#GangstersWithBadges LASD's Deputy Gang Problem

Retired LASD Chief confirms Villanueva obstructed investigation into 2018 assault by Bandito shot-callers

Retired LASD Chief Matthew Burson
Celeste Fremon
Written by Celeste Fremon

In a sworn declaration, dated last Thursday, June 16, 2022, retired Chief Matthew Burson, a 32-year-veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, described having been an unwitting part of what appears to be the deliberate derailing of a criminal investigation.

The investigation pertained to several violent assaults committed in September 2018 by a four deputies who worked at the department’s East Los Angeles station.  

The quartet who allegedly did the assaulting were considered to be  “shot callers” of the deputy gang known as the Banditos.  The brawl, which took place at an off-duty party at a local rentable event venue called Kennedy Hall, reportedly consisted of the Bandito group physically attacking four other station deputies who were not Banditos, but who reportedly failed to go along with the Banditos often illegal actions.

The injuries sustained by two of the non-Banditos were reportedly serious enough that the two deputies were hospitalized.

According to Burson, the person directly responsible for derailing the investigation into the Bandito assault was Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who had been sworn into office four days before he issued his order.

The investigator, the chief, and the sheriff

The path to Burson’s June 16, declaration is a complicated one, so, before we go farther, it will help to look briefly at the back story.

As WitnessLA readers may remember, the suggestion that the sheriff may have deliberately obstructed a criminal investigation involving  members of the Bandito deputy gang first came to light on Thursday, April 21, 2022, when Sgt. Jefferson Chow, a 26-year veteran of the LASD, gave a deposition under oath about his actions and experiences in the fall of 2018, when he was the lead investigator on the Kennedy Hall/Bandito case for the department’s Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau, or ICIB.

It was Chow’s job to find out if there was a “sufficient case for a District Attorney to prosecute” the aggressor deputies for their actions.

In the course of being questioned for the deposition, which was a part of a civil rights lawsuit that details the attack and other abuses by the Banditos, Sgt. Chow described that, after he’d been working the investigation for several weeks, he was told on November 9, 2018, by two of his superior officers, Lt. Irma Chevalier, and then-Captain Burson, that LA County Inspector General Max Huntsman wanted him to ask questions in the course of his investigation, about “the subculture group” in the department’s  East LA. station, namely the Banditos.

LASD, Banditos, courtesy of attorney Greg Smith

According to Chow’s declaration, along with the highly detailed investigator’s log the sergeant kept during his probe into the Kennedy Hall incident, Burson and Chevalier told Chow he should  go ahead and ask the “subculture” questions that Huntsman had requested.  

At the time, former sheriff Jim McDonnell still ran the LA County Sheriff’s Department.  And although McDonnell hadn’t been terribly proactive in dealing with the LASD’s corrosive deputy gang problem,  he didn’t get in the way of an appropriately rigorous investigation such as Chow’s appeared to be conducting.

In any case, Chow set up a string of interviews with potential witnesses, and was preparing to move forward. 

However, according to Chow, two-and-half weeks after he’d been instructed to include questions about deputy cliques in his inquiries, everything changed. 

The critical sequence of events began on November 26, 2018,  when then Sheriff McDonnell conceded that he had lost his bid for a second term to retired LASD lieutenant Alex Villanueva. 

Although the new sheriff would not be sworn in until December 3,  on November 27, the day after McDonnell’s concession, Burson contacted Chow again about the “subculture” issue. This time, rather than telling him to go ahead with his questioning, he told Chow to put any interviews on the Kennedy Hall assaults on hold.

Chow did as he was ordered to do.

Then, on or about December 7, which was four days after the new sheriff was officially sworn in, Burson gave the investigator one more order. Sgt. Chow could go ahead and re-start his investigation, said Burson, but he was not to ask anyone he interviewed about “deputy subcultures at the ELA station,” meaning specifically the Banditos. 

In other words, the topic that was central to the investigation of assaults by deputy gang members that were severe enough to send two non-gang-member deputies to the hospital, was now completely and permanently off the table. 

Although all this occurred in the fall and winter of 2018, few knew of the interference in the investigation by Sheriff Villanueva via Burson, until Chow’s deposition and his investigative log became public on May 24, 2022, when the department’s Civilian Oversight Commission (COC)  held the first of the series of special hearings into deputy gangs, during which various witnesses testified under oath about the actions of the Banditos at the East LA station, and about the  deputy gang known as the Executioners, which had become notorious for its actions at the department’s Compton station.

Among the first to testify at the May 24 hearing was Inspector General Max Huntsman who had just received Sgt. Chow’s deposition, and his log, both of which contained the details of his examination of the 2018 Bandito assaults at Kennedy Hall.

As Huntsman gave his testimony, pieces of Chow’s log were shown on screen to the viewing audience, and Huntsman described the significance of Chow being told to stand down, when it came to asking any questions of witnesses about “deputy subgroups.” 

Burson was, of course, prominently mentioned in Huntsman’s testimony. 

The messenger reaches out

On May 26, two days after the May 24 public hearing, in which Burson’s 2018 actions played a notable part, Matthew Burson called civil rights attorney Vincent Miller, and said he wanted to make a declaration.

“My integrity has never been challenged in 33 years until now,” Burson told Miller, the attorney representing the non-Bandito deputies who were assaulted at Kennedy Hall. 

