The Attacks on Sheriff Villanueva are politically motivated.

Leaked Communications from paid foes of Sheriff Villanueva.

We are working to pass a resolution through LA County Democratic Party which, in solidarity with the family of Andrés Guardado on the one year anniversary of his death:

condemns the perpetuation and protection of deputy gangs within LASD;

calls for transparency and accountability from all police forces, from rank and file officers, to the publicly-elected Sheriff;

urges the resignation of Sheriff Villanueva and leaders who evade responsibility for police killings of civilians; and

demands an end to policies and practices that contribute to police brutality and its disproportionate impact on Black and Latinx communities.

KEY MESSAGES

This is not the same resolution as the November resolution.

This resolution is being driven by community groups, including ones intimately connected with family members who have been killed by police forces.

We have an opportunity in this unique window of time to pass a resolution like this because:

We are recognizing one year after George Floyd’s murder and its subsequent uprisings.

We are coming to one year after Andrés Guardado’s murder, as it relates to sheriff department misconduct, etc.

We are a year from the likely primary of Sheriff Villanueva, and we need to build a movement against him now.

Right now, Sheriff Villanueva is endorsing Republican-driven efforts to undo the work of George Gascon to hold police accountable, and we have to counteract that.

Democratic party leaders and committee members have an opportunity to get on the right side of justice NOW.

DESIRED EFFECT

We know that Sheriff Villanueva is not likely to resign, but aligning around calls for condemnation and resignation will help us:

Build alliance amidst Dem Party clubs, leaders, and org, to oppose Sheriff Villanueva → if he won’t resign now, we’re already against him for his 2022 race

Plant seeds to encourage all leaders in 2021–22 who want Dem Party support/endorsements, that they will need to be against Sheriff Villanueva

Sent from my iPhone

Email from delegate with connections to ACLU with ambition of becoming a paid adversary of Sheriff.

Hello there, fellow LACDP member —

I’m writing to follow up on an email you may have received from Alton Wang on Thursday, in which he introduced a resolution up for vote on Tuesday: “Holding the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Accountable.” My name is Godfrey Plata (AD-53), and alongside Elise Moore (AD-46) and Alton (AD-49), we’ve co-authored this resolution together.

ARE YOU WITH US?

If you haven’t yet done so, please reply to this email if you’ll be a credentialed voter on Tuesday and if we can count on your support for this resolution! With the significance of this vote, we aren’t taking chances, so we are doing our due diligence to ensure that LACDP members are ready to stand together and pass this critical resolution.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

As the resolution’s co-author, I want to underscore how important it is that we pass it, and why its passage must happen now.

1. EXTENSIVE HARM. We’ve collected an array of links that demonstrates Sheriff Villanueva’s reversal of his campaign promises. Instead, he’s significantly worsened the culture and harm of the Sheriff’s Department — unchecked deputy gangs; obstruction of oversight; harassment of families and journalists; and even actively working toward a recall of DA George Gascón, a fellow Central Committee member working to implement Party-supported police reforms and other much needed policy changes. Since the murder of George Floyd one year ago, 18 killings — disproportionately of Black and Latinx victims — have happened at the hands of LA Sheriff’s deputies.
2. OUR PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY. Sheriff Villanueva is revving up for re-election, and as he builds his campaign, we must make it clear to the public that the Democratic Party does not support his blatant disrespect for victims’ families. While we cannot reverse our endorsements, we must set the record straight about what we believe about his performance while in office. Passing this resolution will enable our leadership to speak out louder against the rampant misconduct of the Sheriff’s Department and make clear where LA Democrats stand: against deputy gangs and against police brutality.
3. OUR COMMUNITY IS CALLING ON US TO ACT. At the bottom of the resolution and on the final page of our supplemental document, you’ll see that over 20 Democratic clubs, over 20 unions and community organizations, and a slew of Party leaders have united around this call to action. We must follow suit.

Again, please reply to this email to let us know if we can count on you to vote yes for this resolution on Tuesday. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. We would love to chat!