Alex Villanueva

Judge Rules Against Sheriff Villanueva’s ongoing attempts to rehire former deputy Caren Carl Mandoyan

Carl Mandoyan allegedly attempting to break into ex-girlfriend's house
Celeste Fremon
Written by Celeste Fremon

On Monday, September 28, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff ruled in a 17-page decision that Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s attempt to reinstate former deputy Caren Carl Mandoyan was unlawful.

(You can read the actual ruling here: Mandoyan ruling 9-28-2020)

“This is the right decision under the law,” the county’s main attorney on the case, Louis “Skip” Miller, told WitnessLA. “This person does not belong in the Sheriff’s Department,” he said.

“We’re pleased with the ruling and that it’s the end of this case.”

The battle with the LA County Board of Supervisors over the legality or lack thereof, of the Mandoyan rehiring seemed to be one of the earliest elements that helped to drive what has become an unusually toxic wedge between the the sheriff and the board.

Mandoyan was discharged from the LA County Sheriff’s Department on September 14, 2016, by former Sheriff Jim McDonnell, for allegations of domestic abuse, stalking, and spying on his ex-girlfriend, who was at the time also a deputy also working at the department, then lying about it.  His termination was upheld by the county’s Civil Service Commission, after multiple days of hearings, with plenty of witnesses called by both sides.

Former deputy Mandoyan was reportedly a prominent presence in the new sheriff’s campaign, and also during the post-election transition period. He was one of those most visible on the stage during the sheriff’s swearing in ceremony, and was reportedly personal friends with the Villanueva family.

During the early weeks of the new sheriff’s tenure, Mandoyan was the first person to be re-instated by Villanueva as part of his post-election plans to launch a “Truth and Reconciliation” commission, which would review the cases of potentially wrongly terminated deputies—although at the time of Mandoyan’s reinstatement the promised commission reportedly had yet to be formed.  Yet, the sheriff has claimed otherwise.

In March 2019, the county and the board filed what is called a Petition for a Writ of Mandamus against the sheriff regarding his reinstatement of Mandoyan, which the board has repeatedly maintained was not legal.

The lawsuit was filed by the county after the sheriff refused to carry out an order issued by Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller John Naimo on February 20, telling Sheriff Villanueva that his reinstatement of Carl Mandoyan was “unlawful,” and that Mandoyan must turn in his badge and his weapon.

When nobody appeared to tell anyone to do any turning in of any kind, Naimo had a letter hand-delivered to Mandoyan on February 28, which ordered the former deputy to turn in his badge and gun.

“You are not authorized to serve as a county employee,” Naimo wrote tersely.

A list of legal actions followed after that from both sides.

Five months after the county’s court filing, the Office of the Inspector General released an exhaustively-researched analysis of the sheriff’s so-called Truth and Reconciliation Program—specifically looking at how the program worked when it came to the controversial re-hiring of Mandoyan

“Based on the actual evidence,” stated the report, “and the testimony of a list of credible witnesses, Mr. Mandoyan appears to have done what he was accused of doing—from the alleged physical attack on his then-girlfriend, who was also, at the time, a deputy sheriff, to bullying and attempting to control both the girlfriend’s social life with women’s friends, and her work life, to his multiple attempts to break into her house, then lying about his actions to Internal Affairs, to threatening the alleged victim with reprisals from his powerful ‘Grim Reaper’ friends, and other unpleasant behavior that is alarming on its face, but particularly so when it comes from someone with a badge and a gun who is tasked with enforcing the law.”

(The Grim Reapers, for anyone unfamiliar, is the name of one of the department’s notorious deputy cliques. Mandoyan has admitted he has a Grim Reaper tattoo. And the sheriff’s former Chief of Staff, Lawrence Del Mese, has long been known as someone once high up on the  Grim Reaper food chain.)

Among the OIG’s list of exhibits is the transcript of a phone call that Mandoyan made to the alleged victim—whom we’ll call Deputy X—in which he threatened her with retaliation by his well-connected Reaper pals. “It’s gonna be real funny when you fuckin’ see just how much influence I have,” he stated charmingly.

Despite all of the above, the sheriff and his Truth and Reconciliation panel concluded that Mandoyan’s wrongdoing was quite minor, which the panel primarily described as “poor judgment and decision-making skills,” all of which did not “rise to the level of discharge.”

According to the OIG’s report, however, the panel drew those conclusions after unaccountably electing not to consider “key pieces of evidence regarding Mandoyan’s actions,” including a bunch of video evidence, photos showing injuries to Deputy X and to the door of her bedroom which Mandoyan allegedly kicked trying to get to Deputy X after she escaped him,  the testimony of important witnesses who could corroborate certain incidents and/or actions by Mandoyan, plus the transcript of Mandoyan’s creepy and threatening call, which Deputy X recorded—so Mandoyan couldn’t delete it, as he reportedly did routinely with anything on her phone he didn’t happen to fancy.

The report also concluded that rehiring Mandoyan was not a neutral process of picking “low hanging fruit,” among deputies who asked to have their termination cases reconsidered, as the sheriff has frequently stated.

Instead, the OIG found that re-hiring Mandoyan had been high on Sheriff Villanueva’s To-Do list, well before he was sworn in to lead the nation’s largest sheriff’s department.

