LOS ANGELES (KNX) – An investigation was launched Wednesday against Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva regarding whether he broke state law by asking for campaign donations from deputies.
Tiffiny Blacknell, Director of the Bureau of Communications for the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office told KNX News, “This video has come to our attention. We take these matters seriously and it is currently under review. A formal investigation by our (Public Integrity Division) unit has been initiated.”
In the video, shared by Los Angeles Times reporter Alene Tchekmedyian on Twitter, Villanueva said that while he got the same endorsement from the Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs that he did four years ago, “there’s no independent expenditure coming.”
“…Which means they’ve left the membership high and dry and me to the fate of fighting George Soros and Jeff Katzenberg all by myself,” he explained.
A document obtained by the L.A. Times revealed Katzenberg, who co-founded DreamWorks, donated $500,000 to Villanueva’s opponent, Robert Luna.
“So, it’s up to each and every one of you who you want to be sheriff,” he went on. “We’re gonna win this thing…and if you want to help, anything will help us get our message out there.”
He also said it was up to the deputies to decide how to get the message out and how much they wanted to donate.
According to California law, “an officer or employee of a local agency shall not, directly or indirectly, solicit a political contribution from an officer or employee of that agency, or from a person on an employment list of that agency, with knowledge that the person from whom the contribution is solicited is an officer or employee of that agency.”
The L.A. Times noted that while it’s unclear who sent out the video to deputies, one text received by a deputy included a link to a fundraising site.
Neither Villanueva nor Luna have released a statement regarding the video.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Related
Related
