#GangstersWithBadges • Alex Villanueva

Sheriff Villanueva was coming to Monday’s hearing on deputy gangs. Now (predictably) he’s not

July 24, 2022
by Celeste Fremon
68 Comments
Celeste Fremon
Written by Celeste Fremon

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s subpoena saga continues.

Here’s the newest chapter in short.

This past Friday, July 22, the LA County Sheriff’s information bureau confirmed to Kate Cagle and Spectrum News that Sheriff Alex Villanueva would indeed attend the Civilian Oversight Commission’s latest hearing on deputy gangs to be held on Monday, July 25.

Villanueva planned to come to the hearing, which is to be held at Loyola Law School,  in order to “clarify the misinformation being disseminated,” wrote a representative of Sheriff’s Information Bureau (SIB) on Friday.

This morning, however, it appears that the sheriff has changed his mind. 

Again.

He will not, in fact, attend Monday’s meeting unless the COC meets a series of demands, which are roughly the following:

Villanueva must be able to deliver his own opening statement. In addition, he must be permitted to cross-examine any other witnesses who are interviewed at the hearing, and preview exhibits the commission intends to show. And the commission must have present at the hearing a “neutral hearing officer.” Whatever that means.

If the commission declined to accede to his demands, Villanueva wrote in his letter to the COC’s Executive Director, Brian Williams, he was no longer going to show up.

“I am more than happy to speak with the commissioners as soon as these requests are granted,” the sherif wrote. “They in no way interfere with the Commission’s ability to ask questions, learn the truth, or fulfill its oversight role. In fact, they would clearly enhance their ability to discern the truth, assuming that is the goal….” and so on.

At last month’s hearing on deputy gangs, held on July 1, by the COC, Villanueva also bailed, but in that case the sheriff framed his failure to show as a safety issue.

Via the letter from the sheriff’s lawyer to the commission’s chair, Loyola Law School’s Sean Kennedy, Villanueva said that he could not comply with the latest subpoena to testify under oath because he “fears for his safety” at the hearings, which were being held on the Loyola Law School campus, a location that is not generally known as a perilous environment.

His fears, Villanueva said, were due to some jackets or other garments adorned with anti-sheriff sentiments, which unhappy community members attending previous COC hearings may have worn in the past. The community members may also may have tweeted mean things.

Undersheriff Tim Murakami, who was also subpoenaed, similarly could not attend because the stress of testifying at the hearing would endanger his health, according to the letter, or words to that general effect.

The next chapter in the saga will continue Monday morning at 9 a.m.

So, stay….tuned.


68 Comments

  • “There were people who were identified
    self- identified during the course of
    the investigation and those employees
    were dealt with” or suspended in regards to the Kennedy Hall incident.

    “three of them were
    self- identified, self- admitted during
    the investigation and one actually
    retired during the course of the Investigation”

  • @Stop-

    Don’t try to spin this repeated refusal by AV to honor a subpoena as some sort of heroic act. AV has done nothing to address deputy gangs (nor did any past sheriff, to be fair) but even worse, he actively interfered with a criminal investigation that would have focused on one of those gangs and its behavior, if a recently retired chief’s testimony (under oath, something AV is desperately avoiding) is to be believed.

    The station that gang calls home is near and dear to AV’s heart, so much so that members from it had ringside seats at his swearing-in ceremony. AV was desperately seeking the approval of the “real men”, gunslingers, that he’d never gotten in his career, so he fawningly invited them and gave them the VIP treatment, which included later directing that a criminal investigator shut down an embarrassing line of questioning. This was a clear conflict between his treatment of his buddies and his sworn oath, one which any seasoned politician with reasonable judgment (neither quality applying to AV at the time) would have stayed clear of by a country mile. Instead, AV, drunk with his new power and on the heels of ordering the reinstatement of his campaign driver/donor, shut down important aspects of a criminal investigation. He is now coming up with any excuse to avoid answering questions about it while under oath, as he will have to choose between a possible perjury rap, or admitting that he interfered with a criminal investigation.

    That is it, and that is all. It’s fear, plain and simple. “Balls” has nothing to do with it.

  • Antonio Ramirez

    Thanks for that link; be sure to click onto “Civilian Oversight Commission….” under “Related Stories” in your link to see what else happened in today’s COC hearing.

  • @Really?

    Very well said.

    He’s a weenie. It has nothing to do with fortitude, as the hanger-ons will pitch. So desperate they are because they’ll soon be sent packing, either into retirement, or back to the line where their partners have been getting drafted behind their vacancies.

