Los Angeles County Sheriff in Los Angeles County, California

2026 Primary Election

• André White — Gang Detective, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in Compton, California

  André White was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, and raised in Compton, California. After graduating from Carson High School, he worked as a supervisor at Target at age 18. He later completed an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program at Compton Community College and worked as an EMT with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and in the emergency room at Torrance Memorial Hospital. White earned a degree in Criminal Justice from East Los Angeles College and began his career with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) in 2014. He has served at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility and Carson Sheriff Station, where he became a Training Officer. He currently serves as a Gang Detective with Operation Safe Streets.

• Sonia Montejano — Retired LASD Senior Deputy in Huntington Park, CA

  Sonia Montejano grew up in Los Angeles where she continues to reside. She attended California State University, Los Angeles, before graduating from the Rio Hondo Police Academy. Her law enforcement career began with the Los Angeles County Marshal's Department, which later merged with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (LASD). She was promoted to Senior Deputy, where she supervised personnel and courthouse operations, including security for high-profile trials. After nearly two decades, she retired from the LASD and began a second career with CBS as she played herself as the bailiff on two court shows; "Judge Joe Brown" from 2006 to 2013 and "Hot Bench" from its 2014 premiere until 2025. Today she is a candidate for the office of Los Angeles County Sheriff. Sonia is striving to make real changes that will reform the Department and make advances in the way we police. If elected Montejano will be the first female to serve as Sheriff of Los Angeles County. For more information, please visit soniamontejano.com

• Oscar Martinez — Lieutenant, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in Santa Clarita, California

  Oscar Martinez is a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He immigrated to the United States as a child from the Dominican Republic. After his military service, he joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), where he has worked for over 16 years. His assignments within the LASD have included working in the jails, on patrol, in professional standards, the public information office, and as a chief's executive aide. He is currently a watch commander at the Palmdale sheriff's station. He lives in Los Angeles County with his wife and two children.

• Karla Carranza — Los Angeles County Sheriff in Los Angeles, California

  Karla Carranza is a Sergeant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, where she has worked since 2005. She has experience working patrol in South L.A. and is currently assigned to the Twin Towers Correctional Facility. Carranza grew up as an immigrant in Los Angeles and experienced personal tragedy when her younger brother was killed by gang violence in 2009. This experience has fueled her desire to expand youth outreach programs like the Youth Activities League and VIDA LA to help at-risk youth.

• Robert Luna — Incumbent Los Angeles County Sheriff in Long Beach, California

  Robert Luna was elected as the 34th Los Angeles County Sheriff on November 8, 2022. He grew up in East Los Angeles and had early experiences with law enforcement that shaped his philosophy on community-based policing. Prior to becoming Sheriff, Luna served for 36 years at the Long Beach Police Department, rising through every rank to become Chief of Police in 2014, a position he held for seven years. He holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from California State University, Long Beach, and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and a program for senior executives at Harvard University. He lives in Long Beach with his wife and has two adult children.

• Eric Strong — Los Angeles County Sheriff in Los Angeles, CA

  Eric Strong is a Lieutenant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and a veteran of nearly 30 years in law enforcement. He began his career with the Compton Police Department before it was absorbed by the LASD. He has worked in various assignments, including patrol, custody, investigations, and internal affairs, and has led investigations into deputy gangs. Born and raised in Los Angeles County, Strong attended UCLA and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He has personal experience with racial profiling and has had family members incarcerated and killed by law enforcement. He lives in Inglewood with his wife, who is also an LASD deputy.

• Brendan Corbett — Retired Assistant Sheriff in Whittier, California

  Brendan Corbett is a retired Assistant Sheriff from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), where he served for nearly 40 years. He began his career in 1985, working patrol in East LA before spending 15 years in the Special Enforcement Bureau, which included 11 years on the SWAT team and four years with the K9 unit. Later in his career, he oversaw all custody operations for the department and became a subject matter expert on immigration policies and federal consent decrees affecting the jails. He was raised in Whittier, California.

• Mike Bornman — Los Angeles County Sheriff in Los Angeles, California

  Mike Bornman is a 36-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), where he retired with the rank of Captain. His career included a wide range of assignments in custody, patrol, operations, and investigations. He served on a joint task force with the FBI and IRS and worked in the Internal Affairs Bureau, investigating deputy-involved shootings. Bornman holds a Master's Degree in Organizational Leadership from Woodbury University, a Bachelor of Arts in English from California State University Northridge, and an Associate of Arts in Police Science from College of the Canyons.

• Alex Villanueva — Los Angeles County Sheriff in Los Angeles, California

  Alex Villanueva is the former 33rd Sheriff of Los Angeles County, serving from 2018 to 2022. He is a 36-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD). Before being elected sheriff, he held the rank of lieutenant. Villanueva also served in the United States Air Force and the California Air and Army National Guards. He holds a Doctorate in Public Administration from the University of La Verne. In 2018, he became the first challenger to unseat an incumbent sheriff in Los Angeles County in over a century and the first Democratic sheriff in 138 years, though he later changed his party affiliation to Republican in 2025. He lost his re-election bid in 2022 to Robert Luna.

• Brian Warren — Candidate in Whittier, California

  Information regarding a Brian Warren running for Los Angeles County Sheriff in 2026 could not be definitively verified. Public records and news searches show multiple individuals named Brian Warren with law enforcement backgrounds in other states, such as a police officer in Centralia, Washington, and a training instructor in Kentucky, but none are currently declared candidates for the 2026 Los Angeles County Sheriff's election.