Furthermore, the issue of whether or not Mandoyan was going to be found appropriate for reinstatement, appeared never to have been in question.

This was demonstrated by, among other things, a November 30, 2018, e-mail from then-LASD Chief Alicia Ault to the in-coming sheriff’s then-chief-of-staff, Lawrence Del Mese, the new administration’s efforts “to reinstate or re-hire Mandoyan began well before his case was evaluated by the Truth and Reconciliation Panel,” said the OIG report.

In the email (which was originally obtained by Maya Lau at the LA Times), Chief Ault wrote that she had forwarded a document sent by Del Mese about Mandoyan to County Counsel so that the county’s lawyers and Mr. Mandoyan’s attorney could work together “to achieve the goal of returning him [Mandoyan] to work.” (Emphasis added by the OIG).

“Based on the e-mail,” stated the OIG’s report, “it appears that the current administration gave direction on the ultimate outcome of this process — bringing Mandoyan back to work” —before the sheriff ever took office.

Postscript

It’s important to note that the sheriff and the LASD did their own lengthy and detailed report on the Mandoyan case, which you can find here.  WitnessLA has read both the LASD and the OIG reports, along with the more than 2000 pages of documents, plus videos, having to do with the Mandoyan case, all of which we got through the California Public Records Act.

The LASD analysis, dated October 1, 2019, contends that former LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell, plus the county’s civil service commission and, more recently the county’s Office of the Inspector General, under the leadership of IG Max Huntsman, all got it completely and deliberately wrong when each concluded that Mandoyan should be fired from his position as a law enforcement officer.

Yet, if readers take the time to read both reports, which are genuinely interesting to examine, they can make up their own minds.

The lengthy LASD report became a part of one of a number of 2019 legal filings by Mandoyan. Most of the filings were in federal court, and were “dismissed with prejudice” by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who was appointed to the federal bench by George W. Bush, meaning they cannot be refiled in another form.

The very last filing, however, which was a “Verified Petition of a Writ of Traditional Mandate” (which, in general, asks an official or an official entity to do something), used the LASD report as its primary exhibit.

This legal action was filed in LA County Superior Court, not the Central District federal court, thus was in the court of Judge Mitchell Beckloff, who was the jurist who ruled that Mandoyan’s hiring was unlawful.

This story was last updated at 10:08 a.m., September 29, 2020.

106 Comments

  • Celeste, you never cease to amaze me. Just as I begin to think you have your facts straight and would actually write a balanced article, you fall off the cliff once again. The Mandoyan story has been ongoing. Everyone, including me knows the facts. Just surprised why you still don’t or choose not to.

    On another note, here’s the forensic report on the Mandoyan case not the OIG, LA Times referenced one you call Bible. Since you won’t be balanced and fair, I’d provide this to your readers. BTW, this report is public on the LASD transparency page.

    https://lasd.org/pdf/Case-Analysis-Redacted-Public.pdf

  • Dear “Good God,”

    You’re quite right. I am very conversant with the LASD report, which I have read closely in its entirety, and I should have included it. That has been rectified in a 198-word post script. I hope at least some readers will take a look at both reports. They make for genuinely interesting reading for someone interested in the complexity of the matter.

    C.

  • Question: The LASD Report was part of a Federal legal filing by Mandoyan that was “dismissed with prejudice” in Federal court.

    What, exactly, does that quote mean?

    Thanks.

  • “Dismissed with prejudice” means permantantly dismissed. It can not be re-litigated.

    “Dismissed without prejudice” means it can be re-litigated and brought before the court again.

  • Oh No, Say It Ain’t So…… The formerly retired lieutenant who should never be playing sheriff has lost, AGAIN. Creepy Carl has been his downfall since before he even took office. But then again, without The Bagman’s assistance, Allie and BiBi would have never had the chance to destroy the reputation of the once respected LASD.

    These players have been caught in so many lies one has to wonder if they are already on the L.A.D.A.’s Brady List? Also, how much did these corrupt actions cost the L.A. County taxpayers for all of the unnecessary legal fees? Maybe Skipper Asst. Sheriff Gross can write an expense report on the Mandoyan/VILLANueva legal expenses (remember the overpriced attorneys that Alex tried to hire and force the County Counsel to pay for?). I’m sure that report will be believable.

    Hey Captain McBride, you sure did screw up that “back-door” entry plan when your attempt to rehire or hire Creepy Carl as a brand new deputy blew up in your face. Oh well, you gave it a try. So much for your “Skipper” promotional ladder strategy. I guess Skipper Asst. Sheriff Gross was a little smarter or just had better timing.

    So what will Alejandro do now since he never accepts the fact that he did wrong and has lost again? Will he now claim that Judge Beckloff is part of the Board of Supervisor’s and Sheriff Jim McDonnell’s political establishment and this decision was again void of Alex’s favorite “Due Process” term? Once a Loser, always a Loser. Time to go Allie & BiBi and please take Mr. Bigglesworth with you.

    Hey FEDS, you’re up. All outside players are out of the way and you have the green light. Ready, Ready, Ready…….

    #WorstSheriffEver
    #RecallSheriffV
    #ResignSheriffV
    #ShamefulSheriffV
    #1TermSheriffV

  • Editor’s note:

    Temple and Broadway is quite right. (Thanks for that!) And I just now expanded that section a bit. In doing so, I found there are some things that I want to check about the very last filing by Mandoyan, so there will be an additional update in the next day or so.

