Villanueva has lost their trust
Re “Latest sheriff move is suspect,” column, Sept. 15
Steve Lopez’s suspicion about the search by sheriff ’s investigators of Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl’s home appears to be wellfounded.
I listened to an interview with Sheriff Alex Villanueva about the search, and all he did was whine about his treatment by the Board of Supervisors and others. I heard enough to conclude that this seems, once again, to be an abuse of power.
Villanueva does not get along with the supervisors, the county inspector general or Dist. Atty. George Gascón. His threat to investigate a Times reporter earlier this year demonstrates he is simply not to be trusted. He has also ignored lawful subpoenas.
Villanueva needs to ask himself: Who is the problem here? The entire Board of Supervisors, the inspector general, the district attorney and The Times? Or just him?
Terry Shenkman
Culver City
What kind of community do we live in when a county supervisor and a nonprofit executive director can have their homes and offices searched at the whim of a sheriff, despite the fact that the district attorney’s office declined to pursue the matter? This is intimidation, pure and simple.
I have empathy for Kuehl, but I have particular concern for Patti Giggans, the executive director of Peace Over Violence whose home and office were also searched.
As a fellow nonprofit leader, I know how hard Giggans and her team work on behalf of our community, particularly victims of domestic violence. It’s scary and disheartening to see someone who has dedicated her life to the service of others
put through such an ordeal over an unsupported allegation concerning a contract dispute.
I support accountability, so where is the accountability for this sheriff?
Mark Loranger
Los Angeles
Your coverage makes an excellent case for the need of a commission to oversee the sheriff. A serving county supervisor who has been critical of the sheriff was escorted out of her home by deputies who arrived with a search warrant.
Sheriff ’s departments are a necessary and legitimate function of county governments. However, they are paramilitary organizations, and in keeping with the principle of civilian control of the military, they need strict oversight and accountability — lest they become a law unto themselves.
Joseph Gius
Los Angeles
I was enraged by the invasion into the home of Kuehl, one of the finest public servants of our time.
Just as the Ukrainian comic Volodymyr Zelensky grew to become the hero and leader of his country, “Zelda” crashed through the world of television comedy to become speaker pro tem of our Assembly and a prominent county supervisor. I have voted for and supported Kuehl every chance I had, fully aware of her influence toward the progress of women’s rights.
She has done an inordinate amount of good for Californians, for women and for the LGBTQ community.
Jacqueline Melvin
Sherman Oaks