    … “the commission should seek my support in establishing appropriate protocols.”

    Tanaka has nothing on Villanueva.

  • It obviously does not look good for the Sheriff to continue to dismiss the subpoena, while also, projecting an optic of being evasive. Further, some of the reasons he has presented (i.e., fear of being attacked), does lend credence to him being evasive. My opinion, if he was so concerned for his safety, couldn’t he have requested protection from his deputy personnel? SEB?

    Now, I do not know how this Civilian Oversight Committee functions, within this subpoena process. However, based on the WLA article(s), it appears that the COC has the ability to present witnesses, evidence etc., and rightfully so, since they are an investigatory body and are trying to ascertain the legitimacy of deputy gangs.

    The COC was put in place by the L.A. County BOS and as such, reports directly to the BOS. Further, it is no secret that the BOS and the Sheriff have a contentious relationship, to say the least. That, in of itself, would make me highly suspicious of the real intent of the COC & BOS. Furthermore, I do not believe that it is unreasonable that the Sheriff to make those requests (i.e., question witnesses, validate the evidence etc.).

    For that matter, I do not believe that anybody who is being subpoenaed to testify, would walk into such a forum, without being able to question the veracity of the subject matter. Especially, when the opposing side is trying to castrate you.

    This COC subpoena process has some rather eerily, striking resemblances to the current “January 6th” insurrection committee side show.

    Regardless of whether the Sheriff is right or wrong is not for me to decide. He will have to live with that and will face his creator come judgement day.

    What I am saying, nobody should be subjected to this type of vindictive, conniving process without having the ability to defend oneself, by questioning the veracity of the evidence which will be introduced. I am speculating here, however if any one of you Deputy’s was being investigated / charged with an impropriety wouldn’t you want to know first hand what evidence will be used against you? I am sure that any of us would want our due process taken away from us.

    Just to clarify, I am not supporting the Sheriff, nor am I saying that he is right. Let us see how this turns out.

  • @ Really,
    You called it correctly, 100% with the enablers (ALADS & PPOA) making fools out of themselves on behalf of Alex.

  • Alex & Magoorakami are straight up COWARDS!

    How can you supposedly be called the leaders of the largest sheriff’s department in the nation, and be too afraid for your safety,
    too afraid of some commissioners,
    too afraid of some questions,
    too afraid of some stress,
    too afraid of looking more stupid than they all ready do,
    and yet, expect the men and women of the LASD to follow your leadership, follow the law, and follow your lack of integrity in carrying out their noble and sometimes very dangerous mission, while conducting their daily duties?

    Alex & Magoorakami’s incompetence and cowardice, on an administrative level, actually rival that of Uvalde School Police Chief Arredondo and his Lt’s and it is just as embarrassing for the LASD, in my opinion.

    Alex and Tim, Step Up or Step Down and GTFOH, so the LASD can return to the professional and respectable status amongst the top law enforcement agencies in LA County, the state and the nation, who once looked up to us, but now avoid and laugh behind your backs at your clown show antics.

    Adios Alex & Sweatpee

    P.s.: Please make sure to take Sweatpee, Baghdad Bob, Bigglesworth Burcher, Batman Batanero, and the rest of the @$$ kissing Skippers with you.

  • Adios is right. AV is a cowardly idiot. Seriously, he’s too scared to attend the meeting? Deputies put their lives on the line every day and our “fearful” leader is scared of showing up at a meeting. AV, you are an embarrassment to all in law enforcement. During the protests you put on a helmet and a tactical vest to pose in a photo…you didn’t do shit! You were a coward then and you’re a bigger coward now!

    Stop embarrassing us and roll it up!

  • Deputies get threatened all the time. Heck, LE has been under general threat of violence since 2019. Can we stop coming to work then? If it’s psychological distress and he still gets paid- then all deputies can leave at anytime for the same reason. Right? Asking for a few friends.

  • Antonio Ramirez

    As with your other link don’t forget to click onto “RELATED STORIES”; some really interesting stuff there.

  • Mr Villanueva,

    Please explain to deputies Apolinar and Perez-Perez how frightened you are to come to work.

  • Should we infer that if UnderSheriff Murakami were compelled to appear for questioning – that is point at which he files a disability claim with L.A. County?