A few weeks later, on Sunday, June 19, Miller received Burson’s seven-page signed declaration, in which he narrated in detail his part in what appears to be a deliberate cover-up on the part of the sheriff.

“I was put in the middle of all this,” he said,  “and I want to clarify and explain my role in the matter.”

In the declaration, Burson described how, on November 27, 2018, he received a call, “on behalf of Villanueva,” from then Captain Lawrence Del Mese, who was already selected by Villanueva to be his chief of staff. 

According to Burson, Del Mese told him to tell Sgt. Chow to hold off on asking questions about the Banditos until the new sheriff-to-be was officially the sheriff.

That same day, Burson passed along the message to Chow, as ordered.

 “I did not ask Mr. Del Mese why Villanueva wanted us to hold off on the questions,” Burson said in his declaration.  “I assumed there was a valid reason for it, and followed orders. I did not at that time suspect any ulterior motives including a cover up”  

His perspective was affected, said Burson, by the fact that the acting Captain of the East Los Angeles Station at the time, Eric Smitson, and other leadership at the station was making light of the Kennedy Hall incident. 

“Smitson and others,” he said,  “claimed the incident was just a drunken two-way brawl.” That characterization, said Burson, “would later be rebutted by Sgt. Chow’s investigation.”

But, believing what he had heard from Smitson and others was correct, on about December 7, four days after Villanueva’s swearing in had taken place, Burson contacted Del Mese in order follow-up on the preliminary order he’d given Chow, which had temporarily halted the forward movement of the Bandito brawl investigation.

“On behalf of the Sheriff,” Del Mese again stated that the ICIB, the LASD’s criminal investigative bureau, was to not ask any questions pertaining to the Banditos.

At the time, according to Burson, he had no reason to believe that the sheriff’s order was not righteous.  

 The idea that he might have been drawn into a cover up first came to Burson’s attention in October 2020, he said, when Inspector General Huntsman issued a report describing his own discovery, after reading the ICIB investigation transcripts, that no questions “were asked about the role of the Banditos in the Kennedy Hall attack,” although Huntsman had specifically requested that line of questioning.

“Mr. Huntsman pointed out that by not investigating the role of the Banditos,” said Burson, “the Sheriff’s Department deprived the County’s District Attorney of information about a motive for the attack at Kennedy Hall.”

According to Burson, his initial concern about a possible cover-up relating to the Kennedy Hall investigation, was further exacerbated when accounts of the Compton located deputy gang known as the Executioners began showing up in the news (including in WLA), and reportedly also caught the attention of the FBI.

Subsequent to the existence of Executioners becoming public, Burson said he contacted the supervising agent of the FBI Public Corruption Unit and offered assistance in investigating the Executioners.

“I pledged LASD’s full cooperation with the FBI in its investigation,” he said.

Burson also announced at an August 13, 2020 press conference that he was going to lead a “full-on investigation of the Executioners,” and other deputy gangs. He sounded sincere and impassioned during the announcement as he laid out the details of the upcoming investigation, and the department’s new “zero tolerance policy” having to do with deputy cliques engaged in wrongdoing.

The investigation never took place.

Instead, according to Burson,  the sheriff’s office told him to  hold off on the new initiative,  “until the RAND Corporation completed its study of deputy subgroups, a study that had been commissioned by the County’s Board of Supervisors.” 

Yet, while Burson’s  investigation had been prominently announced at a press event, the fact that it was never launched, but was instead put on hold indefinitely, was never mentioned to anyone—at least not as far as Burson was aware, he said.

The RAND Corporation finally released its long-anticipated 230-page report on September 10, 2021.  By that time Burson was out on a medical-leave .  

He subsequently retired on March 31, 2022. 

As for the sheriff and the RAND report, after its release, Villanueva slammed it in extravagant terms.

The No-Show subpoena issue 

A newer episode of the obstruction drama in which Burson now finds himself occurred on Thursday June 10, 2022, when Los Angeles County Civilian Oversight Commission (COC), held the second of its series of special hearings on the issue of deputy gangs inside the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, at which Burson was to be the main witness.

But, although Burson was subpoenaed to appear at the June 10 hearing to testify under oath, as WLA reported, he defied the subpoena and was a no-show.

Before the end of the June 10 meeting the members of the COC directed the representative from county counsel to file in court an “order to show cause,” to enforce the subpoena. The COC also told county counsel to inform Burson that he will be held in contempt, which meant he’ll be fined and jailed, if need be, until he decides to show-up and testify under oath at the COC’s next special hearing, which is to be held on July 1.

Now that we know that two weeks before he was subpoenaed by the COC,  Burson had reached out to Miller, it is unclear why Burson didn’t communicate as much to the COC.  

The matter is made more perplexing by the fact that, at the opening of his declaration, Burson states the following: 

“…I am an individual over the age of 18 years, and if requested to do so, I could and would competently testify to the facts stated herein.”

So presumably this means that Burson will show-up in response to the COC’s subpoena at the next special hearing on deputy gangs on July 1.

Pressure from the top

Apart from the COC and the subpoena, WitnessLA has heard one more thing related to Burson’s declaration from sources who wish to remain anonymous.  According to these sources, part of the reason that Burson retired when he appeared to be at the top of his career, is that he was being asked to do things by the sheriff that he was not at all comfortable doing.  So he pulled the pin instead.

