Police brutality, defund the police, crime and homelessness.

The election for LA County's top cop has become one of the most watched in the nation.

Incomment Sheriff Alex Villanueva won in 2018 with support from progressives riding an anti-Trump wave.

But since he took office, he's shifted to the right.

Actually, if you're not fighting against the defunding effort of the board of supervisors, you're not serving the community.

You're actually acquiescing to the defunding scheme.

And I am dead set against that.

And his office has been plagued by one scandal after another.

One of the things that came up quite a bit was deputy gangs.

How big do you think an issue this is in the department right now? Over the last... after another. One of the things that came up quite a bit was deputy gangs.

How big do you think an issue this is in the department right now?

Over the last five years, we have seen tens of millions of dollars taxpayers have had to pay out every year due to lawsuits against the Sheriff's Department.

What do you say to that?

But can his opponent, retired Long Beach police chief Chief Robert Luna, take away Villanueva's

spotlight and win?

I feel the trajectory of crime in Los Angeles County like it is in most major cities is going

up. What we need is a sheriff who takes accountability and gives you a plan for what they're doing to address crime.

I'm Gustavo Ariano. You're listening to The Times, Essential News, from the LA Times.

It's Wednesday, while L.A. County's sheriff

race says about our country's evolving relationship to the people who are supposed to serve

and protect us.

Aline Chek Medgett covers the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

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