Grudge rematch: Luna and Villanueva duel to lead nation's largest sheriff's department

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Set us as preferred Four years ago, Robert Luna went from being a little-known retired lawman to an unlikely political force — pushing Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva into a runoff in the June 2022 primary.Luna went on to beat Villanueva in the general election.

He’s now seeking a second term running the nation’s largest sheriff’s department.But the tables have turned.

This year, it was Villanueva who forced Luna into a runoff, and he’s angling to take back his old job in Tuesday’s election.Whoever wins will be charged with a long list of priorities, including navigating tensions with the federal government over immigration enforcement and helping keep millions of people safe during the 2028 Olympic Games.This time, Luna has a record to champion — and defend.After four years in the Hall of Justice, he is pitching himself as a steady hand working to restore the relationships and respect that he says Villanueva had tarnished, leaving a hobbled and atrophied department in his wake.

Villanueva, on the other hand, depicts the department’s Luna era as a sweeping failure that has left morale low, deputy jobs unfilled and criminals unpunished.It’s a stark clash between two very different personalities and platforms.

Villanueva showed up early at the Burbank Realtors Assn.’s event space on Magnolia Boulevard, with a stack of campaign signs under the arm of his brass-buttoned navy sports coat.The former sheriff stood on a low stage and presented a vision of an L.A.County that was thriving when he left office nearly four years ago, but has since gone to the dogs on the back of ineffectual leadership and poor decisions.After years of fiery appearances on Fox News and a sharp rightward turn that alienated some of his core Democratic supporters, Villanueva’s demeanor with voters that September afternoon...