For months, Sheriff Robert Luna and Supervisor Kathryn Barger have stood in lockstep, peddling the same tired script: that “public safety is their top priority”. With choreographed press conferences and hollow soundbites, they’ve paraded around buzzwords like “deputy wellness,” “community trust,” and “readiness”, all while the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department quietly collapses behind the scenes.
That’s not a staffing gap. That’s a full-blown crisis.
But don’t expect Luna or Barger to say that out loud.
At the “State of the County” event held last week, Barger smiled for the cameras and declared, “Deputy wellness, public safety, and homeless reform are top priorities,” flanked by Luna as they sold their fantasy to an audience that likely has no idea how bad things really are. Not once did either acknowledge that nearly 1 in 4 LASD positions are currently vacant. Because that would ruin the show.
But the cracks in the stage are showing.
Assistant Sheriff Jason Skeen, who once supported Luna’s candidacy, broke rank at a recent Civilian Oversight Commission meeting with this startling statement:
“We are at a precipice.” he told the Civilian Oversight Commission in May, admitting it is becoming more difficult to accomplish the Sheriff’s department’s mission with the current staffing crisis. “For every three people, they have to do the duties of one additional person,” Skeen said.
That’s not spin. That’s a distress signal, and it exposes Luna and Barger’s PR campaign for what it is: political gaslighting.
Even more astonishing is that Skeen secretly backed Luna for Sheriff in 2022, allegedly undermining then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva, his own boss, at the behest of the Board of Supervisors and Luna’s campaign. Despite Luna’s well-known record of failed leadership at the Long Beach Police Department, Skeen bet on his political pliability to serve his own self-interests, aligning himself with a Board that had systematically torpedoed every effort Villanueva made to stabilize and strengthen the largest sheriff’s department in the nation.
Villanueva did not mince words on X:
“They lied to the public about our staffing levels. They said we were fully staffed, but they weren’t. We had thousands of vacant seats.”
That’s not a disagreement, it’s a damn indictment.
The truth is this: Luna inherited a fully functional department, but instead of continuing to build upon his predecessor’s efforts and leadership, he chose to surrender the department to the whims of the progressive Board of Supervisors, and biased mainstream media outlets pushing their propaganda.
Meanwhile, Barger, who once claimed to champion public safety, is now fully complicit, propping up Luna’s illusion while turning a blind eye to the human toll caused by the mass exodus of department personnel.
And that toll is growing.
Emergency response times are dangerously long. Deputies are burning out under relentless overtime. Communities, especially in underserved areas, are left vulnerable. Patrols are stretched razor thin.
And the Board of Supervisors?
Silent. Detached. Delusional.
You cannot claim LASD is “thriving” when one-quarter of your workforce doesn’t exist. That’s not optimism, it’s dereliction of duty.
LA County voters aren’t stupid. They can see beyond the smoke and mirrors.
This isn’t a story about reform. It’s a slow-motion train wreck in 2026 campaign mode – and the public deserves to know exactly who’s behind the wheel.
That low rumbling sound you may have been hearing recently is the freight train that is slowly rumbling towards the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
This past Thursday, March 28th, all members of the Department were treated to an email from the current Sheriff, advising them that due to his abject failure of leadership, along with that of his recent predecessors (I’m paraphrasing here), they can expect a visit from the State Department of Justice in the very near future.
The pending arrival of the Justice Department has not been unexpected.
In January of 2021, the California Attorney General notified the Sheriff’s Department that they were initiating a civil investigation into certain aspects of the department’s operations. Frankly, this action can be placed at the feet of our prior sheriff, Alex Villanueva. While his daily dustups with virtually every entity in Los Angeles County may have been amusing/entertaining/satisfying, we all need to remember that actions have consequences.
The Board of Supervisors also owns a part of this, since they originally choked off funding to the Department during the tenure of Villanueva, a decision they are going to pay dearly for over the next few years. Things have fallen apart, broken, lost relevance, disappeared, and generally been left unattended for years. The price will be a steep one to bring things back into compliance. Shame on them and their petty political gamesmanship.
While Villanueva and the BOS rightfully own a portion of what’s going on, Alex is by no means the one and only head of the LASD who has failed their personnel.
When I first joined the department, we were dealing with the Rutherford Decision in custody. Rutherford was an action from 1979 (the year before I drove up), and essentially dictated how people in department custody were to be treated. It’s unbelievable to me to see that it is still an active Consent Decree even today.