These sources also suggested that some his discomfort may have been related to reports that, in addition to the Internal Affairs cases that sheriff has repeatedly caused be opened on whistleblowers, or anyone whom he perceives as disloyal, when it comes to departmental probes into the actions those whom the sheriff views as loyalists, IAB investigations are made to vanish.

More as we know it.

115 Comments

  • Typically, LASD personnel rising to the rank of Captain (and ultimately Division Chief) have demonstrated themselves to NOT be naive or stupid. For that reason it is difficult to believe Matt Burson passed down the orders to his ICIB investigator to not ask the deputy subculture questions and later, to halt the investigation, with absolutely no suspicion of the Sheriff’s motives. His unquestionable cooperation with AV’s wishes led to TWO more promotions! Further, why was he a no-show on the COC’s first subpoena? Rather than ring true, Burson’s self-serving declaration sounds more like damage control.

  • https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-06-21/los-angeles-county-sheriff-alex-villanueva-positive-for-covid-19

    Attention Alex’s cheerleaders, Y’all might want to get yourself tested since your Vendido Villanueva caught The Rona. Word on the empty halls of Sheriff’s HQ is he caught it at his East Los area Primary Night Watch Party. The hilarious part is the strong notion that he was infected by some of the numerous Banditos who were in attendance, consuming the free alcohol. If true, another example of Banditos taking out an ELA Sheriff.

    Question, is Undersheriff Magoorakami currently running the LASD from his quarantine slumber bunker or did the control naturally stay in the grip of Sweatpee?

    That girl, Karma is a Queen B!

    Adios Alex

  • “These sources also suggested that some his discomfort may have been related to reports that, in addition to the Internal Affairs cases that sheriff has repeatedly caused be opened on whistleblowers, or anyone whom he perceives as disloyal, when it comes to departmental probes into the actions those whom the sheriff views as loyalists, IAB investigations are made to vanish.”

    This would go a long way toward explaining AV’s longstanding obstruction of the IG. Can’t have an outsider checking up on the system when the system is rigged.

  • Another self serving executive promoted well past his abilities, Alex’s fault.

    A lot of Semper I’s in the upper echelon.

  • Getting rid of upper management who have clique ink should be step number one. I hear we have quite of few of these characters running units. Rumor has it that a viking is still running a shop in the LASD. Is this true?

    Stupidity at its finest

  • LASD is a department with the majority made up of 1 of 2 characters, cowards and/or unethical self-interest pawns. It’s the only way corruption exists.

    Prove me wrong

  • It is amazing that Villanueva sold himself as a person who fought corruption and discrimination his whole life, yet when in charge proved the most corrupt. To the AV supporters on this site, you are fools for following him. If you are not tainted, distance yourself from him, duck and cover. If you are corrupted, retire because a day of reckoning is coming. Burson’ declaration is an effort to save himself. Where will you be come November?

  • @Antonio

    Thank You.

    What an outrage. The poor sheriff is being victimized by this outrageous and unconscionable conspiracy to prevent him from protecting the citizens of Los Angeles County.

    It’s no longer only the board of supervisors, superior court judges (mandoyan and COC ordering sworn testimony), the COC, the LA Times, the whistle blowers and their attorneys. This witch hunt has now disgustingly reached all time lows and has
    engulfed the very trusted executives whom he promoted (quid pro quo) and confided in. These cunning exectives even after retirement are turning on him to ensure the election is stolen, leaving Los Angeles County citizens helpless.

    These people need to be stopped. Please donate asap.

    https://gofundme.com/GTFOHAV

  • @ be real
    Stolen election?
    You’re already mirroring the January 6th insurrection. For Pete’s sake, crying/laughing out loud, put the Kool-aid down and get therapy.

  • I hope the top 4 and other minions holding ranks above their capabilities have made their LACERA appointments, you are all short timers. We bid you farewell, Alex has no chance in November. A bunch of Cowards who are afraid to tell the Emperor he has no clothes. Your legacy will go down as the single worst administration in the Department’s long history.

  • @Los Angeles County Taxpayer

    I think you’ve been blinded by our past differences in opinions from seeing I’m mocking Villanueva’s post. The post was provided courtesy of Antonio Ramirez.

  • Lmao lmao lmao lmao you know it’s bad when the man in charge of IAB/ICIB is singing like a canary.

    Adios

    Alejandro

    Bibi

    Sleepy Tim

    Lying Blanchard

    And the rest of the cowards, bootlickers, skippers , and the unethical employees who think they have morals.

    Gracias

  • @Taxpayer – ” put the Kool-aid down and get therapy.” His post was tongue-in-cheek. Had to be.

    @Anonymous – “Your legacy will go down as the single worst administration in the Department’s long history.” That’s some stiff competition, but you are, alas, correct. More’s the pity.

  • @Los Angeles County Taxpayer….Who is drinking the Kool-Aid now? “For Pete’s sake, crying/laughing out loud, put the Kool-aid down and get therapy.”

  • “All parties to the act are subjects of the investigation.”

    ☝unsteady handed shit show leader statement.

    That statement must have sunk in for Matthew Burson.

  • At Captain, Burson was well beyond his abilities. He must have been the only person who didn’t know he was promoted to Chief to be a loyal soldier to AV. He only spoke up once pushed into a corner. You can’t really blame Burson because he just isn’t very smart.

