Robert Luna

Robert G. Luna is an American law enforcement officer who is the Sheriff of Los Angeles County, previously serving as Chief of the Long Beach Police Department before defeating Sheriff Alex Villanueva in the 2022 election.

Early life
Luna was born and raised in East Los Angeles to immigrant parents and has said that his early experiences with deputies patrolling his neighborhood shaped his view of law enforcement. He graduated from Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe Springs in 1984. After high school, he went on to graduate from Long Beach City College, where he met Long Beach Police Sergeant Mike Woodward and decided to pursue becoming a law enforcement officer.

Long Beach Police Department
In 1985, he joined the Long Beach Police Department and served as a patrol officer and on the SWAT team and was named as the Deputy Chief in 2006. In 2014, Luna was appointed as the 26th Chief of the Long Beach Police Department, succeeding Jim McDonnell who had become the Sheriff of Los Angeles County. In September 2021, Luna announced that he would retire in December of that year.

Los Angeles County Sheriff
In December 2021, Luna entered the race for the 2022 Los Angeles County Sheriff election, challenging incumbent Alex Villanueva alongside a crowded field of candidates. In the primary election, Luna scored second place in the election, putting him against Villanueva in the general election with endorsements from the seven defeated candidates. In the general election, Luna beat Villanueva to become Sheriff, with Villanueva conceding on November 15, 2022. Luna was sworn in as Sheriff on December 5, 2022.