All these years later, and as of this morning as I sit to write this article, the Department is now subject to not one, but four Settlement Agreements (Consent Decrees). Joining Rutherford are the Rosas Settlement Agreement, The Johnson Settlement Agreement, and the Antelope Valley federal Settlement Agreement. In my estimation, that seems to be a whole lot of outside oversight, and more than enough for one agency. I can’t help but think that the Attorney General does not share my viewpoint, and is essentially saying, “hold my beer,” as they formulate their plans for the future of the LASD.
Based on the email that went out to the entire department, it is clear that the DOJ is looking into the following:
Use of Force, Stops, Searches, and Arrests, Law Enforcement Gangs, Internal Investigations, Discipline, and Complaint Processes, Integrity, Oversight, and Community Engagement, Training, Hiring, Retention, Staffing, and Supervision, Custody and Conditions of Confinement.
Yep, looks like just about every aspect of the Department is going under the microscope. The only thing to do in this situation is to make the best deal you can and get to complying with the requirements. I know that the federal monitors have pretty much had it with what they see as the lack of cooperation from the Department when it comes to the AV Settlement Agreement. Don’t be surprised to see something more come of this in the near future.
All of this brings me to a point I’d like to make. Who is held responsible when things fall apart? Too often I have seen the line troops suffer when things go south. It is my belief that each and every one of these Settlement Agreements point towards one thing: leadership failure. Let’s face it, like it or not, the man or woman at the top is ultimately responsible for how things go; good and bad. It’s leadership 101. If you get the big bucks, then the “buck” stops with you.
The Sheriff needs to get a handle on this, asap.
It amazes me that the Department has known about this DOJ investigation since 2021 but has done nothing to shortstop some of the issues by proactively working to correct them. Over one year in office, and this Sheriff has virtually nothing to show for it. Nothing, that is, except record levels of suicides, IOD’s, employee burn out, record forced overtime, record poor morale, record broken down equipment, including buses. One unenviable record after another. And now the prospect of yet another soul-sucking Settlement Agreement and outside oversight. The Sheriff better hope and pray that the State doesn’t decide to install a Special Master to oversee the entire Department.
The Department needs to take this situation seriously and react decisively and appropriately. Agree to the required fixes and get to work on it! To do anything less is to once again fail the department and fail your personnel.
One rumor stands above the others regarding this situation, and that is the belief that the DOJ is pushing for the current LASD director of Constitutional Policing, Eileen Decker, to be the point person for Department oversight upon implementation of the expected Settlement Agreement. If true, this could put the current sheriff in the position of needing to run everything by her before implementing any changes. Pretty sad situation for an elected sheriff. Keep a sharp eye out for the Inspector General, Max Huntsman, possibly angling for a piece of the pie as well.
Sheriff, do your job.
People like to talk about “Constitutional Policing,” I say, go beyond “Constitutional Policing.” I consider the Constitution to be the baseline. Go beyond. Make things even better. This is not the time to grumble and groan about the fairness or unfairness of what’s happening. The results have pretty much been baked into the pie at this point. May as well suck it up and move forward. The LASD will be stronger for it in the long run.
A surprising endorsement was posted on Twitter as former LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr’s support (presumably) for his run for LA County Supervisor.
Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. in a video speaking to former LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.Photo byAlex Villanueva
The video of Kennedy Jr. speaking directly to Villanueva said: “I’m looking forward to seeing you and working with you.” It is unclear if he was referring to his potential new role as L.A. County Supervisor should he survive the March primary.
Kennedy did not use the word “endorse”, nor did he mention the Sheriff’s campaign specifically.
While Kennedy’s support is a much needed temporary shot in the arm the former Sheriff desperately needed, his fundraising efforts tell a different story – and the odds of him winning the coveted seat on the Board of Supervisors.
Last week, Villanueva’s current campaign finance woes were released showing the former head of the largest Sheriff’s Department in the country only has approximately $7800 cash with a few short weeks to go to the March 5th California primary.
According to The LA Times, who reported on Villanueva’s most recent fundraising report, he owes $17,000 to the firm running his campaign, TAB Communications and loaned himself $7,500.
As of Jan. 20, he had a little less than $7,800 cash on hand, the report said.
Villanueva has raised roughly $71,000 in cash so far, not including his loan.
Hahn, in stark comparison, has raised $617,000 in cash, with a little more than $300,000 on hand, according to her most recent campaign finance statement.
In 2022, Villanueva managed to raise a cool $2.9 million dollars after enlisting the services of top entertainment publicist Jessica Meisels.
But not even her 20-year career working with billionaire brands like the Kardashians, Nobu Hotels and Circ Vodka (just to name a few) and her efforts supporting the Sheriff wooing a good portion of the LA and Hollywood industry elite, could sway the outcome of his bid for re-election.