    C.

  • I agree Celeste. The main point which captured my attention in the report was that NO department executives who were the decision makers agreed to discharge Mandoyan. Neither of them believed either of the two female ex girlfriend’s who conspired to make the allegations against him. However, Diana Teran decided to trump everyone and submit the package for discharge, even after being advised by the Chief, A/S and advocacy Lt. that the case did not reach the level of discharge and only recommended 20 days off.

    I’m curious why you never mention the second female in the equation. She had a major role in this whole mess. Also, why don’t you mention the 18 minutes of spliced, edited and cut video? Why not mention when the accuser got caught lying, she immediately resigned from the department a day before being cross examined. There’s plenty of factual evidence that makes this whole spectacle reek. I myself am guilty of passing judgement and persecuting Mandoyan early on, but after speaking with others, including retirees who are familiar with the case, all stated Mandoyan was never supposed to have been fired. Unfortunately, he became a pawn in a political power struggle which has pretty much destroyed that gentleman’s life. It’s unfortunate to see people of power destroy someone just because they know they can.

    I have sons of my own and worry about them daily, because once a female makes an allegation, you’re doomed for the rest of your life, unless you’re Joe Biden, then all the #metoo warriors go back and hide in the forest.

    Finally, I think the Sheila Kuehl Metro corruption story outweighs this one by a ton. Just curious why you’ve made no mention of it? I can only guess why.

  • Put a final nail in to the Mandoyan affair. Only the first of many in this reign of buffoonery by a guy trying to swim in the deep end without water wings.

    And a tip of the hat to Celeste for including a picture of one of the buffoons doing what buffoons do as a lead to her story.

  • @GG,

    Give it a rest. Judge Beckloff was able to listen to and review every B.S. excuse Creepy Carl, his lawyer, and all of the rest of his defenders who were seeking Alex’s promotional approval, could possibly manufacture. The Judge weighed all of the “presented” evidence, free from the so-called political influence of the former sheriff, the evil Diana Teran, and every other boogie man you can try to come up with, and guess what? The smart Judge was able to call it like every other intelligent person could see. Creepy Carl lied and was given the Donald Trump “You’re Fired” message and properly booted out of the LASD.

    Now, time to give Allie and BiBi the same message.

    #WorstSheriffEver
    #RecallSheriffV
    #ResignSheriffV
    #ShamefulSheriffV
    #1TermSheriffV

  • @Circle of Stars,

    100% agree. That picture is worth a cool ALADS $1,000,000.00 and will definitely be a 2022 countywide campaign flyer.

  • Circle of Stars,

    Don’t be so quick to judge Mandoyan. He was performing routine maintenance on his girlfriend’s sliding glass door – nothing nefarious going on.

    But seriously, as I have said before, this debacle demonstrates that AV failed to use his available resources – his own hand-picked executives who came out of retirement, the existing executives and middle managers with administrative experience, etc. Heck, if he wanted some specific information about the discipline process, he could have asked just about anybody who worked IAB what was what.

    As a department head, he had absolute authority to intervene in a civil service matter, right up until a decision had been adopted by the Civil Service Commission. Mandoyan’s case was beyond that, and it had a review pending by Superior Court. Not the time to meddle.

    And this all highlights what others have been saying about a Lieutenant who suddenly goes from being the watch commander over a couple sergeants and a few deputies, to running the largest sheriff’s department in the country. His success depended on surrounding himself with the best and brightest – and then taking their learned advice. Why, oh why, was he too arrogant to do just that?

  • No room for Creepers on the LASD, period. Carl and his kind are the reason LASD has sunk to the bottom. He helped put an unqualified Sheriff in office and now we’re all paying for it. I hope U/S Vivian has a first time moment of clarity and takes her husband on a permanent walk with their dogs. Puerto Rico, Poland or Mexico. They have the bloodlines to retire as citizens there. And take the circle of stars with them. Good luck and good riddance.

  • @Clown Show, absolutely a nice political Ad would do magic!!! I envision an Ad with Scary music playing in the background… creeper Mandoyan breaking into a woman’s apartment, then shown along side circle of stars on the podium during swearing in ceremony …Priceless. Uncovering, and unveiling the numerous disasters by Leu Tenant Villanueva.

  • @Um,

    It was all another Alex Villanueva LIE.

    #WorstSheriffEver
    #RecallSheriffV
    #ResignSheriffV
    #ShamefulSheriffV
    #AdiosAlejandro
    #1TermSheriffV

  • Instead of looking at the 400 cases of potentially improper termination (Sheriff’s own words) the “truth investigators” were assigned to develop criminal cases on the BOS, Huntsman and others on AV’s enemies list. Once the investigators realized AV was a one term Sheriff and their futures were being put at risk they wisely decided they wanted nothing to do with these “cases”. They went back to their regular assignments and and found other things to do. So, 22 months later, 399 deputies still sit at home wondering what happened to AV’s promises. The “truth” is that it was always all about Carl and nobody else.