  • Everyone seems to have overlooked the fact that Burson had only been a Captain for less than a year and in a time when everyone was being let go of their services by AV, Burson gets promoted to Chief skipping Commander and he expects everyone to believe that it came as a surprise to him?

  • Commander Curtis Jensen comes up at the C.O.C as overlooking ELA in 2018!! Nice….

  • Alene Tchekmedyian
    @AleneTchek
    Who is not showing up today:
    — Sheriff Villanueva, whose lawyer told COC he fears for safety because public has shown up to hearings wearing “F the sheriff” shirts
    — Undersheriff Murakami, who relayed to COC that testifying would be too stressful & create adverse health risk

  • Anyone going to subpoena Creepy Cee? He loves talking about himself. Anyone hear from the CC lately? Asking for a friend.

  • @Antonio-

    “Who is not showing up today:
    — Sheriff Villanueva, whose lawyer told COC he fears for safety because public has shown up to hearings wearing “F the sheriff” shirts
    — Undersheriff Murakami, who relayed to COC that testifying would be too stressful & create adverse health risk”

    Ok, at every public appearance of these 2, until they have provided adequate answers, any reporter must ask:

    AV – Do you feel safe appearing in public today? If so, why are you safer at this appearance than appearing before the CoC? Have you increased your security detail size? How many deputies will make you feel secure enough to appear before the CoC to fulfill your obligation to honor a subpoena which a court has already found valid?

    Murakami – are there any parts of your day-to-day duties as the undersheriff that are stressful? Does your health prevent you from testifying at any hearing, or just the CoC? Have you considered stepping down from your position so that someone with sufficient health to fulfill the duties of undersheriff can take on those responsibilities?

  • AV and Tim are cowards. They will not man up and be accountable for their actions and decisions. Just ask Limon and Hasselrig how their loyalty worked out for them. Who are they going to drive the bus over on this time. The COC should ask former Chief of Professional Standards and Training Division Kelly Porowski (AV transition team skipper) why she decided to retire all of a sudden. Insiders believe it’s because she was asked to do something shady and saw what was coming down from the DOJ. So then they place another AV loyalist/skipper and ELA Station Caveman, AKA “Lil Droops”, in charge of the PSTD, go figure. The Department is sinking fast. 5 months Alex until Election Day, bye bye. I always knew you were a scared “cat” (there is another more fitting word with the same meaning). The HOJ cleaning crew has more courage and integrity than you, Tim and all your cronies combined.

  • This has to be the most disastrous combination of executive leadership ever: Idiocy + Cowardice.
    As the LASD’s HOJ 8th floor house of cards continue to fall apart on this Villanueva Clown Car Show, the LASD’s professional reputation is hitting an all time low.

    Who has ever heard of a Sheriff (who has an 8 member armed security detail) who is too afraid to show up at a sparsely attended oversight hearing located on a safe college campus because some attendees might be wearing tee-shirts appropriately telling Allie to go F@%K himself?

    Coupled with an elderly and senile undersheriff who fears he will go “man down” if he feels a little too stressed or tired because he has to answer some challenging questions about his silly caveman tattoo or why he is constantly getting caught lying under oath. Mr. Magoorakami can’t sleep his way through this one.

    No wonder Sweatpee has to be consulted to handle all of the LASD executive decisions. Utterly embarrassing and shameful on what has become of our beloved LASD.

    November 8th, 2022 can’t come soon enough!

    https://abc7.com/los-angeles-county-sheriffs-department-deputy-gangs-cliques/12010100/

    Adios Alex &Sweatpee

  • @ Adios Alex & Sweatpee

    I enjoy reading everything you have to say! I would think it pure comedy if it wasn’t sad reality.

  • Unsteady hands should have addded a panic room to his casa instead of a helipad near by (less obvious). He then would be able to safely testify via webex and deep into the weeds he goes.

    The solution for the second in command is simple . Go get yourself and emotional support Donkey or dog and head over to the C.O.C and put an end to your Shit Show.

    “so we can’t call anything a gang until it’s been, um, heard in court. So judge or court has to,
    there are certain criteria and I’m going
    back to my gang history. Um, there are
    certain things that we have to put in
    place”

    ☝A chief!!!!!!!!!!

    #builtforendurance

  • Last night,
    @EastLALASD
    received a criminal threat against the lives of our deputies. We are taking this seriously and have taken precautions. The threat possibly stems from false statements made during a civilian oversight commission meeting held yesterday

    Alejandro tweet☝ possibly stems????

    what you know about false statements and conputer glitches Alejandro?

    true threat or fabricated??

  • Alejandro!! You should immediately have a press conference at the hall of justice. You make sure to get your props and pointer stick and handle this fiasco. And remember what you said, and let everybody know it. “The act is under investigation. All parties to the act are subject to investigation,”

    #thankyouforyourhelpMsfs

  • I hate, truly, to be so vulgar, but what Villanueva, his wife, and his clueless cronies have done to this department, state that this merits a biohazard cleanup of the scum staining the walls and floors of HOJ. There is no justice with their pitiful desires. Professionalism, and true compassion for the majority of constituents (non criminal of course) was ignored under this sad and despicable regime. I take immense pleasure in knowing the lying, squirming, dismissing cronies (lazy, inept, and well-endowed with lips rather than brains) seeing firsthand where their histories are enshrined; being a part of the most corrupt regime in this departments history. cheers to these lame self serving losers.

