The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion Tuesday on measures to "eradicate deputy gangs" and institute "stronger civilian oversight" over L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva and his department.
The motion, authored by board chair Hilda Solis and co-authored by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, directed the Civilian Oversight Commission to review a recent RAND study "and any other prior reports and/or recommendations" related to alleged deputy gangs operating within the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.
"The RAND study confirmed what w've known for many years, that deputy gangs exist, even if the Sheriff says there are not any or tries to minimize their existence," Solis said in a statement released Tuesday.
"Due to the failure of the Sheriff to hold his own deputies accountable, this Board has had to take several initiatives to protect families from harm," Solis said. "There shouldn’t be a need for these actions, but unfortunately we have no choice when deputy gang members continue to engage in harm, intimidation, and harassment."
The COC will report back to the board and, in consultation with L.A. County Counsel, the Office of the Inspector General, District Attorney George Gascón, the offices of the Public Defender and Alternate Public Defender and the Sheriff's Department, will produce a "tangible implementation plan" for remedying the issue of deputy gangs.
The sheriff recently came under fire for defying a subpoena to appear before the COC to answer questions related to alleged deputy gangs. He has critized the body for undertaking what he describes as a politically-motivated "fishing expedition" against his office.
COC chair Lael Rubin told KNX last week she was prepared to take the sheriff to court to enforce the body's "legal ability to issue a subpoena" against him.