Voters Slap Villanueva With A 71 Percent Vote For More Civilian Oversight

With election returns still being counted … it appears that Los Angeles County voters have approved stronger civilian oversight on the controversial L A COunty sheriff.

Measure R would allow the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission to investigate misconduct using subpoenas.

It appears to be headed for a big win … with more than 71% of the vote.

The measure will giove the L A County Board of Sueprvisors the power to use subpoenaes to get information from the sheriff.

The current occupant of that office … Alex Villanueva … has fought efforts by the Civilian oversight Commission to investigate allegations of wrong doing by the sheriff or his employees.

For example … Villanueva has opened a criminal investigation into the commission staff …. over its investigations into deputy misconduct.

The election came as the Sheriff’s Department is under fire for trying to keep a lid on allegations that deputies shared graphic images from the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others.

Normal investigative protocols were violated.

Villanueva firmly rejected the allegations of destroying evidence.

He strongly told KBUU News Tuesday night … that there was no crime committed by deputies … so ordering deputies to delete the photos was not  destruction of evidence.

His order to delete the photos came as both his homicide detectives and NTSB investigators were in fact taking evidence.

The Los Angeles Times has interviewed persons inside the department … as well as legal experts … who say the sheriff’s actions could amount to destruction of evidence.