L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna tops challenger Alex Villanueva – Los Angeles Times

L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna tops challenger Alex Villanueva  Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna defeated challenger and former Sheriff Alex Villanueva by a wide margin in his bid for reelection Tuesday, with the Associated Press calling the race Tuesday night for the incumbent. In a rematch of the 2022 race between the two lawmen, Luna was on track to receive more than 70% of the votes, according to the Tuesday night returns. Cheers went up at Luna’s watch party at a Mexican restaurant in Carson on Tuesday evening, as his family members and supporters learned from a local TV news feed that the sheriff’s race had been called in his favor. In an interview just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, Luna said he was “very, very humbled” by the strong support for his candidacy, but that he was holding off on declaring victory as votes were still being counted.

“It’s a good feeling to know that the voters in L.A. County trust me to move the sheriff’s department forward and make our communities safe,” he said. “So I think this is a very strong message.” Early returns also showed L.A. County voters favoring Measure A, which would establish binding arbitration for sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and other public safety employees who by law cannot go on strike. A second county ballot measure, Measure E, was far ahead in early returns.