  • I was Sheriff Pitches driver and security for him he never had a gun all we had was a Ithica shotgun and my \service . the current Sheriff needs grow up needs to be a Sheriff,
    A few years ago the Orange County sheriff who a a female drove herself where ever she went told the press I’m a big girl and can take care of myself . Suggest AV take note

  • The COC and BOS strongly believe public servants must be open to scrutiny but they are aggressively resisting a lawful criminal search warrant regarding corruption by Sheila Kuehl and Phil Washington. Keep in mind a search warrant requires probable cause and is reviewed by a judge. This means there is something there…. Not an AV fan but the COC, BOS and Witness LA are a bunch of hypocrites.

  • @Seeking the Truth

    Are you referring to the Secret Police that AV created to intimidate political enemies, which include LASD oversight officials?

    https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-23/sheriff-alex-villanueva-secret-police

    I’ll take the PC argument with a grain of salt, as even the judge who issued the warrant for POV and LA Metro later had issues with the investigation….”In motions to quash the warrants and other court documents, lawyers for Metro’s inspector general and the judge who issued the warrants raised questions about the sheriff’s probe.”

    AV’s retaliatory tactics are pretty well known by now. I sure as hell would fight a frivolous effort from a clown like AV too.

    Public Corruption probes are the DA’s role, hence the DA told AV last year they wouldn’t join forces as AV requested. I’m sure the DA saw through AV’s attempt to weaponize the DA’s Public Integrity office so Lillienfeld and others could have unfettered access to a bunch of goodies and a better chance at filing their weak cases. Soon after the door was closed on AV’s face (one month), AV announced Gascone was his enemy.

    Can’t wait til his nonsense ends in November.

  • @Seeking,

    Can you advise if this “alleged” search warrant affidavit was authored by Bigglesworth Burcher, or Lyin Lillienfeld? Either way, there’s your answer as to why nothing of substance has materialized over the past two+ years.

  • @ Seeking
    There is a lot the Sheriff is hiding. Let us begin to seek the truth from him. Nice try though to deflect and divert attention.

  • @anonymous

    Perhaps you should enjoy what’s left of your retirement and quit posting on this blog. You’re irrelevant!

  • @Peter Griffin

    That wasn’t a slight towards Apolinar and Perez.

    That was pointing out the hypocrisy of Mr Villanueva who’s scared to speak while deputies are the ones who must face danger, a real danger.

    Whomever it was that gave him the idea to say he’s scared to appear should be embarrassed.

  • The “Coward of the County” Alejandro “Arredondo” Villanueva and his inept minions have probably been closely monitoring the progression of the Alex Jones Infowars case as Allie and Magoorakami continue to duck and dodge testifying under oath.

    But now that the Kobe Bryant crash photos scandal and coverup civil trial is about to get started, I’m sure Alex “Jones” Villanueva is pooping bricks as he now sees what happens when your lies and stupidity catch up to you in a courtroom while under oath.

    Hey Alex, can you spell: P-U-N-I-T-I-V-E D-A-M-A-G-E-S?

    Here is a preview of what’s to come when Alex hits the witness stand and Magoorakami goes “old man down” on his way to the courthouse.
    Study hard Allie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpnSCIak5A8&t=714s

    Adios Alex & Sweatpee

  • The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s practice of using paid informants to manufacture false arrests amounts to human trafficking, espionage, and civil rights violations including violations of church and state and Alex Villanueva doesn’t want the press to talk about it. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s falsely arrested an AP Moller Maersk senior application developer who was working from home, in an extortion attempt to gain access to the Damco USA, Inc code base and production database. Judge Benjamin P. Hernandez (Downey, Ca), son of Antonia Hernandez, is implicit in the cover-up attempt and released a fabricated version of the court transcript where he attempted to save face by railroading the district attorney.

  • Well well well… Subpoenas sent out? Executives’ phone communications? Whoa!!! Whaaaa? Smells like a few big dummies (fraudulently wearing Chief stars) may have to testify under oath. Id hare to be the dumb dumb who called Captains and what not… Oh man, I smell IOD paperwork as I type!!!!

  • Hey Alex, looks like you have a new “Grand Jury” subpoena that you wont be able to ignore this time. Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock! The end is near!

    As for the rest of the 8th Floor Clown Show participants, looks like it’s time to “lawyer up” as Bandito Car-1 is about to run out of gas and y’all gonna be the first ones tossed out and under that approaching prosecutorial bus!

    Watch the gates, gates are closing!

