LOS ANGELES – The City Council Friday confirmed former Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell as the 59th chief of the LAPD, the nation’s third-largest law enforcement agency, despite opposition from some immigrant rights advocates and other activists.
In an 11-2 vote, the City Council approved Mayor Karen Bass’ nominee, who will lead the department as it tackles major security issues in the coming years. The region is set to host the Olympics, a Super Bowl, and the World Cup.
He will also focus on addressing the LAPD’s recruitment challenges, improving morale, and reducing liability claims related to officer misconduct, among other issues.
“My job every day will be to help keep you safe, and I want to be clear to all people of Los Angeles, especially our immigrant community … feeling uncertainty and fear. This is a city of immigrants, and my job is to serve you,” McDonnell said.
Council members Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunissess Hernandez opposed his confirmation, echoing concerns from the immigrant community regarding McDonnell’s past policies as county sheriff from 2014 to 2018, when he allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into county jails.
Council members Heather Hutt and Kevin de León were absent during the vote.
In 2017, he also opposed state Senate Bill 54, which established California as a sanctuary state, limiting law enforcement agencies’ cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Soto-Martinez said he was representing the voices of many Los Angeles residents who oppose the appointment.
“I was not totally satisfied with some of your answers in (Public Safety) committee, which to me, showed a lack of a strong understanding on how these policies affect communities of color, and also showed a lack of understanding of how immigrant families and many undocumented Angelenos experience the city and policies,” Soto-Martinez said.
In an effort to lessen the fear felt by L.A.’s immigrant community, McDonnell expressed a commitment to upholding state Senate Bill 54 and the California Values Act, which took effect in 2018, and prevents state law enforcement agencies from using resources on behalf of federal immigration enforcement agencies.
“We will not work with ICE on immigration enforcement issues at all,” McDonnell said in response to a direct question by Councilman Curren Price. “That’s real clear throughout.”
According to Bass’ office, in 2013, prior to McDonnell’s appointment as county sheriff, that department released 7,842 inmates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. When he took office, the figure dropped to 820, representing a decrease of 90% in inmates released to ICE.
“Los Angeles is a city of immigrants, and I trust Jim McDonnell to keep our city safe,” Bass said in a statement. “He has the skill set and the compassion to build trust with every community and I know he is committed to doing so.”
“Jim McDonnell will be my partner in making sure Angelenos stand together and that their city stands with them during this uncertain time,” Bass continued. “My message is simple: no matter where you were born, how you came to this country, Los Angeles will stand with you and this will not change.”
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, the chair of the Public Safety Committee, said that “trust is fundamental to the success of making this a safer city.” McDonnell said he looks “forward to the opportunity, earning that trust.”
Andres Kwon, a senior policy counsel and organizer for the ACLU of Southern California, urged elected officials to reconsider McDonnell’s appointment in light of his record and view of “local collusion” with ICE.
“I was convicted of a felony and, maybe, deportable,” said Kwon, who described himself as an immigrant. “I was not deported because I got a second chance after I served my jail time. I got to go home and with my family.”
“If I had been in the L.A. County jail under Sheriff McDonnell, I would have been transferred twice to languish in immigration prison to fight my deportation case,” he added.
He also urged the City Council to immediately adopt a sanctuary ordinance to maximize protections for immigrant Angelenos.
The City Council approved a motion directing the City Attorney to draft language for the ordinance in June 2023. A representative for the city attorney’s office did not immediately respond to an inquiry on the status of that draft ordinance.
Omar Gonzalez, representing the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, supported McDonnell, adding that his leadership will be “crucial” as L.A. hosts major sporting events.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing the LAPD’s rank-and-file, congratulated McDonnell and his mandate to “improve officer morale, boost recruitment and retention, and fix the department’s broken discipline system.”
In a statement, the LAPPL Board of Directors said, “Addressing these pressing issues will make Los Angeles neighborhoods safer and that is a worthy goal we share with Mayor Bass and those on the City Council that approved the mayor’s recommendation of Chief McDonnell to lead the LAPD.”
McDonnell — a veteran of the department who served for 29 years, and held several ranks leading up to first assistant chief of police before he retired in 2010 to lead the Long Beach Police Department, where he served for almost five years — will succeed former chief Michel Moore, who retired in February.
He was among three finalists for the job, along with LAPD Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides and former Assistant Chief Robert Arcos, who has been working with District Attorney George Gascón’s office as head of investigations.
Interim Police Chief Dominic Choi, who has been leading the LAPD since March, is expected to become one of three assistant chiefs.
McDonnell previously said his goals were enhancing public safety in the city, “to grow our department back to full strength” and “to strengthen public trust, the foundation of all we do,” and develop community relationships, while ensuring “respectful and constitutional policing practices.”
The new chief was originally ticketed for an annual salary of $507,000, but earlier this week the Board of Police Commissioners, citing concerns with the city’s budget, lowered that figure to $450,000. It was unclear whether his confirmation included his salary or whether the City Council will vote on that matter at a later date.
That’s still more than Moore’s $436,000 salary, as well as that of L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna, who earns around $397,340. It also tops President Joe Biden’s $400,000 annual salary.
McDonnell’s salary would also surpass that of New York City Police Department commissioners, who earn about $243,000 annually, as well as those of Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling at $260,472 and Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz at $315,000.
The L.A. Board of Police Commissioners’ executive director had proposed the original $507,000 salary for McDonnell, but this week board President Erroll Southers suggested the $450,000 salary, taking into account Choi’s salary as well as McDonnell’s experience and qualifications.
Southers noted that Choi received a pay bump from $392,774 to $436,746 when he assumed interim leadership, matching Moore’s salary. Moore initially earned $350,000 and later received salary increases.