Overview
- Sheriff Robert Luna secured a second term after Tuesday’s returns and the Associated Press called the race with Luna leading roughly 70% to 30% as about half the vote tallies were reported.
- The contest was a rematch of 2022 and highlighted two sharply different plans for the department: Luna ran on reform, oversight and relationship-based policing while Alex Villanueva campaigned on rapid hiring and stronger operational tactics.
- Early returns also showed voter support for Measure A, which would create binding arbitration for county public-safety workers, and for Measure E, which would fix prior ballot-language errors and enshrine an independent ethics commission.
- The sheriff’s office continues to face major institutional problems, including a Department of Justice investigation of Men’s Central Jail, a California attorney general lawsuit over jail conditions, allegations of deputy gangs and persistent staffing shortages that drive overtime costs.
- Luna has said he will press reforms, address deputy gangs, and weigh options for Men’s Central Jail while preparing the department for 2028 Olympic security needs, a path that will affect county budgets, hiring and how people in line‑of‑duty and jailed populations are treated.