    Viva Luna!

  • Just finished watching the video of retired Chief Burson’s testimony before the COC. Initially the COC bent over backwards to shower him with accolades for his time with LASD and his willingness (this time) to actually show up for a lawful subpoena to testify. The chief counsel for the commission even provided opportunity for Burson to set the tone with commissioners. He requested Burson read his prepared statement about what motivated him to seek a career in law enforcement, to allow him to demonstrate his deep “heartfelt” convictions that he supposedly carried with him until the day he retired, convictions purportedly shielding him from doing wrong, even citing the Eula Love shooting incident by LAPD in 1979 as influencing his inner core. It was almost as if they were assisting him with not divulging what he knows about the ELA Station Kennedy Hall fiasco or why he didn’t ask any questions of his bosses regarding why they restricted the line of questions to be asked of investigation subjects and witnesses. But following these recognitions and sanctioned theatrics, various commission members also tried futilely, repeatedly, to draw out his admission that he knowingly kept quiet about AV orchestrating the cover-up. I don’t think the commission is buying his “I don’t recalls” and his claimed lack of knowledge about AV’s motives owing it all merely to his being brilliantly manipulated from above.

  • What a total embarrassment for LASD to having to have their butt wiped by outsiders, specifically Long Beach Police Chiefs. LASD didn’t want McDonnell so karma is bringing Luna to you.
    LASD may not get who they deserve but they deserve who they get.

  • Happy 4th of July Alejandro and all your cronies that are places strategically in all your units! Can’t wait too see this shit show come too an end soon. Sheriff Luna will be sworn in January 2023 the rest will be history..

    Adios Alejandro

    Bibi

    Sleepy Tim

    Lying Blanchard

    Shifty Porowski

    Bandito, executioner’s gladiators, rattle snakes 3000 2000 dorks punks and wanna be gang members. Be gone!

    Gracias

  • https://mobile.twitter.com/AleneTchek/status/1544767809527287808

    Prove it unsteady hands! Show up to the C.O.C with your entourage “security” or have a press conference! Preferably a press conference where it’s not strongly recommended that one submit questions ahead of time so you can preapare.

    #intotheweeds #tengocovid #meduelelapansa #tengomiedo #sechingoelasunto #quierosercool #villanada

  • Yawn. These comments are boring!

    @antonioramirez
    @alejandrosexcellentadventure

    Can we get something new or refreshing. The bitter vibe is old. Only peeps I hear complaining about Villanueva are you when I jump on here!

    What happen to the juicy good comments

  • Peter Griffin you sound like your typical villanueva supporter always trying too deflect facts!. Gtfoh

    Adios Alejandro

    Bibi

    Creepy Carl

    Sleepy Tim

    Lying Blanchard

    Gracias

    P.s. what’s up with PPOPA supporting Alejandro now?

  • @Peter Griffin

    Don’t get mad because the antonioramirez
    And alejandrosexcellentadventure actually tell the truth.

    I agree with them 100% – the Sherif is an idiot!!! He’s a coward!!! He is a liar!

    A big thank you to Matt Burson for having honor and telling the truth!

  • Peter Griffin, if you’re up for spectacular, listen to the arrogance displayed in testimony by Larry Delmese. His calm and shameless response perhaps 100+ times of the phrase “I don’t recall” during his appearance was accurately characterized by C.O.C. Commissioner Bonner as “a colossal lack of recollection” at the conclusion of his testimony.

  • @Antonio Ramirez.

    Let’s look at the possibilities. Either Burson decided to:

    1) Change his mind about McDonnell’s and the OIG’s direction just before the transfer of power to Villanueva, and later confirm this to Chow just after the swearing in. Regardless, Burson is a tenured investigator who admits the inclusion of questions regarding the role of the Banditos is crucial to motive and hence, a filing. Now, that would be lucky a coincidence Burson went against all his experience, which benefitted the Villanueva’s favorite station homeboys, also coincidentally netting Burson a promotion a couple days from that decision.

    or,

    2) Take a quid pro quo deal from the very man (Lawrence Del Mese) who coincidentally admitted to calling former Chief Ault a day or so before Burson to ask for similar acts of favoritism/unscrupulous requests..Mandoyan’s reinstatement. Del Mese stated it was not quid pro quo regardless of his statement to Ault he was looking at her position on the organizational chart.

    In addition, Villanueva fired almost every Chief, leaving who to give Burson these orders if No. 2 is the answer?

    Was Del Mese just a glorified secretary? And is Burson trying to frame AV for Burson’s burning desire to protect the Banditos?

    My bet is, with the above, and call logs corroborating the timeline, Larry Del Mese’s voluminous”I don’t recall” answers will change when the Feds proffer a sweet deal in exchange for the highest hanging fruit. Del Mese is just prolonging the end, because although he claims Villanueva is a narcissist who surrounds himself with yes men, he isn’t going to cut off his nose to spite his face.
    Del Mese is holding his cards close, knowing the day will come, when he inevitably flips like all guilty suspects for self preservation. So, no Villanueva, you’re not in the clear by any means.

    Will you and MRT finally be mates?

