LOS ANGELES _ Los Angeles County supervisors issued a sharp rebuke to Sheriff Alex Villanueva on Tuesday over his reinstatement of a fired deputy in an unusual show of disapproval to come so early in his term.
The county's governing body voted to send a letter to Villanueva expressing concern over his rehiring of a deputy who was fired in connection with allegations of domestic abuse and later served as a volunteer on Villanueva's election campaign. The letter requests that Villanueva reconsider the action.
The Board of Supervisors also directed county counsel to examine some of the legal issues surrounding the reinstatement, including whether Villanueva acted within his authority in overriding a decision by a county appeals board to uphold the deputy's firing. The supervisors also want to get a waiver from the deputy so they can access confidential personnel files regarding his case.
Villanueva, who appeared before the supervisors Tuesday, told them they would have a different view of the matter if they knew all of the facts involved. He said the deputy would waive his confidentiality of the case files.
The reinstatement of Deputy Caren Carl Mandoyan has become an early source of controversy for Villanueva, who took office last month. Supervisors have rarely addressed disputes with a sheriff so publicly.
Mandoyan was fired in 2016 by then-Sheriff Jim McDonnell after a fellow deputy alleged in an application for a restraining order that Mandoyan grabbed her neck, pushed her face down into a couch, harassed her in text messages and admitted to listening to her conversations. She alleged the physical assault by Mandoyan, who she said was her ex-boyfriend, happened in September 2014.
The district attorney's office evaluated the woman's claims and said she provided photos of bruises and redness on her neck and arms as well as video recordings of Mandoyan attempting to enter her house. Prosecutors declined to charge Mandoyan with intimate partner violence, citing a lack of sufficient evidence. Mandoyan did not respond to requests for comment.
Mandoyan served as Villanueva's driver during his campaign to unseat incumbent McDonnell and helped persuade rank-and-file deputies to rally behind Villanueva's long-shot bid. He also appeared onstage at Villanueva's swearing-in.
Villanueva has said that the reinstatement was justified because the deputy's accuser waited nearly a year to report her allegations and quit the department before she was to testify.
Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, who co-wrote the motion with Supervisor Kathryn Barger, said Villanueva's comments were retrograde in sounding like he was blaming the alleged victim of domestic violence.
Kuehl also said she was concerned over Villanueva's efforts to create a "truth and reconciliation" commission that he says would redress injustices suffered by employees and members of the public.
"It sounds like he wants to bring back every bad deputy who he thought got a bad deal," Kuehl said.
