LOS ANGELES, CA – Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced today that his campaign for his reelection has raised over $1.25 million. Sheriff Villanueva has just under $1M on hand and raised over $900k in 2021. Sheriff Villanueva’s strong fundraising lead has come from thousands of donors across LA County.
With a strong fundraising lead and strong name recognition Sheriff Villanueva is in a strong position in his bid for reelection. Additionally, the Sheriff’s internal campaign polls indicate that to date none of his opponents have attained name recognition while Sheriff Villanueva is just points away from an outright victory in the upcoming June primary.
Sheriff Villanueva is the first Spanish speaking Sheriff to hold the office in one hundred years and first Democratic Sheriff in 138 years. Villanueva was elected in 2018 on a campaign of “reform, rebuild and restore.” Once in office he established the first of its kind policy to ban deputy “gangs,” equipped all deputies with body worn cameras, established a wage theft task force, banned transfers to ICE, and raised standards for internal promotions, new hires, and senior command staff.
As a result, Villanueva’s Sheriff Department has the most diverse senior command and on patrol staff in the history of the Department.
In 2021 Sheriff Villanueva’s innovative efforts to address homelessness in collaboration with private and government agencies irritated the county’s political establishment. The work of the Sheriff’s Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) interfered with the political elite’s cash cow – homeless outreach and services by actually placing homeless in shelters and cleaning public spaces.
Sheriff Villanueva’s campaign expects to report even stronger fundraising numbers in 2022. The campaign’s own internal polling and the funds raised at this early date suggest the unhappiness of Los Angeles County voters with the Board of Supervisors negligence in grappling with crime and rising homelessness.
The Sheriff’s campaign director Javier Gonzalez said, “The public is desperate for solutions to out-of-control homelessness and crime. The three card Monte game of distraction against the Sheriff by the political establishment has failed. We will win in June.” Gonzalez added, “the political elite will regret listening to their woke, well off, privileged staff instead of listening to the concerns of immigrant communities, working class African Americans, middle class homeowners, and small business owners who have borne the brunt of rising crime and out of control homelessness.”
In the coming days Sheriff Villanueva will make his first announcement of endorsements and present his full election team.