  • $4 million spent to litigate this one idiot. What a complete waste of the taxpayer money and department budget. I’m glad that creep is gone. Seeing his smug face in the sheriffs office everyday made me sick. And to think he had the audacity to think he could dress down people who had far more rank and ability then he ever will. Carl the creep needs to get back to selling used cars. Take your buddy Alex with you. He’s worthless too!!!!

  • Just another example of how the criminal justice system, political machine, press and executives in law enforcement can all come together and stack the deck so high against the individual, back them so tightly against a wall and destroy them if they so wish. Isn’t this the very reason BLM and others are protesting against the system? A pervasive and long standing pattern of unequal treatment and “fix” by those in power.

    “Creepy Carl” as some like to refer to him, come join the movement and fight against the very system you were once part of, which has now turned against you and deep sixed your career and life.

  • “…The ‘truth investigators’ were assigned to develop criminal cases on the BOS, Huntsman and others…”

    And if criminal cases couldn’t be developed what then?

    Making AV a totally unprincipled rogue Sheriff.

    What to do about it?

    Looks like “The AV Clown Show” has the only answer:

    Removal from office.

  • AV will not win this next election. The LA County Dems are circling the wagons and the LA County Republicans have someone else in mind. He ruined his chances. His only hope are the dep unions. But, I think they will see the writing on the wall too.

    Defunding will be real under AV and will not be good for dept. members or their work conditions/pay.

    Oh, and McDummy? You will not be Sheriff either.

  • LASD Attempt Assassination Suspect Charged!

    Congratulations to Alex and his strategic communications team for screwing up the great work by LASD patrol, Homicide Bureau, MCB, OSS and other Det. Div. investigators. Lying to the media in the face of the obvious, i.e.: unprecedented and huge LASD response for a mere carjacking suspect, really was a sound strategy.

    Even better, was the decision to sit on the fact that we had the attempt murder suspect in custody for two weeks, only to announce filing the case with the D.A. quickly and within two days after Alex and Creepy Carl’s humiliating “truth & reconciliation reinstatement” loss in court. Nice diversion tactic at the expense of the great work by the LASD.

    I’m sure the reporters appreciate Alex’s straight faced and direct lies. How much do you want to bet that Creepy Carl himself, or someone very close to him, will be gleefully, but anonymously, collecting a significant portion of that reward money that has been piling up over this case. Gotta pay back “The Bagman” somehow.

    Hey there all of you investigative reporters (Eric Leonard; Steve Gregory; Lisa Bartley): Follow the money…..

    #WorstSheriffEver
    #RecallSheriffV
    #ResignSheriffV
    #ShamefulSheriffV
    #AdiosAlejandro
    #1TermSheriffV

  • AV Clown…..

    Just can’t give it a rest can you. I’m sure the Sheriff, Homocide and Majors all have “ time on” and know their job. The Department’s detectives, even as you relish in you days gone by and delusions of grandeur know what they’re doing without your input. Good job Sheriff AV, members of LASD, informant and all others who helped to bring an attempted cop killer to justice. If Sheriff AV had made one misstep or jumped the gun prematurely, you, WLA, certain members of the BOS, Hunstman, COC and community activist would have all been ready to criticize and use any mistakes to further their mission to destroy the Sheriff.

    This is a win for two deputies, public safety, the Sheriff and the Department. In the words of Joe Biden, “come on man” and put aside your hate for Sheriff AV, consider the two deputies who were shot (if you can) and celebrate this moment.

  • The AV Clown Show,

    You are way off as to the timing of the arrest announcement. You don’t have a clue as to the hard work that was done behind the scenes by those units you mentioned. Homicide specifically was calling the shots on this tight-lipped investigation for reasons you don’t need to know, nor does the media have any right to know anything while the release of such information could jeopardize the investigation.

    Leave it to the real professionals to work cases while you run your mouth and post hashtags on a blog. I’m not saying I disagree with your messages, but you really need to relax a bit.

  • @Dose and Hmmm, I stand behind what I posted above and you should probably read it again closely and slowly as I also celebrate the great work done behind the scenes by true investigative professionals that VILLANueva inherited. Re-read my post about why the announcement was scheduled for today and the likely “Reward” payout and “Creepy” corruptness that will need to be closely monitored and investigated down the road. I put nothing beyond the lies and corruptness of the Clown in Charge and his inner circle.

  • @ AV Clown Show,
    Don’t know if ALADS backed this guy or not, however it won’t be ALADS last major money loss, believe me.

  • Temple and Broadway, I will assure you one thing. Alex Villanueva will not be Sheriff in 2023.
    I will do what ever it takes to ensure this idiotic moron, who coddles with woman beaters is not elected by the people of Los Angeles County. He can limp around the next year and half babbling batshit out of his mouth. Rest assured he will never be allowed into Hall of Justice again once he is kicked out as Sheriff. He will go down in history as the worst Sheriff of Los Angeles County. Period!!!!!

  • County Taxpayer….

    “I will do what ever it takes to ensure this idiotic moron, who coddles with woman…..” What exactly do you mean by this statement? Surely the election of one county elected official could not be so important to your existence for you to make such a strong open ended assertion? Although most of us have passion and zeal for our “horse in the race”, we can except the outcome of an election as life goes on no matter who ultimately wins the race. If you are that focused on who becomes the next Sheriff of Los Angeles County either you have a vested interest in the outcome or need to get a life.

