Former L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva to launch new radio show

Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who lost his bid for reelection last year and whose single term in office was mired in controversy, plans to launch a new radio show.

Villanueva’s show, “The Resistance with Sheriff Alex Villanueva,” will air Monday through Friday starting May 8 on CRN Digital Talk Radio, according to a news release from the station. The show will address crime, public safety, homelessness, law enforcement and elected officials.

“I am very excited to connect with the public on this new platform,” Villanueva said in the release. “Even though I am out of office, the fight continues. We are at a crossroads at which many of our elected officials are no longer serving the public. They are serving themselves and their individual interests.”

Listeners can tune in through the CRN website and mobile app.

Villanueva faced heavy scrutiny as sheriff. His department grappled with a litany of scandals, including $47.6 million paid by the Board of Supervisors to settle lawsuits alleging excessive force or negligence by sheriff’s deputies. The payouts included $8 million for the family of Andres Guardado, whose 2020 killing by a deputy sparked protests.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva tells supporters not to get caught up in the early results during an election night rally.

(Myung Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Villanueva’s tenure was also defined by his combative approach. He attacked elected officials and accused them of being part of a liberal “weaponized political machine” that allowed crime and homelessness to spread. Villanueva clashed with county supervisors, who control the sheriff’s budget.

He lost reelection in November by 20 percentage points to Sheriff Robert Luna.

While holding office, Villanueva had a weekly radio show on KFI-AM called “Live and Unscripted with L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva” but was accused by a rival candidate of violating election and broadcasting rules and using the radio show “for political purposes.”

Before becoming sheriff, Villanueva was a lieutenant in the department, and also served in the U.S. Air Force and the California Air National Guard.