Meisels did her best to give Villanueva a Hollywood-style overhaul, but in the end, his highly contentious relationship with the Board of Supervisors, publicly and privately attacking his detractors, including well-known journalists, aliented a considerable amount of voters – and now – future donors.
The relationship between Villanueva and Kennedy Jr. can be traced back to 2018, just days after Villanueva was sworn in as Sheriff of L.A. County. Villanueva attended his first community event in Malibu, shortly after the devastating Woolsey Fire.
Kennedy jr. was a resident on Point Dume at the time and spoke to residents and local and state officials at the Malibu Emergency Preparedness and Recovery Resources event with Villanueva.
Robert Kennedy Jr. speaking at the Malibu Emergency Preparedness meeting bat Duke’s after the Woolsey fire in December, 2018.Photo byCece Woods
Newly elected Sheriff Alex Villanueva, Chief Dennis Kneer and myself at the same meeting at Duke’s, December, 2018.Photo byCece Woods
Currently, Kennedy Jr. has been busy traveling the country campaigning for President of the United States where recent polls show him at 11%.
Watch. Undercover LA where we discuss the latest in LA County politics and public safety.Photo byUndercover LA
On January 31st, just days before voters receive their ballots in the mail for the March primary, the LA times published an article announcing a decision by the County to issue a “Do Not Rehire” be included at the top of former Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s personnel file.
According to sources in the department, the County Equity Oversight Panel consisting of Constance Komoroski, Mercedes Cruz, Roberta Yang and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Chief Laura Lecrevain, met by teleconference on October 17th, 2023. The reccomendation was confirmed to have been adopted via department sources.
The committee determined Villanueva had violated several county policies against discrimination and harassment. Although Villanueva was no longer sheriff, he had already announced his candidacy for Board of Supervisors, challenging incumbent Janice Hahn.
Villanueva wrote in an email statement to the LA Times “This is but another brazen attempt by the Board of Supervisors to engage in electioneering to influence the outcome of the race for 4th District supervisor,” he wrote in an emailed statement to The Times. “Much like the special hearings of the Civilian Oversight Commission, this unprecedented effort by the county is neither supported by fact or the rule of law.”
“It seems clear that it is a bold strategic gambit, meant to cripple any possibility that he (Villanueva) ever becomes sheriff again.” retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Captain Mike Bornman told The Current Report. “However, these wounds also seem to be self-inflicted” said Bornman on the Undercover LA podcast, referring to the inflammatory rhetoric which also provided the fuel behind the “Do Not Rehire” status issued by the County Equity Oversight Panel.
According to Bornman, the next logical step in this process would be to file a petiton with the Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) to decertify Villanueva which Senate Bill 2, passed in September of 2021, allows for the decertification of peace officers for serious misconduct, which includes the violations of discrimination and harassment.
The Board has taken extraordinary measures to ensure that Villanueva, should he win another term as Sheriff of the largest Sheriff’s Department in the country, by intrducing Measure A, which passed in November 2022. The measure allows the Board of Supervisors to remove the Sheriff, for cause. A move many, including Villanueva, believes is unconstitutional. However, there is legal precedent, as a 2005 California appellate court approved a law that lets supervisors in San Bernardino County remove a sheriff.
Just days after the layoffs of 25% of their newsroom, the LA Times, “sponsored a cushy mixer with elected officials” Spectrum News reporter Kate Cagle’s Twitter.
The timing of the mixer Cagle revealed in her tweet and the announcement of the “Do Not Rehire” of the former Sheriff and Board of Supervisors candidate by LAT, seems to support Villanueva’s assertions that the Board is attempting to influence the primary election to be held on March 5th, of which mail in ballots are now being received by registered voters throughout the county.
You gotta hand it to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. The man has some Mad-Max forward-thinking skills.
Back on July 21st, based on the decisions made by our county leaders, Sheriff V predicted if massive defunding continued, the streets of Los Angeles would like a scene out of Mad Max.
Well hot damn if that prediction doesn’t look like it’s coming to fruition a lot faster than any of us – even the top cop in charge in L.A. County – could have possibly imagined it would.
Last week, state and local officials delivered yet another round of sobering statistics due to the COVID19 crisis. And for those of you who are not sober, by all means feel free to take a shot or two before you take in these statistics – because these numbers are ugly – and defunding hasn’t even happened yet!
Sheriff Villanueva announced in his weekly live updates on December 2nd, that Homicide is up 31.58% YTD. That is not a typo. Homicide is climbing up in double digitsand Aggravated Assault is not far behind, almost entering double digit territory at 9.95%.
I’m on pins and needles waiting to see how high the numbers go this week!
Last Wednesday, Sheriff Villanueva delivered some trouble crime statistics on his weekly, live social media updates.
