CommentsGUEST COMMENTARY - During the past few months, I have been watching the January 6th Select Committee Hearings.
As most US residents watched in horror and dismay as a large mob of attempted to overthrow not only our government, but also our whole election process. This mob wanted to overturn the election results of the 2020 Presidential election.
I have always taken my voting rights very seriously. Every time there is an election, I make an attempt to obtain as much information as I can on each candidate running for an elected office to see how they have voted on issues surrounding new laws, legislative issues and who they previously endorsed.
I can state that for as long as I can remember I have voted in every national, state, and local election.
I believe that no one should be removed from an elected office unless they have been accused of a crime and indicted, lost their re-election bid, declared mentally incompetent and or physically impaired and can no longer perform their elected duties, unless by a recall vote.
Alejandro (Alex) Villanueva in 2017 threw his hat in the ring to run for Sheriff of Los Angeles County. He ran as a progressive democrat and was endorsed by most, if not all, democrats and progressive elected officials and members of these various political organizations.
Villanueva won the general election by receiving 53% of the vote.
From early on, after Villanueva became the elected Sheriff of Los Angeles County, he has undergone severe scrutiny by members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
The four Queens, Hilda Solis, Holly Mitchell, Shelia Kuehl and Janice Hahn have now decided that with very little oversight they want to place on the November ballot a measure which gives them the right and power to remove the Sheriff from his elected political office position. These 4 supervisors would determine what they believe to be a just cause for removal.
The above-named supervisors and the LA. County Sheriff Oversight Committee were upset with Villanueva because he failed to respond to a subpoena to answer questions surrounding deputy gangs and allegations of cover-ups within the sheriff’s department.
Villanueva stated he would abide by the subpoena if given the opportunity to have legal counsel and the opportunity to ask questions. Isn't that fair? After all that is what takes place in cases of Depositions, Mediations and Arbitrations.
Could it possibly be that the supervisors want him removed because he refuses to be their puppet on a string? Or that he has proven not to be as progressive as they want for their Sheriff?
Why are these Board members so obsessed with Villanueva? They have all ignored the crisis taking place within the Los Angeles County Probation Department (Los Angeles Times articles), the illegal harvesting of human body parts taking place within the Los Angeles County Coroner’s facility (Los Angeles Times article), Criminal behaviors taking place at the Hilda Solis Housing for Homeless location near China Town, Holly Mitchell's failure to provide county assistance for those residents impacted by the LAPD' detonation of illegal fireworks on East 27th Street and Sheila Kuehl awarding an illegal non-bidding Metro contract to one of her best friends (Local Fox News).
Going back to the days of former LA. County Sheriff Lee Baca. How many times did he state that “the only way anyone is going to get rid of me is if I don't get re-elected by the people.” The Board of Supervisors made no attempts whatsoever to sway him or ask him to leave his elected position as Sheriff. He resigned only after he was indicted.
The Board of Supervisors should not have the right to remove an elected official. That should be up to the voters of the County of Los Angeles.
The voters of the County of Los Angeles should defeat the Boards measure on the November ballot giving them the right to remove the Sheriff of Los Angeles County.
In case anyone is interested I did not vote for Villanueva.
(Caroline Aguirre is a retired 24-year State of California law enforcement officer, LAPD family member, community activist and Neighborhood Watch captain. Aguirre is a CityWatch contributor.) This article was edited for CityWatch by Jim Hampton.
