Robert Luna assumes LA County sheriff's duties
LOS ANGELES — After the formality of a weekend swearing-in ceremony, Robert Luna Monday officially assumes his duties as the 34th sheriff of Los Angeles County.
The former Long Beach Police chief took the oath of office on Saturday morning during a ceremony at the county Hall of Administration in downtown L.A. -- his wife Celines pinning the gold star on his crisp new tan-and-green uniform while their two adult children stood nearby.
Monday at noon -- following a hard-fought campaign that led to the ouster of incumbent Alex Villanueva -- Luna officially takes command of the nation's largest sheriff's department, with more than 18,000 sworn personnel.
"Today I stand before you wearing this brand-new uniform -- and now I have a badge to go with it -- with an incredible amount of respect, because it's the same uniform worn by those deputies who patrolled the neighborhood where I grew up," Luna said Saturday, referring to his East L.A. roots.
Saturday's ceremony was also attended by current and former city and police officials from Long Beach, and by L.A. County officials, including four of the five county supervisors.
Luna promised to be open to different approaches to tackle what he acknowledged was a rising tide of crime in the county.
"There can be no sacred cows," Luna said.
He said the sheriff's department has succeeded over the years "because it has never been afraid to innovate. ... So we must look at policies and strategies that have succeeded in other places and not be afraid to bring them here."
Luna also implored the public to defend "good policing," while at the same time recognizing the need to hold law enforcement accountable.
"But even as we make mistakes, we can and we must keep the public trust," he said.
The new sheriff said he will focus on three overriding principles:
-- Integrity. "It's about living up to the law enforcement code of ethics, doing the right thing even when no one is looking."
-- Accountability. "If crime goes, up, that's on us. ... We owe you, the community, a plan to reduce crime."
And, in a veiled shot at Villanueva -- who was frequently assailed by Luna and other elected officials over his contentious relationship with the county Board of Supervisors:
-- Collaboration. "We will fail if we take an `us versus them' attitude," Luna said. "We cannot do that. We need less polarization and more partnerships, and we will do that.
"We are going to fix problems, not affix blame."
Luna also mentioned the need to eliminate deputy gangs and improve conditions in jails. During the campaign, he accused Villanueva of ignoring the issue of deputy gangs, and of cultivating a hostile relationship with the supervisors.
Before Luna was sworn in, outgoing Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, who was elected to Congress earlier this month, spoke on behalf of his longtime colleague -- praising his handling of civil unrest that followed the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. Garcia also praised Luna's character.
"Robert's core values are rooted in collaboration, in strength, and in kindness," Garcia said. "... Luna is going to be one of the kindest people you'll ever meet."
Holly Mitchell, the only county supervisor who did not attend the ceremony, later tweeted her congratulations.
"Welcome, Sheriff Robert Luna! I look forward to your leadership and commitment to restoring public trust in the Sheriff's Department. Our communities deserve accountability and transparency, which can only be achieved by working together," Mitchell wrote.
Luna spent 36 years with the Long Beach Police Department, becoming chief in 2014. He has a master's degree in public administration from Cal State Long Beach.
His victory in the Nov. 8 election marked only the second time in roughly a century that an incumbent L.A. County sheriff lost a re-election bid. The first time occurred four years ago, when Villanueva defeated then-Sheriff Jim McDonnell.
Luna last week announced the appointment of April Tardy, chief of the sheriff's department's Central Patrol Division, as his interim undersheriff, making her the first woman to hold that position in the agency's history.
He also named Jason Skeen, currently the commander of Personnel Command, as his interim chief of staff. Tardy and Skeen are both 28-year department veterans.