Not to take away Sheriff V’s thunder and all after producing some impressively frightening numbers, but I was able to find even more staggering statistics coming out of Pasadena. Are you ready for this one? (I suggest double shots at this point).
For those of you doing the math, we have just 20% to go until gun violence is up 100% – and that’s just in Pasadena – defunding in L.A. County hasn’t even kicked in yet!
Pasadena Daily News, December 3rd, 2020.
It was no surprise to already overburdened, understaffed and soon to be drastically underfunded law enforcement, to see a significant increase in crime due to pandemic fatigue and the devastation to the economy from the virus. But, I certainly don’t think anyone “Reimagined” L.A. would be this bad, this fast.
Could it be the “visionaries” behind the defund-first-ask-questions later movement, Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, Civilian Oversight Commission Chair Patti Giggans and their political enforcer OIG Max Huntsman are too busy “reimagining” what their lives are going to look like after the DA finishes their investigation into the LA Metro Pay-To-Play scam and indictments are handed down?
Don’t worry, The Current Report will be court side when that goes down.
GIDDY UP
After throwing all those horrible statistics your way, believe it or not, there is a glimmer of hope in Southern California law enforcement. A few cowboys stepped up as soon as the Stay-At-Home orders were served up by French Laundry fan Gov. Newsome – and they kicked it back to the cook.
Leading the charge among Southern California Sheriffs is Riverside County’s Chad Bianco who hit rock star status over the weekend making national headlines with his COVID-KICK-THE-POLITICIANS-ASS campaign.
Sheriff Bianco certainly knows how to deal with how wild, the Wild West is getting. Immediately out of the gate, Bianco opened a serious can of whoop ass on local and state officials – specifically Governor Newsome. Bianco was not at all gentle about the spurs he was shoving back up the Governor’s “hypocritical” ass … and who doesn’t love a cowboy who knows how to use his political spurs?
Bianco cracked the whip in a publicly released video statement on December 4th, that his office will not be “blackmailed, bullied, or used as muscle” against Riverside County residents to enforce Gov. Gavin Newsom’s coronavirus orders. He admonished the Democratic governor’s “dictatorial attitude” toward Californians, “while he dined in luxury, traveled, kept his own business open, and sent his kids to in-person private school”. Bianco also called the state’s metrics to justify stay-at-home orders “flat-out ridiculous” and “unbelievably faulty.”
Now that’s a REAL cowboy!
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
“Leaders do not threaten, attempt to intimidate, or cause fear; bullies do,”
– Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco
THE WRITING ON THE (BATHROOM) WALL
Remember all the smoke and mirrors at the beginning of the pandemic when Supervisor Kuehl was calling Sheriff V a “whiner” because the Board was removing him as the head of Emergency Operations?
Well, at the time, Sheriff V expressed his concern over the B.O.S. leaving him out of important meetings and strategy sessions early in the crisis. Up until March 23rd, neither Villanueva, nor any law enforcement official had been included in any of the LA county press conferences. “This is about taking care of people, not elected officials or politicians,” Villanueva said. Which, in layman’s terms means, long before the lockdown, and the vote to remove him, the BOS was keeping the man in charge of public safety out of the loop to keep the public safe. Get it?
Fast forward 10-months-two-lockdowns-shattered-lives-and-skyrocketing-crime later, now you can sure as sh*t see what his frustration was back in March.
It wasn’t the sound of “whining” (as Kuehl puts it), it was the sound of the head of the largest Sheriff’s Department in the country, an elected official, getting some good-old-fashioned-pissed-off. That’s what that was.
After all, he was witnessing the desecration of an over 70 year old ordinance and dismantling of critical emergency infrastructure – that he was elected to run– especially during a state of emergency(a.k.a. global pandemic).
Plain and simple, the removal of the Sheriff as head of the EOC was intended to be the first of many steps intended to distance the Board from critical law enforcement oversight. Their goal? To take unilateral control of the county with Kuehl as the puppet master pushing propaganda through her paid media sources focusing on demonizing Sheriff Villanueva.
Why?
Because Kuehl is still bitter her political ally, former Sheriff Jim McDonnell, got his ass handed to him by Villanueva in the 2018 Sheriff’s election. McDonnell has the dubious honor of being the first incumbent to lose in the 150-year history of the department. OUCH.
But trust me, he earned it.
In this interview for SCPR just days before the vote to remove Sheriff Villanueva from the head of the EOC, Kuehl, states the efforts to remove Villanueva started in January 2019, (coincidentally – and conveniently – when the newly-elected sheriff took office) – however, the county had already been “overseeing” Emergency Operations for approximately a decade.
