More than a year after leaving the department, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is expected to testify at the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission’s special hearing on deputy gangs Friday morning.
He agreed to talk about gangs inside the sheriff’s department under oath last month after defying several subpoenas from the panel for years.
What to expect
In a letter to the commission dated Dec. 13, his attorney said Villanueva is “very willing to testify before the COC.”
The letter didn’t say why he’s agreed to talk now, but the move came shortly after a judge scheduled a hearing to decide if Villanueva would have to comply and testify. He’s also currently running against incumbent Janice Hahn for her L.A. County Board of Supervisors seat.
In an interview with ABC7 published Dec. 26, Villanueva maintained his position that “there are no deputy gangs.” He’s also downplayed the behavior, describing it as “subgroups of people that somehow occasionally engage in misconduct.”
However, an April 2023 report by a special counsel appointed by the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission painted a very different picture. It described deputy gangs as a “cancer” that “must be excised.”
The 70-page report, compiled from public hearings and dozens of interviews, said there’s at least a half dozen deputy gangs currently within the department that engage in excessive force, celebrate shootings, and create a climate of fear.
Villanueva dismissed the panel’s investigation when it was launched, calling it a “kangaroo court” designed to hurt his chances in his reelection race against Sheriff Robert Luna. Luna,…
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