    I like Sheriff AV and will support him for the next term but if he loses won’t loose sleep (doubt AV will either) or go postal either. My life, that of most sane and balanced folks will go and the Sheriff’s Department will continue to be just that, the Sheriff’s Department.

  • Another deflection. Do you think Judge Mitchell Beckloff is part of the political machine?
    Creepy Carl is done. Get over it and move on. If you can’t you can always ask Villanueva for his Patron. It may help you sleep.

  • Yes Kuehl’ corruption at Metro is an incredibly important story. Politician pressures public agency heads to pay CBO for nonsense, imaginary work, CBO and staff donate to Politician. This is what is coming when we reimagine CJ and CBO’s stand in line for their payments.

    LA times finally does an article critical of County Public Health regard wait times for specialty treatments. I suspect it was hard to ignore as the deaths stacked up. Can we get those wait times based on race please. BLM wants to know!

    The percentage of mentally ill inmates has increased during COVID19. How could that happen. No LE is not arresting more mentally ill. Look at the use of medical holds by ODR. They use the jail as their overflow. Keep men and women in custody even if their criminal issue could be resolved and they could be released. Many of whom have been stabilized. They are violating these people’s civil rights. It’s a dirty little secret everyone knows about. Perhaps WLA should look into the practice.

  • You truly don’t know squat. Keep telling yourself you do GH, your house parties with Mcd days are over

  • @Clown Show- Yes we should focus on one politician at a time. But why not focus on Kuehl? She has more power and has been in her position for longer than Alex? If you want to crack down on illegal drugs, shouldn’t we go after the dope dealers and not the druggies?

  • @AD,

    Don’t you remember Lt. Villanueva proudly proclaiming how powerful he is because he holds a countywide elected office and not merely 1/5 th of an office like those insignificant county supervisors. I sure do and we can all tell that they remember too.

    Another bright proclamation by The Idiot Emperor in Charge. He wanted to swim with the big fish, now he needs to, in the words of Tiny Sheila K.: put on his “Big Boy Pants” over those crippled looking bowed legs of his. Lately it has looked like the weight of The Office is wearing on those hobbled looking legs more so than that growing weight around his mid section.

  • AV Clown Show,

    AV was trying to take a page from Block when he testified to just that notion when he demanded that the BOS give deputies a significant raise. It worked for Block because of his gravitas, a phenomenon that AV will never enjoy.

    And AV is gaining weight in his midsection. He might want to go from uniform to a suit to compensate.

  • Kuehl is a corrupt, leftist, anti-law Enforcement wing nut. She has lived a privileged life and has no clue how the rest of us live. I am not the biggest fan of AV but I certainly believe he, with all his warts, is more like the average man/women than Sheila Kuehl.

  • @Seeking,

    Sheila represents the Left/Westside of LA County. She has absolutely nothing to worry about. Sheila is much more politically savvy than Allie and BiBi could ever hope to be and she owns all of the major county unions that could and would humble ALADS. Even Alex’s dumb ass knows better than to try to F*&% with Sheila which is why he felt safer to go after that Latina Woo-man on the Board when he so cleverly called her “La Malinche” during his live pillow-talk video conference call with Sweetpea. How did that work out for the smartest man in the LASD?

    This Idiot needs to go before he completely destroys our once great LASD.

    #WorstSheriffEver
    #RecallSheriffV
    #ResignSheriffV
    #ShamefulSheriffV
    #AdiosAlejandro
    #1TermSheriffV

  • Clown Show,
    FYI Sweetpea has been cajoling around in Malibu with an interesting journalist wanna be.

  • “How did that work out for the smartest man in the LASD?”

    Smartest man in the LASD?

    Where did THAT idea come from?

  • You really think AV is more like the average man/woman? Most average people have humility, sense of morality and ethics. AV has none of those characteristics. He is as corrupt and inept as they come. Sorry to burst your bubble.

  • Just saw Inglewood Mayor James Butts say some interesting things about LASD and its management. Hmmmmm? Will he or his friend run for Sheriff?

    Stay tuned!

  • Why would anyone run for sheriff?
    You still have to sort through then endless list of buffoons from 4 stars down to Captains.
    To quote a great American movie…the list is long, but not distinguished.

    Fire everyone wearing two bars and above because they’re worthless. Start over.

  • Dose: A clown is a clown! For example; if you say “Bozo” do really need to say “Clown?” AV did a great job!

  • “But won’t stand a chance against AV.”

    AV has no friends left but the union, and God knows how long it’ll take him to alienate them as well. Practically anyone has a chance against AV. He won as an unknown against an unpopular incumbent, now he’ll get to see who uses that same dynamic against him. The difference being, McDonnell was never as unpopular with the general public as AV is. Practically any unknown with a half way decent resume will beat him.

  • Don’t mean to burst your bubble, but with McDonnell being an unknown, unliked and unpopular, was able to still generate 47% of the votes in the primary. Now, AV’s name recognition is at a National level and he’s got the support of the Latino voters and the unions which is close to 60% of LA County voters. With all that, plus all the community engagements he’s been doing, he’s going to be very hard to be beat. I’ve heard this from many folks even those that don’t like him. Again, i know it’s not what you want to hear, but take yourself out of your personal disdain of AV and look at it rationally from the outside. The incumbency still carries a huge weight, especially for a well known candidate.