“It is a shift of power on paper. ” said Kuehl “But frankly, for the last 10 years there has been an Office of Emergency Management and they have been tasked with overseeing emergencies. Earthquakes etc.”
If you are following closely, Kuehl and her double talk in that interview outed the County as being responsible for the failures during the Woolsey Fire, not the Sheriff – even though her boy Jim McDonnell was still in charge of the Sheriff’s Department.
In reality, former Sheriff McDonnell checked out during the Woolsey Fire because the proverbial writing was on the bathroom wall and Villanueva was already picking out the paint color for his new office on the 8th floor at the Hall of Justice.
But, Kuehl was hoping we would miss that critical piece of information while she was informing the radio show host he was “being played” by Sheriff V.
I mean, how dare a journalist question Supervisor Kuehl about why they would remove the Sheriff from a position the department has held for over 70 years!
Clearly, the unassuming host didn’t get the memo that you can only interview Kuehl if you are going to exclusively push her narrative, and her narrative only. Kind of like how Spectrum News did for Kuehl pushing her “non-story” after Fox 11 outed her “risky behavior” dining out at her favorite restaurant after voting to close restaurants because they were “the most dangerous place to catch COVID”.
SHOW ME THE MONEY
Now, with the removal of the Sheriff as the head of the EOC, Kuehl was perfectly poised to put a new puppet in charge and who better than someone with extensive experience infinanceto run Emergency Operations.
Well, when you know how much Kuehl loves money, her choice, County CEO Sachi Hamai, was hardly a surprise. I mean, it makes perfect sense appointing an accountant to run public safety during a global pandemic, right? Of course it does…NOT.
“Don’t forget that Kuehl was an actress before becoming a politician,” said a source close to the criminal allegations against Kuehl. “It’s all smoke and mirrors with Kuehl, and she supports bad people doing bad things. Look what has happened with Covid-19. Kuehl turned Emergency management over to Sachi Hamai, and now we are shutting down business for the second time.”
So, what was Hamai’s first move as head of Emergency Operations of the County during a state of emergency and a global pandemic? As usual, it was all about the money, honey. Hamai decided the first, mostemergentmove while people are losing their livelihoods, scared to death of contracting the virus and ending up sick- or worse – was to make suresheriff deputies use their vacation paywhile in quarantine due to exposure from the virus while on duty.
Talk about priorities!
While watching this train wreck running Emergency Operations, I got a tip on some hair-raising emails regarding the EOC saga that I needed to get my hands on. So, I made some inquiries.
Remember all that noise about removing the Sheriff because of lack of transparency? Well check this out this cornucopia of attempted cover-up by the county.
The art of manipulation by the LA County PIO office responding to PRA requests – especially when they know you are asking for sensitive information that could expose their lies and corruption.
Meanwhile, the county was funneling millions of CARE ACT funds into their COVID “PR” strategy. The powers that be felt no shame using government money that should have been used to support businesses financially devastated by the coronavirus, for their own personal propaganda campaign. The money went straight into the pockets of personal friends and campaign donors who own PR companies.
While I’m willing to give Barger a pass because she voted against the defunding of law enforcement and the inquiry to remove the Sheriff from his position, she really does need to learn how to pick her friends better.
SHOW ME MORE MONEY
According to Kuehl, Hamai made “great sacrifices” to put off her retirement to stay on for four months during the pandemic and cockblock, I mean “oversee”, Sheriff Villanueva doing his job to ensure public safety during not one, but TWO states of emergency.
Kuehl thought Hamai did such an outstanding job (doing nothing but being a puppet), she decided to give her a bonus of almost two times her salary and label it “harassment by the Sheriff”.
Ten days after Hamai whined to Kuehl (there goes that word again) that Sheriff V wasn’t being nice to her in a public forum, even though she is a public official and is supposed to address other public officials, and their concerns, in public, Kuehl thought the best way to deal Hamai’s hurt feelings (a.k.a “harassment”), was to write her a $1.5 million check, at taxpayers expense, to make her feel better.
No formal mediation or litigation. The County just a wrote a check lickety-split and filed it under “It’s the Sheriff’s Fault”.
What was Kuehl’s solution when she expressed how sorry she was “Alex’s feelings were hurt” in this interview? Stripping the Sheriff of being head of EOC.
Talk about getting a raw deal! But then again, we all know how much she likes women more than men.
FROM PANDEMIC PLANNER TO PARTY PLANNER
One thing we know for sure is politicians sure know how to party. Gavin Newsome seems to be the premier party boy with his high-profile political date night at French Laundry and we even heard rumblings of a co-hosted Christmas party in the works with Pelosi – and this after he handed out orders to close all restaurants!
