The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Monday asked its attorney to draft a proposed ballot measure to give the body the power to remove Sheriff Alex Villanueva after repeated clashes between the two sides. The board voted 4-1, with Supervisor Kathryn Barger casting the lone dissenting vote. The issue would still need final approval from the council to go before voters on Nov. 8. Fox Los Angeles reported. In a Monday letter to the board, Villanueva blasted the proposal, calling it a “recipe for corruption.” He further said it would allow board members to intimidate sheriffs from performing their official duties to investigate crime. “… It appears that you are making yourself judge, jury and executioner for the office of sheriff, overruling the will of the voters. This illegal move seeks to undermine the role of the sheriff and make the office subservient to the council of the Prima facie , the proposed language of your ordinance is not a proper reading of the statute and will be challenged on these multiple grounds.” ARMED DEMAND AT MISSION WANTED LOS ANGELES-AREA MOBILE STORE REINFORCEMENT, POLICE SAY Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva says deputies are making arrests, but cases “fall apart” when they get to DA Gascon. On Tuesday, Los Angeles County supervisors are supervising voters to draft a proposal to give them the power to remove him from office. (Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews) The move comes as Villanueva seeks a second term amid allegations that he has not done enough to deal with gangs of deputies and to cover up a jail incident in which a deputy allegedly kneed an inmate. He has also clashed with the board several times over public safety funding and declined subpoenas to appear before the county’s Civilian Oversight Commission. The motion does not mention Villanueva by name, but states: “The current sheriff has been openly hostile to oversight and transparency and has tested the functionality of existing oversight structures by resisting and continually obstructing these systems of checks and balances.” On Friday, the Republican National Committee issued a statement calling the proposal “another prime example of how Democrats want to change the rules when they can’t.” “Not only is Sheriff Villanueva an elected official, he is one of the few who was willing to stand up to the board to cut law enforcement funding and essentially put the lives of Angelenos at risk,” according to the RNC. “… This decision by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors would attempt to intimidate the elected sheriff into doing what he wants and would be yet another blow to a free and fair democracy, thanks to California Democrats.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News reached out to Villanueva.