  • @GG, it is almost a foregone conclusion that LT Villanueva won’t be re-elected. The strategy he used to beat McDonnell can now be used against him, Alex is a Trump supporter. That will surely turn LA democratic parties against him.

    There’s a reason why AV Clown Show chose his moniker, LT Villanueva truly is a Circus.

  • To the extent AV is known on a national level, it’s more “infamous” than famous. His name recognition is along the lines of “Oh, the guy Kobe’s widow is suing?”

    As for locally, it’s “Oh, the guy who brings back guys fired for DV?” “Oh, the guy who can’t get along with anyone?” The support of the unions? I mean, ALADS maybe, I don’t know about PPOA, and the other local unions? They couldn’t care less about AV. The support of Latino voters? I guess that’ll depend on who goes up against him, and there are other important ethnic groups who will be weighing in.

    You’re confusing the power of incumbency with the advantage it gives a popular candidate. Look what it did for McDonnell, and like I said, AV is viewed in a FAR more unfavorable light than McD ever was. All due to his own missteps, of course, but there it is. You can’t alienate everyone he’s alienated and not expect to pay a political price. That’ll come due pretty soon. That’s if he even makes it to 2022.

    I have no personal disdain for AV, just a huge amount of disappointment in the wounds he’s inflicted on LASD, collateral damage from battles his ego made him fight. A quirk of fate made him go from being a bitter retired lieutenant to a bitter sheriff. Reminds me of that line, “A man like Ringo got a great big hole inside of him. He can never inflict enough pain to fill it.” AV took his revenge for his perceived mistreatment, but seems like he’s still waging war. Just can’t seem to find the right opponent. So he makes everyone his opponent. Sad to watch.

  • @Rak, Butt’s can run but he doesn’t stand a chance. Too much scandal and baggage from Inglewood. Voters will surely reject him countywide.

    The friend being referred to, CR. Google LAXPD chief.

    While CR may have baggage, it was never made public that can be used against him and verified by voters. He’s a minority, black and Korean I believe, and has the right character and personaility to lead a department. He isn’t antagonistic, or defensive. To contrast, compare Obama’s public speaking manner to Trump’s.

    CR’s most endearing moment, “Don’t F*&K With the Feds.”

  • Look, I’m not here to debate or argue. All I can speak about is what I’ve seen, have heard and see forthcoming. I’m retired and enjoying myself. You couldn’t pay me to be a cop these days.

    I understand that nothing that will give AV an advantage or accolades will be heard by you all who have a personal animus towards him. In that regard, it’s like debating with ANTIFA and a liberal. You’re always right and your predictions and opinions are the only facts. So God forbid anyone offers a varying opinion.

    I’m guessing there’ll be several of you on 902A Watch when AV wins his reelection.

  • No Rhambo is not the one. Did we forget that he was Tanaka’s right hand man and is posing in that same picture with Tanaka throwing up gang signs. Come on….if that is the best we have to offer, we are in trouble. If you are so bent on it being a minority, there are two internal options that destroy rhambo. Hopefully one of them runs,,,until then we just keep hearing about AV Clown missing mcd…..

  • CR’s connection and ties with PT will definitely kill his chances. He’s very much tied in the whole Baca/Tanaka regime. He’s also inked as well. That I know for a fact.

  • Trying to tie Rhambo to Baca/Tanaka won’t work.

    Earlier in the day, retired LASD Assistant Sheriff Cecil Rhambo testified that he told Baca – “Don’t f— around with the feds.”

    Rhambo told jurors he’d previously worked on undercover drug operations with federal investigators and believed the FBI was within its rights to smuggle a cellphone into the jail as part of a criminal investigation.

    “We are the suspects,” Rhambo said he told Baca.

    Rhambo told jurors that Baca believed the FBI had broken the law by arranging for Brown to bribe a corrupt deputy to smuggle the cellphone into the jail.

    He added that he’d heard rumblings that LASD investigators were thinking about “intimidating” an FBI agent on the case.

    Rhambo said he told Baca – “If you do that, it’s obstruction of justice.”

    https://abc7.com/news/2nd-deputy-testifies-against-ex-sheriff-lee-baca-in-corruption-trial/1649154/

  • I’m shaking my head at you self proclaimed political operatives who seem to have a crystal ball. Lol. “I don’t have a disdain for AV.” Really guy? The points you’ve addressed and believe that will cause AV to lose the election are beyond miniscule to the voters. You’re also underestimating AV. He pulled off a historic victory being a no name, I can only imagine what his strategy will be going forward with the name recognition he’s got now.

    Remember, what’s important to you for your personal agenda is far off from what the voters care about. Your issues might be huge in proportion in your eyes, but it’s not in mine or anyone else’s. Just my opinion pal.

  • Hey, let me quote some text from a comment above:
    “I’m shaking my head at you self proclaimed political operatives who seem to have a crystal ball. ”

    For someone making fun of folks with crystal balls, you sure like making predictions.

    Also, you mentioned you’re not here to debate. And then you weigh in on every other thread explaining why people are wrong. Kinda seems like that IS why you’re here. But to quote you a final time – “Just my opinion pal.”

