good morning. Welcome to LA on the Record, City Hall’s newsletter. There’s Rebecca Ellis, a county reporter brought in by the oversight committee for the spiciest races, and Julia Wick, a city reporter who covers more headlines.

when alex villanueva When he announced his candidacy for Los Angeles County Sheriff in 2017, his strategy was clear. He was to promote the party.

“All we had to do was make McDonnell a Republican and Alex a Democrat,” says campaign strategist. told the Times Right after Villanueva scores historic upset Jim McDonnellformer Long Beach police chief and former Republican.

Six years and many scandals later, Villanueva’s path to victory is much more uncertain.

rear Lose Mr. Villanueva, who is seeking reelection as sheriff in November, made headlines last month in the usually sleepy race for county supervisor. announced He will aim for a bipartisan seat held by Supervisor Janice Hahn.Mr. Hahn represents the county. District 4covers an area of ​​more than 400 square miles in the southern and southeastern parts of the county.

It’s not necessarily the closest race, but it’s likely the most contentious in the county.Villanueva made enemies of many powerful politicians during his bachelor days. Noisy Term as Sheriff. And he can no longer rest on his laurels as a Democrat and steal his seat.

As it turns out, the L.A. County Democratic Party has since disowned him. This time his opponent comes from a powerful Democratic dynasty. And he chose a Republican political strategist to helm his campaign.

tab bergA consultant for Mr. Villanueva’s campaign said the controversial former sheriff hopes to draw support from a different constituency this time around.

“He’s going to get a lot of support from centrists to center-right and maybe centrist people,” Berg said, adding that Hahn is aligning himself with the “woke progressive crowd.” He added that he believed that.

Hahn’s campaign pushed back in a statement, calling Villanueva “the embodiment of the MAGA movement in Los Angeles County.”

“Alex is nothing more than a failed MAGA extremist who lost the 4th District in the last election by a nearly 20-point margin. And we will ensure that voters reject his MAGA policies once again. ” he said. dave jacobson, Hahn’s election campaign consultant.

This is as exciting as any previous campaign.Click here for Villanueva’s campaign site naked. Berg said he started holding fundraising events last week. The campaign so far has largely consisted of tweets criticizing Hahn for various failings in the county. death in prisonboard disadvantages “Care First” Agenda,spiral homelessness crisis.

Asked where Villanueva expected to draw votes, Berg said: “There are segments of the public that are dissatisfied with the level of crime and the Board of Supervisors’ continued failure to address homelessness. It’s quite spacious,” he said.

A powerful incumbent, Hahn has already won over many of his key supporters, including the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, Los Angeles County Fire Department Local 1014, and four of his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors. Villanueva has not yet posted any nominations on his website.

Assn., because the Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff’s Department, which represents about 8,000 sheriffs, has not expressed support for the race.union president Richard Pippin His organization has heard “almost nothing” from Villanueva’s campaign, and based on polling, it will be “an uphill battle to make the former sheriff a viable candidate in Los Angeles County again.” He said he believed it would be.

Fernando GuerraThat’s probably true, said Loyola Marymount University’s Los Angeles Research Center director.

“Look, if he doesn’t get re-elected as sheriff, why would he think he can beat Janice Hahn, who is probably the No. 1 political name in the history of Los Angeles local politics?” Guerra said. “I don’t think he has a chance.”

Guerra estimates Villanueva would need millions of dollars to land. Villanueva entered the race after the most recent reporting deadline, so it’s unclear how much he has raised for his campaign so far. Hahn raised about $390,000 in the first six months of 2023.

Guerra said Villaneuva could gain support from conservative public safety groups through independent spending. But that probably won’t be enough to reach a significant number of the 2 million residents who live in one of the district’s most expensive media markets, he says.

That said, Guerra predicts it will be a fun race to watch.

“I hope they have a discussion,” he said. “This will probably be one of the best debates of the entire election cycle.”

State of play

— ULA Victory: A Los Angeles County judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit challenging L.A.’s “mansion tax,” ending a months-long legal challenge from the luxury real estate community that sought to make the ULA bill unconstitutional. As my colleague Jack Fleming reports, the ruling is a major victory for housing activists who say L.A. is in dire need of the money raised through tax dollars.Mayor Karen BassSitiati. heidi feldstein soto And the city’s housing authority all praised the decision.