Not far behind is Supervisor Kuehl, who “risked it all” to have dinner at her favorite restaurant, Il Fornaio, just hours after declaring restaurants “the most dangerous place to catch Covid”. After refusing to address a number of news channels as to why she was immune to catching Covid at a restaurant, yet everyone else wasn’t and they desperately need to be closed down, Kuehl referred to local news sources as “cartoon networks” (except for Spectrum News who played by her rules and pushed her “non-story”). That was a rich statement coming from a former actress who is no stranger to TV. Could she be hinting a new animated series is on the horizon?
Not to be outdone by his peers, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti is refocusing his efforts away from solving the economic devastation faced by the citizens of Los Angeles and has accepted the post of Chief Party Planner of the Biden inauguration. Yep, “Yoga Pants” Garcetti is following his dream in the hospitality industry andheaded to Washington DC to plan the biggest party in the nation. So big, it’s only thrown once every four years.
Meanwhile, rumors are circulating around Los Angeles that Garcetti has reached out to L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl to see if she will donate her Il Forno frequent diner points to the Biden Inauguration Party fund to reduce the cost of catering.
Believe it or not, there is a light at the end of this political pandemic tunnel as criminal indictments are looming over Kuehl, Giggans, Solis and L.A. Metro’s Phil Washington.
Kuel’s co-horts, Supervisors Janice Hahn and Kathryn Barger have begun to pull away from their alliances with Kuehl and refused to support Kuehl’s motion to remove the Sheriff. Two out of five ain’t a bad start, we’ll take it.
Last week, Supervisor Hahn also pointed outthat the actions of L.A. County Supervisors are beginning to erode the trust of the citizens Los Angeles.
“We have to remember that we who are in public office are held to a very high standard as we should be and one of the things I’m realizing with some of these new restrictions is if we can’t garner the trust of the public to be with us in this fight against the virus, then we’ve lost a big battle and I’m feeling that now nine months into this is we’re beginning to lose the trust of the public,” Hahn said.
I would say that’s putting it lightly Janice, but thanks for the sentiments.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Shortly after it went live, County counsel sent us an official “non-response” to the PRA published in this article.I never received the document attached to the December 12th email sent me as a response to my article, nor could county counsel provide me with the email showing it was actually sent the day it was drafted.
While the country continues to watch the election drama unfold, President-Elect Biden and VP-Elect Kamala Harris continue moving forward with the transition to a new administration despite the monumental roadblocks strategically placed by the Trump Administration.
Using the technicalities to justify their actions, Trump appointee, Emily Murphy, the head of the General Services Administration has failed to affirm that Biden won the election. The GSA, the agency that certifies presidential transitions, has refused to trigger a process which has effectively blocked Biden’s transition team from accessing government resources – and based on information obtained by The Current Report regarding a key member of the transition team, the stall might turn out to be a good thing.
Knowingly or unknowingly, President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris have chosen embattled LA Metro CEO Phillip Washington to lead the new administration’s transition team for Transportation. A rather controversial choice as Washington is involved in multiple federal, state, local and internal L.A. Metro investigations involving allegations of criminal conduct.
Screenshot form the Biden-Harris Transition Website.
L.A. Metro CE, Phillip Washington
It is certainly plausible that the Biden-Harris were unaware that the LA Metro CEO, the head of the third largest transportation agency, is under multiple Federal investigations for allegations that as LA Metro CEO engaged in Pay-to-Play, Public Corruption, Fraud, Wasted and Abuse of Public Funds, and Wire Fraud exposed by reporter Bill Melugin back in September. Counterfeit PPE exposed by The Current Report in October helped open multiple federal investigations into L.A. Metro’s involvement in the import and distribution of fake, federally regulated N95 respirators to Metro staff. If it is found that the counterfeit PPE lead to the death of multiple Metro employees, Washington could also face manslaughter charges.
“Given the number of criminal investigations currently underway, one simply cannot imagine a scenario in which President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris will tolerate Phil Washington’s corruption” said a source close to the criminal investigations at L.A. Metro.“He was able to temporarily stop a criminal investigation by DA Jackie Lacey’s head of Public Integrity unit Alan Yochelson by having his lawyers make campaign contributions to Lacey’s campaign.” the source continued.
The Current Report discovered through a search at the LA County Registrar-Recorder Campaign database that the law firm of Sheppard Mullin, which represents LA Metro and LA Metro CEO Phillip Washington, made their first campaign contribution in 11 years to an L.A. County District Attorney election, and their only L.A. County campaign contribution in the 2020 election cycle, was to District Attorney Jackie Lacey and their only L.A. County campaign contribution in the 2020 election cycle.