  • The technique used to beat McD was ballot harvesting. The rate at which a certain demographic’s absentee ballots went for AV was more than obviously fraud.

  • “On Monday, September 28, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff ruled in a 17-page decision that Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s attempt to reinstate former deputy Caren Carl Mandoyan was unlawful.”

    Sadly trying to do a favor for an old friend is what initially made many of us question Alex’s sanity. This albatross is one of many decisions made by Alex that shows his extremely poor judgement and unfitness for office. Since then he has turned the whole Board of Supervisors against him and the Inspector General, made a millionaire of the last county CEO and will/has made countless other millionaires through his terrible decisions. Alex your in over your head and it shows.

  • Allie and BiBi – The Greatest Circle Jerk Show on Earth

    #WorstSheriffEver
    #RecallSheriffV
    #ResignSheriffV
    #ShamefulSheriffV
    #AdiosAlejandro
    #1TermSheriffV

  • Not that I’m advocating such, but AV could still hire Mandoyan back. Now that the court case is settled, the judge no longer has anything to say in the matter. Mandoyan applies, goes through the process, meets GC 1031 requirements, gets hired. Nuclear war ensues within the department and county.

    Just saying… 😉

  • @Dose, that was adressed in the ruling. Possibly due to LT Villanueva trying to re-hire Mandoyan thru the back door earlier this year.

    The eligibility list is certified by the director of personnel. Director of personnel is “controlled” by BOS/CEO.

    No possible way for Mandoyan to be re-hired.

  • There are four, count em four, active Hispanic municipal Chiefs of Police who have said they are challenging Villanueva in 2022. At least two of them, and possibly all, are registered Democrats. And a couple are former LASD retirees. They all have 25-35 years in law enforcement. That doesn’t even count the disgruntled white captain who testified in the CCJV, Rhambo, this Butts character, Jim McDonnell who most likely still has a following, Ray Leyva, Maria Gutierrez, who has cozied up to Gavin Newsom. and any other swinging Richard who decides to run. Not sure what all that means for AV but I’d bet money he won’t get another four years. He most likely won’t even get ALADS endorsement as anyone who has been paying attention can see Ron Hernandez and the boys don’t like the antics between the BOS and AV. POPA avoids AV like the plague. Neither winning or losing won’t be easy for AV. His ego tells him he’s the smartest man in the County and that race and partisan politics had nothing to do with his victory. It was purely his qualifications. Lol.

  • A ruling that includes a future hiring preclusion? Or personnel won’t allow it? Which one?

    Anyway, it was just an observation, and I believe it’s possible – not likely of course. I’ll read the court’s decision to see how the issue may or may not be addressed.

  • Nope, no such future hiring preclusion is in the order; however, it does note that the director of personnel has the right to remove anyone from a certification list for various reasons. Civil Service Rule 6.04 F gives such authority to the director of personnel.

    Again, purely as an “out there” possibility, Mandoyan could be rehired. It would require the director of personnel to agree, which obviously will not happen.

  • Dose, you are absolutely correct. Most votes came from ELA in the form of Villanueva’s campaign surrogate Javier.

  • ALADS won’t be under the leadership (?) of Ron Hernandez hopefully as the thread on that tire is bare. Nothing personal Ron, just facts.
    PPOA was smart with both foresight & insight for the last Sheriff election, hopefully they’ll continue to use that formula again next time.

    The necessity of valid and unbiased law enforcement is very much needed for the cities and communities within Los Angeles County.

    Vindictiveness and cronyism combined with blinders on is putting LASD at the end of the line, let the truth be told.

  • I read Huntsman’ report regarding the Bandidos investigation and yes I have questions. The first lawsuit regarding the Bandidos was filed in 2014 when John Scott was the Sheriff. The Bandidos clearly developed overtime and existed before McDonnell. Who was the long term Chief of the old Region 1 of which ELA Station was part of? Neil Tyler of course. He was also John Scott’s U/S. He also oversaw the North County which operates under a consent decree. McDonnell than picked him for his UnderSheriff. Why was this issue not dealt with by the Sheriff’s Department under McDonnell? The Office of Inspector General was in place and had full run of the Department, so how come the OIGs office did not press McDonnell on this issue? Perhaps the old Reg 1 Chief had a blind spot for his old Division or he was to busy hunting former Tanaka allies to recognize they had a problem. What did McDonnell, Tyler, LaBerge and Huntsman know before the 2018 election regarding the Bandidos? Did they bury it?
    Villanueva certainly has to do more than the previous leadership. They clearly failed regarding the Bandidos. The Executioners seem to have started under McDonnell and Huntsman for that matter. This is of course no excuse for Villanueva to ignore the problem. He is the Sheriff, he owns these problems now.

  • @Seeking

    Let’s also not forget that Tyler is/was dating Diana Teran……..oh yeah, that’s right.

  • @Seeking. Nice writing Alex. I think I heard you say the same thing on television. You’re right. You do own it. Now what? The blame McDonnell excuse is a bit worn out.

  • @Just saying, Lol. And I was really looking forward to doing 38 years and retiring at 61 years old. Worn out TREAD, and all!

  • Oh no, say it ain’t so. Does the Allie & BiBi Facebook Fiascos Live Show have some legs or what? Their little contrived stunt has already resulted in a lawsuit and taxpayer funded settlement of $1.5 MILLION to the now retired and much smarter lady CEO than the two idiots and their combined inferior intellect.