    Adios Alex & Sweatpee

  • November can’t come fast enough! Poor Alejandro looks like the tires just fell off! Lmao. Now what?

    Adios

    Alejandro

    Bibi

    Sleepy Tim

    Lying Blanchard

    Creepy Carl

    Gracias

    Attention all HoJJ & Sherman Block occupants hurry and purchase your moving boxes Asap!.

  • This sounds ridiculous. Remember when the only stupid thing Sheriff Potato Head did was try to rehire an alleged domestic violence offender, who then supposedly lied about it, then allegedly tried to big time people using his CReaper Tattoo? My how times have changed. Of course, everyone is presumed innocent until proven really, really, guilty. With videos, court proceedings, depositions, police reports, and the like.

  • @Really? – Well said and right to the point. Amen!

    He fears being at Loyola Law School? LMFAO. If there is anyone in the County that could have arranged proper security, it’s Big V. He just needs to go – and the sooner the better.

  • Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock…. Alex, the end is near. You blew it, you had a great opportunity to lead LASD, but you blew it. Your ego, your inexperience, your inability to take sound advice. You’re pettiness and vindictiveness all caught up. It’s not all your fault I guess, you surrounded yourself with mostly incompetent fools who either blindly agreed with anything you said, or just gave you horrible advice. Now it ends like this, lawsuits, embarrassing lawsuits, exposing the fraud you are and always have been. It’s sad, and extremely embarrassing.

  • I would love to hear excuses from the major contributer and enabler to Villanueva, Ronald Hernandez with his list of excuses.
    The 1.3 million given by ALADS was in no way indicative or representative of the majority of deputies.
    Rich contributions to poor choices always end in mockery, lesson learned.

  • DAY 1 of the Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash Photos Coverup Scandal

    LA Times: “Vanessa Bryant is ‘haunted’ by the sharing of Kobe crash photos, attorney says”

    https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-11/kobe-vanessa-bryant-sheriff-photo-sharing-trial

    excerpt: “Hashmall’s argument that the photos were taken for legitimate purposes is at odds with statements made by Sheriff Alex Villanueva. In an interview Li played for jurors, Villanueva said the only agencies that had a reason to take photos that day were the National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates plane crashes, and the coroner’s office.”

  • Many Angeleno’s will be tuned in next Friday to listen to Webinar on Deputy Gangs of Los Angeles with Civilian Oversight Committee.
    No doubt it will be interesting, and a precursor to the November election.

  • An excerpt from Limon’s lawsuit, the article can be found on either the Daily News or LA Times, today’s editions:

    “Villanueva’s legacy as sheriff will be known as much for incompetence as corruption,” the lawsuit states. “It will take years for any future sheriff to clean up the mess.”

    Thank you A/S Limon, for summarizing AV’s tenure accurately and succinctly. I hope Luna gets a first-rate command staff – he’s gonna need it.

  • Hooray to Retied Assistant Sheriff Robin Limon who had the maturity and fortitude to tell the truth.
    Never mind that the truth made a liar of Sheriff
    Villanueva.

    I know Alex personally and it pains me to see the cloudy direction that he took. Regardless of the ELA Station Homeboy Association, Alex has to go and live his life as a Retiree which is a win – win for himself and LASD.

  • Antonio Ramirez

    Thanks for that link; the meeting from the Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission is intended as a public meeting allowing for comment from the general public, and it is scheduled for Friday of

    Next Week.

    For those that can’t make it there’s a link whereby members of the general public can submit comments with the caveat
    “Please do not share any sensitive personally identifiable information because this comment will be made public as part of the official meeting record.”

    Most noteworthy caveat.

  • Where’s Waldo? Has anyone seen Allie or Bibi lately? Word on the street, or 8th Floor, is that “The Scared One” has been sequestered away with a scrambling team of attorneys who are feverishly working overtime to try to coach and prepared the “Illiterate One” for his upcoming under oath testimony in the Kobe Bryant, et al, Crash Photo Coverup Scandal civil trial.

    Hey Alex, the LA Times has graciously provided a one stop repository of historical info for you to “Refresh Your Recollection” on the timeline of events of bogus and conflicting accounts that you have publicly provided in the past. Word of advice, you better not rely on Baghdad Bob Satterfield to summarize for you this time as his past efforts on the “Knee on the Neck” coverup scandal timeline failed miserably.

    Mucho Gracia LA Times:
    https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-11/kobe-bryant-crash-photos-la-sheriff-department-full-coverage

    Hey Alex, de nada!