In July of 2019, complaints were filed by whistleblowers regarding Public Corruption and Pay-to-Play by L.A. Metro CEO Phillip Washington, LA Metro Karen Gorman (who is accused of stealing taxpayer funds from L.A. Metro) L.A. Metro Employees Aston Greene III and member of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors Sheila Kuehl, members of the L.A. City Council, Peace Over Violence and Civilian Oversight Chairman Patti Giggans.
Head District Attorney Joseph Esposito has acknowledged that these complaints are under review. In December of 2019, the law firm of Sheppard Mullin made campaign contributions to the Jackie Lacey for DA Campaign, approximately 45 days after being retained by L.A. Metro and Phillip Washington and New Orleans RTA CEO Alex Wiggins.
As a result, it appears the ADA Yochelson made little effort to investigate multiple allegations into public corruption at L.A. Metro. Yochelson has been exposed previously for his arrogance, bias and unwillingness to hold Malibu City officials accountable for their criminal activities which include alleged bribery, voter intimidation, harassment. “Yochelson is widely considered a primary contributor to corruption in L.A. County, and he will generally cower to the pocketbooks of elected officials and not investigating public corruption in L.A. County.” Said a source who has work in public corruption for several years, “Yochelson is considered the biggest joke in the DA office.” Whistleblowers in the LA Metro case received a letter from Head ADA Joseph Esposito asking for patience. However, the DA’s office has never interviewed any of the whistleblowers in this case.
LA Metro CEO Phillip Washington is no stranger to Federal Investigations. The Director of the Civil Rights Division a Denver’s Regional Transit District (RTD), Kenneth Hardin, was indicted and subsequently convicted of accepting Bribes under Phil Washington’s leadership.
In Los Angeles, several federal investigations have been fueled by Bill Melugin’s Fox11 News story about no-bid contracts between L.A. Metro and Peace Over Violence and Civilian Oversight Committee Chairman, Patti Giggans, who is one of Supervisor Sheila Kuehl’s best friends.
According to a source who was interviewed by Federal Agents “within minutes of Melugin’s story airing on Fox11 News, the Department of Homeland Security reached out to whistleblowers to request evidence related allegations by L.A. Metro CEO Phillip Washington, L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and Peace Over Violence and LA County Civilian oversight Commission Chair Patti Giggans.”
The corruption is out of control in Los Angeles when it comes to the stranglehold that the triangle of corruption between Washington, Kuehl, and Giggans hold over the heads of prosecutors. Washington, Kuehl, and Giggans, unfortunately, can influence the United States Department of Justice.
“Assistant United States Attorney Brendon Fox, Chief of the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice, in the Central District of California is frustrating the Department of HomelandSecurity efforts to investigate allegations of criminal activity by Phillip Washington, Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and Patti Giggans as it relates to no-bid contracts at LA Metro, specifically around wire fraud.” commented a source who has been interviewed with both Homeland Security and the FBI task force assigned to public corruption in Los Angeles, “Assistant United States Attorney, Brendon Fox wrote a three-page letter to the Department of Homeland Security, outlining why he was preventing Homeland Security from investigating allegations of criminal activity by Washington, Kuehl and Giggans, however, Homeland Security Directors were told privately it was a political favor of L.A. County Supervisor Kuehl.”
When LA County Inspector General Max Huntsman was asked if it was appropriate for Patti Giggans to remain on the Civilian Oversight Commission while being criminally investigated by the LA County DA’s Office Huntsman stated:
“You ask if it is a conflict of interest for someone to be part of a county commission which is being reviewed by the grand jury. No, it is not. It is the civil grand jury’s job to review any aspects of local government at their discretion and that function happens yearly. Should the civil grand jury conclude it appropriate, they are empowered to make recommendations regarding local government. Members of the civil grand jury do not generally also sit on county commissions for that reason. Not only is it appropriate for someone to sit on a commission that is being reviewed by the grand jury, it is expected.” said Huntsman.
A source close to the cases involving Washington stated:
“Huntsman’s arrogance is indicative of the broader sense that LA County Officials are “untouchable” by law enforcement and prosecutors. I work with various law enforcement agencies every day, and I can assure you that Phillip Washington, Supervisor Kuehl, and Patti Giggan’s are subject to very serious investigations. I think the task force that is looking into the criminal activity at LA Metro, LA County and at Peace Over Violence consists of 25 investigators from 5 different agencies, including the FBI task force that formerly investigating Jose Huizar.”
“It would be inappropriate for me to comment on information that has been shared by Law Enforcement or interactions I have had with the Grand Jury. However, if I were Washington, Kuehl or Giggans, I would be actively be retaining a criminal defense attorney, and letting my family know that there is high probability that Grand Jury will hand down indictments.” he continued “As for Huntsman, taunting the DOJ and the Grand Jury, well, sounds like there may be a separate federal investigation in to corruption involving Huntsman. I do know it is never good if the DOJ and Grand Jury know where to find you.”