  • Sgt Chow did the right thing. The chow will take down Alejandro.
    Thank you mr chow!
    Chow 1 Alejandro 0

    The Chiw wins!

    Adios Alejandro

    Bibi

    Sleepy Tim

    Lying Blanchard

    Creepy Carl

    Gracias

  • @Be Real – excellent analysis. I’m not sure that the feds are all that interested in these shenanigans, but one can hope.

    @Alejandro – could you give the spam a rest if you don’t have anything substantive to add? Half the time I check this site and there’s a new comment I scroll down only to find it’s you with that cut/paste.

  • @really you cant handle the truth nor others for that matter but in time it will all come out. Stay tuned!

    Adios

    Alejandro

    Bibi

    Creepy Carl

    Sleepy Tim

    Gracias

  • @really sit on it! This is a free country in case you have forgotten..

    And stop trying too act educated using $100 words very typical from a person like yourself.

    Adios
    Really

  • “Alejandro’s Excellent Adventure’s”

    PPOA!! I remember walking into PPOA credit union with approximately 27 payroll checks to deposit at one time.. I must have been there for an hour. The young lady assisting me stated she hadn’t handled someone walking in with that many payroll checks to deposit. I told her I had to head over to the Hall of Injustice and have them reissued, because most were expired. Some going on three years. You see, only a piece of shit would make that move. The checks should have been at Pico Station, where Alejandro unsteady hands was a LIEutenant. The ex was getting her automatic deduction payments, so no complaints from that end. But Villanada stated I was not suppose to be getting payed and he took care of the problem. LMAO!!! You may have attempted to take care of that problem long before you made that statement Alejandro!! And given many department members bank there I personally see many privacy concerns.

    #villanada

  • Here you go “Peter Griffin” enjoy!

    L.A. supervisors poised to ask voters for power to remove sheriff from office

  • Antonio Ramirez:

    OOOOPS!!!

    My mistake on that one–no payment required on THAT story.

    LAT did a public service on THAT one.

  • @Antonio Ramirez. You have my attention.

    Hahaha Hall of Injustice rotfl……

    PPOPA talking about conflict of interest….

    Adios

    Alejandro

  • Word around the campfire is this:

    1.) The BOS have an initiative on the ballot to have the authority to remove the Sheriff.

    2.) There may be a loop hole in the County’s Charter to possibly, be able to remove the Sheriff

    If this is true (#2), hypothetically speaking, if the Sheriff wins the election, the BOS could possibly remove him from office.

    3.) McD was seen at Galls in Long Beach getting fitted for some tan & green.

    If this is true (#3), could it be possible that the BOS will remove the Sheriff and place McD at the helm like they did with Scott when he replaced Baca?

    Stay tuned.

  • @ Peter Griffin Food for thought. Numbers don’t lie. You know you’re going to be on the chopping block come December once Luna comes in as Sheriff.

  • Alene Tchekmedyian
    @AleneTchek

    Former LB Police Chief Robert Luna’s campaign says he has secured endorsements from all five members of the LA County Board of Supervisors in race against Sheriff Alex Villanueva

  • Hey, has anyone heard about a resolution of the ELA Station email threat investigation? You know, the one that Villanada blamed on the last COC mtg. The kind of threat that caused them to lock the station doors and deploy all units as two person cars [WLA edit]. I have to believe that all investigative resources were thrown at this extremely serious and troubling threat. Has Cyber Crimes Bureau announced an arrest yet? What about Alex and Magoorakami’s super secret investigative corrupt squad? Any staged “Perp Walks” yet? Is Alex going to seek a federal prosecution?

    What? Nothing? Cue the HOJ crickets. Could this have been an AV directed fake threat distraction? Oh no, Say it ain’t so!

    Weak ass Alejandro has nothing left. He’s shooting blanks now. [WLA edit.]

    Adios Alex & Sweatpee

  • Editor’s Note:

    Dear “Adios Alex & Sweatpee,”

    I just edited your last comment as it features a racist trope plus another piece of phrasing that skates that same edge.

    So criticize all you like, but keep that sort of thing out of your writing or I’ll be forced to delete the whole comment, and I’d rather not do that.

    Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

    C.

  • Hey “Pico alumni” same as that “Pico retired deputy” guy?

    Hello, are you the one that plays in his backyard with all them yorkies as you pick avocados from your tree? Send a bag of it’s you buddy.

  • @Celeste,

    My apologies as I can assure you I had no intent for any of my comments to come off as or appear as racist. Using the Banditos (ELA nickname) along with a well known and popular American subsidiary of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets, and sells corn chips, potato chips, and other snack foods was simply a playful attempt at wordplay to describe the ridiculous characters that are at play within the LASD ELA Station and is well documented.

    Also, the “two man” radio cars nomenclature within the LASD goes back decades is still used to this day, but I understand the desire to change to two “person” cars is now preferred and respectable. I can also understand that my using the Spanish term for “man” when describing the ELA Station’s machismo reputation and character could be considered crossing the line a bit.

    Again, not my intent to come off sounding racist as my comments were intended for the LASD readership who can truly appreciate what life is like in the current day LASD under the leadership of none other than Alejandro Villanueva.

    Thank you for the respectful heads up, as well as this forum to discuss our differing points of view, especially with this current day LASD leadership.

  • “PICO”. U that fella that was fired by the Dept and hired by El Monte P.D? That was nice of Villanada to be at your new Dept in uniform and all! If not u, disregard!

