LA County Democratic Party Calls On Sheriff Alex Villanueva To Resign

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles County Democratic Tuesday adopted a resolution in solidarity with the family of Andres Guardado calling on L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva to resign.

"Tonight, marking the one year anniversary of the murder of Andres Guardado, Los Angeles Democrats stand in solidarity with the Guardado family, recognizing the systematic brutality of law enforcement that has continued to shake our county," LACDP Chair Mark Gonzalez said in a statement. "Leadership and accountability starts at the top, and while strides have been made to reform police culture in Los Angeles, it's simply not enough.

"Sheriff Villanuva has had multiple opportunities since his election to reign in long standing problems within his department, which is why tonight, Los Angeles Democrats are holding him accountable and calling for his resignation," he continued. "A failure to lead in Los Angeles, is a failure to serve Los Angeles. We will continue to hold those accountable who fail to live up to their obligations."

In response to the vote, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department issued a statement that said, in part:

"Today, Sheriff Alex Villanueva began solving the homeless problem on the Venice Boardwalk, while simultaneously conducting the largest illegal drug bust operation in the history of the department. Also today, violent crime rates have nearly doubled, yet for some strange reason the radical left activist crowd has decided defunding the police is a good move. The LACDP calling for the Sheriff's resignation is part of this radical agenda, evidence they have been hijacked by the far left, and a distraction."

The statement went on to say that Villanueva would "continue to remain focused on public safety, creating solutions, and serving our community."

Late last year, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to consider its options to remove Villanueva from office rather than leaving his fate in the hands of voters, and the L.A. County Civilian Oversight Commission unanimously approved a resolution calling for the sheriff's immediate resignation.

And last summer, as a direct response to the investigation into the shooting death of Guardado by an LASD deputy, UNITE HERE Local 11, Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles, the ACLU of Southern California and other groups also demanded his resignation from office.

In:
• Los Angeles