If the allegations in a lawsuit filed against Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva are true, then only the people can hold him accountable, according to a former San Luis Obispo mayor.
“Villanueva is not an employee of the county,” said Debbie Peterson, mayor emeritus of Grover Beach. “He is elected. So, the county has no authority over him. He's independent, but his lieutenant is an employee.”
In the lawsuit filed Monday in L.A. County Superior Court against the county and Villanueva, Lt. Joseph Garrido alleges he was targeted and retaliated against because he made a $1,500 donation to the campaign of Eli Vera, a Villanueva challenger.
“This lieutenant could have gone to human resources with his complaints but they can't do anything about Villanueva,” Peterson told the Southern California Record. “He can be a loose cannon if he wants to because he's elected. The only people who can fire Villanueva are the people when they vote for him or not.”
Vera campaigned for sheriff in the June primary but did not advance.
As previously reported in the LA Times, because Garrido supported Vera instead of Villaneuva, Garrido alleges he was overlooked for a promotion and was the subject of a revenge criminal investigation after he reported others in the department whom he allegedly witnessed engage in misconduct.
A court of law rather than the union is the proper place for Garrido to air his grievances, according to Peterson, who authored the book The Happiest Corruption: Sleaze, Lies, & Suicide in a California Beach Town.
“When you get to a certain level, the unions don't get as involved,” she said. “Once you're a lieutenant, you're not rank and file and if he's second in command, then he’s not rank and file and the union supported Villanueva. So, there's a conflict there.”
Peterson added that Villanueva should not have discussed the lawsuit in an Oct. 19 press conference in which he alleged Garrido did not report alleged department misconduct until after he was under investigation.
“He shouldn't fight it in the court of public opinion,” she added. “That's unethical. He should fight in the courts. So, he's crossed the line and that's a problem. The Fair Political Practices Commission would agree with that and if anyone were to make a complaint, I suspect that they would go after him on it because he should not be using county resources for those purposes.”