  • At your swearing in “Pico” that’s what I meant by Villanada being there to support your new endeavor!

  • Per the latest posts, the plot thickens in LASD.
    Although sitting at home after prison with full retirements, Baca & Tanaka are laughing their assess off.

  • LA Times: Leaked L.A. County Sheriff’s Department surveillance video shows inmate beaten by deputies
    https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-12/leaked-los-angeles-county-sheriffs-department-video-shows-inmate-beaten-by-deputies

    Sounds like Max is calling out parts of Alex’s PR statement as “categorically incorrect & misleading” when it come to cooperating with the OIG.

    Welcome to the LASD Amateur Spin Hour. Baghdad Bob Satterfield is losing his mojo after his last attempts to e-splain away the court lockup beat down video Villanueva viewing party coverup scandal crashed in a flaming heap.

    Adios Alex & Sweatpee

  • “Alene Tchekmedyian
    @AleneTchek
    LA County supervisors just voted 4-1 to move forward with asking voters in November for power to remove a sheriff for cause. Supervisor Kathryn Barger Leibrich voted no”

  • Antonio please follow God in your path. He will help you change and become a better person. We tried to help you at Pico and didn’t work. Repent to God for your sins and he will lead you to a better path. May God bless you!

  • Alene Tchekmedyian
    @AleneTchek
    Robert Luna gets
    @LADemocrats
    endorsement. Here’s the vote breakdown among voting members

    Robert Luna — 175
    Alex Villanueva — 21
    Abstain — 6
    No endorsement — 16

    Luna needed 128 to secure the endorsement

  • “PICO”

    Perhaps it didn’t work out for you! Keep God out of it. Keep me posted on how it doesn’t workout for me. Thx

  • “PICO”

    I forgot to mention that you should state your true name. I’d like to know who you think you are to determine who/what makes a better person. And what make you a better person than me?

    #ping

  • Alejandro your days are numbered sorry but that’s the truth. @ Pico your arrogance will catch up to you eventually.

    Adios

    Alejandro

    Bibi

    Sleepy Tim
    Lying Blanchard

    Creepy Carl

    Gracias

  • Hello 9-1-1, I’d like to report an ugly beat down. No, not at Kennedy Hall again. This time it was at the HOJ 8th Floor. Suspect description? Well, it was a mob. They claimed to be the LA County Democratic Party Leadership.

    Yes, this victim will need a 902R as he was throughly beaten to a bowlegged pulp by the very same group of folks who placed him into office nearly 4 years ago. Apparently they are no longer fond of cowboy hat wearing clowns.

    What’s the victim doing now? He’s currently being propped up by a fellow group of clowns, all telling him he’s doing great and he’ll be okay. But he looks really tired and weary. He appears to be struggling to remain conscious under the weight of those heavy bags under his eyes. It’s looking bad as even his undersheriff Magoorakami is trying to give him tips on how to look alert.

    You might need to send the coroner as they are hammering the last nail in his coffin.

    Adios Alex & Sweatpee

  • Wow, I heard there was a strong arm robbery last night. A couple goofballs punked PPOA into giving Potato Head Sheriff over $400,000! Incredible, sounds like a bad investment considering Chubbs aint got a chance in hell beating Luna in November.

  • Hey guys, thanks for showing up last night and drinking my 460,000 PPOA sponsored special blend of Alejandro Kool Aid. I think the 20 of us made our point loud and clear. Im sure Alejandro has a great chance of winning now and we will all get promoted you’ll see. Even if he loses we fought the fight. I’m sure Robert will never find out it was us at the meeting. Wait did someone take pictures? Who cares, Alejandro ordered everyone to delete them.

    Until next time!!

  • Anyone know the names of the 20 individuals who showed up at the PPOA meeting yesterday?

  • One can spend countless hours shaking a fist while screaming at a computer screen. What it boils down to is PPOA’s board of directors likely won’t consider the opinion of a WLA post because they are not going to verify a fist shaker’s PPOA membership status via this webpage.

    If one’s wish is to be heard, one should speak up. If one’s wish is to be read, one should continue to post.

    Any dues paying member can go onto the PPOA website to view their bylaws and meeting dates. Any dues paying member can show up to a PPOA board meeting and be heard.

  • @antonio
    @alejandro
    @whoever else

    You all sound like whiny little babies. I don’t get my way. I didn’t get a spot. I wasn’t picked. They don’t like me. I’m sorry ya’ll had a traumatic childhood that caused you to be this way.

    Back to Alex. I am not on any chopping block, regardless of who wins. Alex hasn’t don’t it all right I agree. But has anybody. There is no such thing as a perfect sheriff.

    Aren’t you concerned about leaders “brass,” on this department turning whistleblower only after the fact. They should have tue fortitude to say no right when it’s wrong. Regardless of repercussions.

    Everyone now is just looking out for themselves. No one cares about the troops. Meanwhile we have real problems. Deputies not being mentored by those that can. Staff dealing with a variety of problems health, mental health, personal issues, and so on.

    Sadly we’ve lost some to the inner battle. Whatever happen to never leave a man behind or your not alone.

    Change what you can. Stop worrying about who the sheriff is. If luna wins guarantee he will muck it up. He’s in over his head. Maybe hell swim but it will be more like treading water. Long Beach is not LASD. There is a reason he retired and left there.