It is well known that L.A. Metro CEO Phillip Washington wants to be the United States Secretary of Transportation. However, due to the ongoing criminal investigations into Public Corruption, Pay to Play and Fraud, Waste and Abuse of Taxpayer funds, it is highly unlikely that a Cabinet appointment is in LA Metro CEO Philip Washington’s future.
Over the last several days, Vice President Elects Harris’s office has been notified of the Criminal Investigations involving LA Metro CEO Phillip Washington, however, Vice President Elect Harris has declined to return phone calls regarding Washington.
“Phillip Washington could have been the example of the American experience, rising out of the Chicago projects to become the Secretary of Transportation. Instead Phil decided to take shortcuts, lie, cheat, steal and betray the public trust to get what he wanted, and now it is likely that he will be held criminally accountable” concluded sources close to the investigation.
According to the Build Back Better, the official Biden-Harris transition website, Washington continues to hold a key leadership position while the agency he in charge of, L.A. Metro, continues to fail its employees and the public at large. L.A. Metro has yet to notify employees of the counterfeit PPE, discovered in April at the beginning of the pandemic and could possibly be linked to the deaths of at least three employees who contracted COVID19. Additionally, L.A. Metro has yet to publicly address multiple faulty PPE equipment in their inventory – possibly still in circulation – distributed to the over thousands of employees and public at large whose use L.A. Metro services.
As government officials grapple with COVID numbers spiking exponentially, the Biden-Harris appointment of Philip Washington as Team leader for Public Transportation is a disappointing and controversial choice to say the least.
The Biden transition staff did not respond to requests for comment.
During a live virtual Board of Supervisors’ (BOS) meeting held on Tuesday, April 28, 2020, Sheriff Alex Villanueva addressed the BOS motion regarding the partial release of $143.7M in appropriated funds that had been frozen by the Board on October 1st, 2019. After the motion was introduced, Supervisors Kuehl and Solis amended it to include a bombshell, which was the surprise announcement of a promotional freeze for all positions within the Sheriff’s department, including critical front line supervision.
The Sheriff introduced a descriptive graph that illustrated the deliberate defunding of the Sheriff’s Department budget over the course of the last five years, as it compares to the overall county budget. Since 2000, the LASD budget has grown on average 0.86% every five years, an almost flat growth rate that does not cover rising labor and operating costs. Over the last five years, the LASD budget has shrunk in relations to the overall county budget by 1.41%, leaving public safety structurally underfunded.
The Sheriff cited several complex areas which were underfunded: Trial Court Security Funding – $76M, Workers’ Compensation – $33.4M, Retirement Payouts – $28.8M, Retiree Health – $16.2M, Court Liability Judgments – $10.8M, in addition to Federal Lawsuit Compliance, maintenance costs to work in Aging Facilities, Unscheduled Overtime (Tick Fire, Calabasas Helicopter Crash, Saugus High School Shooting, and the COVID-19 pandemic). The Sheriff went on to explain, “In spite of these unforeseen expenditures, it is anticipated that LASD will reduce overtime expenditures by $10.8 Million this fiscal year.”
Lastly, Sheriff Villanueva explained the harmful effects of stopping all promotions and reducing Academy classes by two thirds. With 356 sergeant vacancies and 34 lieutenant vacancies, this represents critical front line supervision of law enforcement activities, where the county faces the greatest liability and a critical point of concern noted in the Citizens Commission on Jail Violence (CCJV). Sworn vacancies, which now total over 700, are the driving force behind overtime expenditures, and the monies invested in Academy classes now will result in a reduction of over $400M in overtime expenditures over the next five years.
The sheriff is disappointed that the Board is playing politics with public safety and falsely portraying the financial status of the LASD for political gain.
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Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
211 West Temple Street,
Los Angeles California 90012
213-229-1700
Website: http://www.lasd.org
Meanwhile, rumors are circulating around Los Angeles that Garcetti has reached out to L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl to see if she will donate her Il Forno frequent diner points to the Biden Inauguration Party fund to reduce the cost of catering.
In July of 2019, complaints were filed by whistleblowers regarding Public Corruption and Pay-to-Play by L.A. Metro CEO Phillip Washington, LA Metro Karen Gorman (who is accused of stealing taxpayer funds from L.A. Metro) L.A. Metro Employees Aston Greene III and member of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors Sheila Kuehl, members of the L.A. City Council, Peace Over Violence and Civilian Oversight Chairman Patti Giggans.
