven states around the country as voters make preliminary choices for candidates who will run for office in November. But voters in two of California's largest cities will face decisions regarding their local law enforcement entities that could spell trouble for the criminal justice reform movement.
In Los Angeles County, Sheriff Alex Villanueva is running for reelection in a crowded field. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (LASD) has a budget of nearly $3.5 billion and over 17,000 employees—the largest sheriff's office in the country. Villanueva won office in 2018's "blue wave" election cycle, stressing his Latino heritage, his support for California's "sanctuary state" law which discouraged cooperation with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and his desire to root out cronyism in a famously corrupt department.