    I don’t care who wins. Take care of the troops, mind your own, and do the lords work.

    Stop whining! Damn!

  • Peter griffin nobody cares what you say! Your part of the problem with this department.
    1. I didn’t see anything Carry on.
    2. If it didn’t happen in my presence it never happened.
    3. She is or he is just a whiner.
    4. He or she doesn’t work a fast station.
    5. What does he or she know they work custody.
    The days of taking care of each other have been long gone since Sheriff Sherman Block passed.

    Adios

    Alejandro

    Bibi

    Sleepy Tim

    Lying Blanchard

    Creepy Carl

    Gracias

  • @alejandro

    Anddddddd no one cares what you say. I don’t care about fast stations. The deputies make the unit. There’s slugs in all units.

    I’ve never mentioned custody once. But clearly your hurt about that!

    And Sherman Block, I’ve heard stories trust there’s never been a clear perfect sheriff. Unless you worked for him directly, which I doubt your theory is just hearsay.

    The problem with this department is YOU! Thinking that taking care of one another lies on who is Sheriff. Negative! It lies within ourselves, always have! Step and go take care of your partners and stop worrrying about what you can’t control simple.

    It’s so sad you think that taking care of each other died with block. Speak for your damn self and hopefully I never cross it our path. Pathetic

  • @peter griffin I’m glad I’m inside your peanut brain. And yes I did work for the Sherm. The problem is people like you once again. Stop being a clapping seal for Villanada because his days in office are numbered. Hey I heard they sell moving boxes at u-haul for a good price.

    Adios

    Alejandro

    Bibi

    Sleepy Tim

    Lying Blanchard

    Creepy Carl

    Peter griffin

    Gracias

  • @alejandro

    Now I understand it all. Your generation of policing is simple minded. Back when a red book was how you documented force. Lol. Who could have foreseen that as a problem, duh!

    And if you been on long enough to have worked with Block it’s time to go, if your not gone already. Stop trying to hold on to the glory days. Block was not squeaky clean and since you worked for him you already know.

    Again, I don’t know how many times I’m not a Villanueva cheerleader, but I am picking the lesser of two evils. Just like trump I by no means wanted trump but I for sure wasn’t going to have Hilary.

    Trust my days go by just fine. I’m not reveling know your comments 24/7. This my shitter entertainment!

  • @alejandro

    And I like how you didn’t address the more important issues of my comments. Pathetic true colors always show Sir!

  • Lmao @ Peter piper I mean griffin the mere fact you posted dos twice means I got too you! Rotfl …

    Adios

    Alejandro

    Bibi

    Sleepy Tim

    Lying Blanchard

    Creepy Carl

    And all the V kool-aid drinkers & clapping Seals….

    Gracias

  • Just to clarify I am most definitely not Creepy Carl, but carry on with your buffoonery.

  • It’s not about a perfect Sheriff, it’s about a current Sheriff who goes after those that didn’t donate to his campaign in 2018 when he asked or going after those deputies who posted anything anti Villanueva on their social media. Villanueva and Bibi promote those that they think will be loyal not those that are best qualified. Not everyone he promoted is a tool but the majority of them are. None of this is hearsay but personal knowledge. Villanueva is to arrogant to see he set our department back. Bibi wasn’t even a good Deputy and he was not a good Lieutenant what makes anyone think they are equipped to run this dept. maybe equipped to run it to the ground like they have been doing. And those of you that allow Bibi to weigh in on decisions and run things by her, you are a sell out and don’t even care about the troops.

  • @Ghetto Slayer:
    Right on. Just look at T. Blanchard, promoted to Lieutenant while assigned to the Sheriffs office as a sergeant, never worked a day on the line as a Lieutenant and promotes to Captain and remained. Now rumors are he will be assigned to Personnel Bureau as all are jumping ship (IOD standard play). Wonder what’s going on? Must be nice opening the Captains promotion list for 5 days to get your boys promoted right Alex, even though the current captains list is only 7 months old. Keep an eye out for which boot licker get promoted off this special 5 day opening of the list, my guess he or she will be a Bandito with a questionable background who otherwise not get promoted by an ethical sheriff. CEO should just block all promotions until November. You have damaged LASD enough Alex and Bibbi.

  • Correction: Captains promotional process is being opened for 10 days to develop a new Captain candidate (Bandito) list.

  • Opening the Captain list is typical of Villanueva to bend the rules for his tools. It always amazes me how he alleged that he won’t be a puppet to the Bos and how he tries to win deputies over by falsely portraying that he appreciates independent thinking but the reality is he wants puppets of his own. He opened the filing period for O’Brien when he needed a tool puppet to move bodies around without catching on to his antics. She proved to be so incompetent that the Sheriff’s office had Rosa and Vanessa doing her work. The Sheriffs office is a joke, an embarrassment.

  • That was nicely timed Satterfield. I hope Bibbi fed you as you and Alex came up with an excuse to dupe the public again and skirt the COC hearing with your BS excuse and demands. Yup

  • Tim, show us your ELA “Red Devil” tattoo on your left ankle. I mean, the “covered up” tattoo. Explain why you covered it up? Why?
    Perfect example of a coward.

  • County Attorney Mira Hashmal has her hands full for sure!! Talk about full circle!!!Know that name all too well!!

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