Fairness Project Celebrates Successful Vote to Place Los Angeles Police Accountability Measure on November Ballot

Los Angeles, CA – Yesterday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to give voters a say in oversight over the county sheriff. Los Angeles voters will now be asked on their ballots this November whether the Board should be empowered to impeach and remove a sitting sheriff for gross misconduct. 

The Check the Sheriff campaign, a coalition supported by the Fairness Project, has been working to advance this ballot measure in order to give voters a path to enact real accountability for Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva, whose department has repeatedly demonstrated corruption, abuses of power, and violence against Black and brown people and people with disabilities. 

In response, Kelly Hall, Executive Director of the Fairness Project, released the following statement:

“This November, voters in Los Angeles will have the opportunity to demand true accountability for the sheriff’s office. That’s what direct democracy is all about. The repeated misconduct of Sheriff Villanueva and his department represents the need for additional checks on the sheriff’s power. The Fairness Project is proud to join this effort to advance oversight of the sheriff’s office and allow the people of Los Angeles to hold Sheriff Villanueva accountable. ” 

Last year, the Fairness Project successfully supported the Citizens for a Safer Cleveland campaign to pass Issue 24, a charter amendment that ensures real accountability for police misconduct by providing Clevelanders with permanent and powerful civilian oversight on policing and community safety policies.

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