  • @ Antonio and Still laughing. No excuses hear.

    Short memories!

    At the time everyone wanted McDonnell gone. Done! Your welcome!

    Quit acting as if you speak for the majority of deputies, now, or then.

    Your Mom’s basement isn’t big enough to hold an anonymous meeting to get an assessment, but apparently it gets good wifi!

  • Hey Ronald, your broad brush and generalization of …”everyone wanted McDonnell gone” is typical of your mindset.
    Look at McDonnell’s record of terminating deputies compared to Villanueva and all of
    Villanueva’s attempted coverups.

    It truly explains your nick name of Ron “hearsay” Hernandez with no acts & no facts, just a trigger finger on your lips.
    You always take the bait on WLA, like a bad barracuda with a hook in his mouth. I’m glad you responded and just as glad that you’re gone.

    So much for your betting and vetting with memberships money, stay out of Vegas. 🙂

  • Alejandro come out come out wherever you are !!
    Soon this will be all over!

    Adios

    Alejandro

    Bibi

    Sleepy Tim

    Lying Blanchard

    Creepy Carl

    And all those worthless units that need too be dismantled.

    P.S. there will be a new sheriff in town come Nov…

    Gracias

  • @Still laughing. Take the bait? You said you wanted to hear from me.

    Your kind just doesn’t know what to do when you talk smack and are confronted. So, you try and come up with more insults.

    “Hearsay Ron?” That’s hilarious.

    Have Antonio’s Mom make you a PB&J, and warm up your milk. You’ll feel much better.

  • Little man Ron! I strongly suggest you direct your comments at me and leave the mother comments out of it. You sound like a child with thin skin. When you finally start acting like a man feel free to direct everything and anything at me . You want a strong manly hug? Come see me

  • McDonnell was pretty heavy handed with the discipline. In fact, looking back on it, I’d say his executives at the time probably were the reason for it. They overcompensated on the discipline and firings in the belief it would please their new boss. Along comes Villanueva who in so many words, pledged to reverse this trend. This made AV an attractive candidate for ALADS whose membership was being ravaged by excessive discipline and unwarranted terminations. If I’m Ron Hernandez at that time, I make the same endorsement.

    What we ended up getting was the same, vindictive, over-sensitive and petty AV that made him so despised throughout his career. He ignored advice from his earliest inner circle (a cabal who actually had some wisdom and experience) and he picked a needless fight with the BOS. I don’t like the BOS either (save for Barger) but as sheriff, you need to learn the art of statesmanship. This is a quality AV has never possessed. He’s been playing the victim for the last four years just like he did for the previous 32 or so and it’s wearing thin. And his man crush on ELA Station can easily fill eight more paragraphs but I’ve gone too long as it is.

    He says all the right things on Fox News and if I didn’t know him, I’d be pulling the lever for him. A Democrat playing to the Republican base is pretty commendable really, but it doesn’t negate the full scale implosion going on within his administration. At this point, losing the election is the least of his worries.

  • @ Eldon Hoke,

    The middle passage of your post was spot on.
    Alex’s legacy won’t stand on one leg but karma kicked in for him when he duped ALADS to gift him the ridiculous amount of 1plus million.
    In return, Alex terminatied many deputies and went after them like goose stepping Gestapo while ignoring the criminal acts ELA Gangster Deputies

    For those who don’t know the story ( ron hernandez was NOT there & does NOT know) ask any knowledgeable deputy who was in ALADS at that time.
    Even though Alex had valid points, I see now why ALADS despised him, way back when, based upon his shenanigans as Sheriff

    As the saying goes, “New wine can’t go into old wine skins”

  • @ E.H.
    Ironic that you eek out the statement, Re: “excessive discipline and unwarranted terminations” by McDonnell then you go on to say that you would mimic (so to speak) Ron Hernandez. Open mouth then insert foot, for foolish thinking.

    The current administration, if you would, of ALADS just one upped Ron by endorsing Villanueva again.who has terminated more deputies than McDonnell and has more scandals than than Orange County Sheriff Department
    (Ca.) LAPD and NYPD combined.

    Trust me on this, the majority of deputies do not agree at all with the Kool-aid induced endorsement.

    Villanueva is on an all out campaign, complete with daily photo ops which you can see on Facebook & Twitter. The ring & butt kissers are pathetic but just as funny as those who rant Trump 2024

    The biggest inside joke within LASD is that morale is at an all time high. LMAO 🙂

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