    Now we have the potential for a criminal investigation against Alejandro VILLANueva. From the files of: You Can’t Make This S#!t Up:

    https://ktla.com/news/local-news/l-a-county-da-to-review-allegation-that-sheriff-villanueva-made-false-crime-report/

    Allie and BiBi – The Greatest Circle Jerk Show on Earth

    #WorstSheriffEver
    #RecallSheriffV
    #ResignSheriffV
    #ShamefulSheriffV
    #AdiosAlejandro
    #1TermSheriffV

  • @ Truth, Neil Tyler was and always has been nothing but a “staff man.” As far as taking any affirmative actions to rectify the issues at ELA (or anywhere else) that could not be proven or identified by some sort of matrix, he was useless. To resolve something like the Banditos would have required him to go outside his skill-set and actually show something called “leadership.” That’s would be like asking an elephant to fly.

  • Points to ponder:

    The DA’s election is just weeks from right now.

    The COUNTY COUNSEL is alleging that the Sheriff “knew his allegations were false.”

    AV shooting himself in the foot.

    Again.

  • Villanueva has this illusion that he is the smartest man in the room. Every moment he had to stand tall, and portray leadership he failed. Be it Deputies killed in line of duty, the Lancaster debacle, or Budget funding for the Department. Add to it , he wasted valuable political capital bogged down in legal battles with the BOS. He has shown no interest in educating himself, or showing signs of stability and maturity.
    Clown show is absolutely right. He is a one term Sheriff.

  • The municipal chiefs and many more are lining up to take shots at AV. If Villanueva has the stones to run again this will be a good ole tar and feathering. Personally, I can’t wait to see him get thrashed by real cops who are actually, factually, and truly smarter than he and his victim wife. Their stunt in the Facebook Live Show is amateurish and immature. But then again, what should we expect?

  • @Just Saying. I’m not taking it personal.

    I out lasted the nay sayers and the “pack your bags” crowd, three times. I’m good, if that’s what the members want!

  • @ Election 2020, I get what you are saying and for sure AV and his darling SweetPea are low hanging fruit, but consider this if you were a Chief someplace. You are a PERS member and to go to the LASD you are ending your PERS pensionable years (remember the 3% @ 50 crap that most cities foolishly bought in to a number of years ago?). Why would you jeopardize that gravy train for the LASD job? I assume you could do some sort of buy-back or something, but why? I’d think twice before I changed horses in the middle of that stream.

    That leaves former LASD folks who are Chiefs or Chiefs who have already severed their PERS years, or some of the ever-present LAPD scabs who could probably stretch their “DROP” program to include being Sheriff of LA County and bag both their LAPD retirement and their LASD salary (just kidding!).

    On top of that, who would want to work with the nutjobs on the BOS?

    I just don’t see the applicant line to take the AV/SP job as being all that long in 2020.

  • @Circle,

    I actually know of two very viable candidates who will be stepping up to kick Alex out of the Hall of Justice Office and out down the steps past the BLM protestors right into the Spring Street gutter.

    They are already building their coalitions behind the scenes to include a significant fundraising effort with deep pocket donors. Not even JH will be able to help Alex keep pace with Baca’s old contacts and fundraising machine. As for TM’s connections within the San Gabriel Valley, several are also being secretly poached as I type. Alex will only have Creepy Carl to depend on with his Glendale connections, and they are being closely watched this time around.

    Supervisor Shiela Kuehl will keep all of the major L.A. County unions in check and the LA Democratic Party, who was most responsible for Allie’s surprise win, will not be fooled again.

    #AdiosAlex

  • One of the LA County Democratic Party groups, has already passed a resolution calling on LT Villanueva to resign. While the resolution holds no weight now, it’s certainly a sign that he won’t be receiving their endorsement in 2022.

  • @In the know,

    IF you are truly “In the know,” then you already know. IF you are not, then it’s on a “need to know” basis, and at this early stage, you don’t need to know.

    Thus, when the time is right, I’ll be sure to let you all know. Meanwhile, enjoy the AV Clown Show.

    #WorstSheriffEver
    #RecallSheriffV
    #ResignSheriffV
    #ShamefulSheriffV
    #AdiosAlejandro
    #1TermSheriffV

  • […] A prominent incident cited in Kennedy’s memorandum involves Villanueva’s decision to reinstate “a disgraced former deputy with a Grim Reapers tattoo who had been fired by the previous administration for violating policies regarding domestic violence and dishonesty.” (The Grim Reapers are an alleged deputy gang within LASD.) Los Angeles County Inspector General Max Huntsman investigated the case and was preparing to release a report critical of the reinstatement, when Villanueva reportedly warned the IG there would be “consequences” if he proceeded. Undeterred, the IG released the report in July 2019. The next month, LASD trumpeted a “criminal investigation” into Huntsman, alleging he’d improperly accessed confidential files during the investigation and could face charges of “conspiracy, theft of government property, unauthorized computer access, theft of confidential files, unlawful dissemination of confidential files, civil rights violations, and burglary.” The LASD announcement generated headlines, but has not led to any charges. And Villanueva’s move to reinstate the disgraced former deputy has since been overruled by a judge. […]

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