LOS ANGELES _ Alex Villanueva will replace Jim McDonnell as Los Angeles County sheriff, marking a stunning upset over a seat that hasn't seen an incumbent lose in more than a hundred years.
McDonnell conceded the race Monday, saying in a statement he would arrange for an orderly transition.
"The honor of serving as the L.A. County Sheriff is one like no other in law enforcement," the statement said. "The Sheriff will be immediately faced with a range of very complex issues that go to the heart of maintaining public safety and public trust."
Villanueva leads by nearly 126,000 votes, with only 100,000 ballots still to be counted.
Villanueva, who retired at the rank of lieutenant after serving in the Sheriff's Department for three decades, won despite having no experience at the upper levels of law enforcement.
He made his status as a Democrat a centerpiece of his platform and promised to expel immigration agents from the county jails.