— Is there no longer a city vaccination requirement? City council president Paul Krekorian and councilor tracy park introduced a proposal A mandate requiring city employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine will be repealed this week. The motion says the move would bring the city into line with county and federal policy.

— Push to extend rent freeze: Landlords have been unable to raise rents on rent-stabilized apartments in the city throughout the pandemic, but that freeze is set to expire on Jan. 31. Hugo Soto Martinez teeth force an extension of that deadline By 6 months.

— Nines a Cloud: Distance Atty. Georges Gascon As our colleague James Querrey reports, former federal prosecutors, county judges, and deputy district attorneys are attacking him in 2024, leading to one of the largest preliminary fields in the agency’s history. facing. Here’s how he summed up the nine challengers vying to unseat the self-proclaimed “godfather of progressive prosecutors.”

— Disqualification of Rupp City Police Officer: Several Los Angeles police officers have been arrested for violating department policy. Keenan AndersonThe death of a man after a traffic stop in January has reignited debate over the competency of police to deal with people in mental distress, the Los Angeles Police Commission ruled Tuesday. Our colleagues Libor Janney and Richard Winton repeatedly faced LAPD when officers tried to restrain a 31-year-old man, stopped him, and shocked him with a Taser. The committee has reported that it was found that there was a deviation from the policy.

— Rights activist dies: served as a leader in the Jewish community for many years David A. Lehrer Mr. Lehrer died Wednesday at the age of 75. Mr. Lehrer is a former regional director of the Anti-Defamation League and served as chairman of the Los Angeles Library Board under the mayor. Richard Riordan. Mr. Lehrer helped draft California’s first hate crimes law, led legislative efforts to outlaw tax-subsidized discrimination at private social clubs such as the Jonathan Club, and collaborated with neo-Nazis and other extremist groups in the Western world. confronted, my colleague said. Jaclyn Cosgrove reports.

Speculation had been rife that the former Los Angeles City Ethics Commission chairman would enter the race since earlier this month, when the Ethics Commission charged Lee with a series of government ethics violations stemming from a visit to Las Vegas in 2017. . Mr. Lee denies the charges. accused investigator For ignoring “the statute of limitations to make their charges consistent with my 2024 re-election.”

“There seems to be a crisis of conscience in this city. I’ve spent my life building a system of transparency and ethics, and I think that’s what CD12’s leadership needs,” said Oberstein, a Northridge resident. he said Thursday.

In a statement Friday, Lee praised the safety of the district’s neighborhoods, Homelessness rates are relatively low.

“I was elected on a promise to protect our neighborhoods and get results,” Lee said. “That’s what I’ve done and why business leaders, labor leaders, Republicans, Democrats and independents across the district are supporting my re-election.”

Lorraine LundquistThe educator and astrophysicist, who ran against Mr. Lee and lost in the 2019 special election and the 2020 regular election, told the Times that she had no intention of running and that Mr. Oberstein He said he supports it.

Oberstein briefly ran for office in a special election in 2019, but a judge’s ruling ultimately led to her colleague’s Oberstein was barred from running after the candidate filed a complaint.

Oberstein called the ruling a “debatable point” regarding “ambiguities in the Los Angeles City Charter.” (The charter only provides for a two-year period, so no matter how this provision is interpreted, it will have no effect on Mr. Oberstein’s 2024 candidacy.) Mr. Oberstein also said: He said he received informal advice from the City Attorney’s Office and the Ethics Commission. My run in 2019 was kosher. ”

quick hit

• Where is Inside Safe? The homelessness program conducted an operation near the intersection of Venice Boulevard and Grove Street under the 405 Freeway in Mar Vista, bringing more than 50 Angelenos indoors, according to the mayor’s office.

• On next week’s calendar: On Sunday morning, Arroyo Fest, which will be celebrated for the first time in 20 years, will close portions of Highway 110 to vehicular traffic, allowing free passage for pedestrians and bicycles. Tuesday is Halloween.