{"id":6126,"date":"2026-07-14T20:04:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T15:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6126"},"modified":"2026-07-14T20:04:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T15:04:57","slug":"sheriffs-watchdog-group-needs-new-lawyers-to-do-its-job-civil-grand-jury-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6126","title":{"rendered":"Sheriff&#8217;s watchdog group needs new lawyers to do its job, civil grand jury says"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/922ce74\/2147483647\/strip\/false\/crop\/1602x1009+0+0\/resize\/1500x945!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb9%2F98%2F3e75940f4693a16ace2448e25f73%2F1349583-los-angeles-county-sheriff-patrol-car-6-ajsc-crop.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div data-element=\"story-body\" data-subscriber-content=\"\">\n<p>The civilian commission overseeing the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department needs to ditch the county counsel because  that office is stifling the commission\u2019s role as a watchdog, according to the Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury.<\/p>\n<p>The Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, which is represented by  the Office of the County Counsel, has repeatedly clashed with the office because its lawyers are also recommending the Sheriff\u2019s Department ignore the commission\u2019s subpoenas. In light of the clashes, the  civil grand jury supported the commission\u2019s push to look for outside representation to enforce  its role.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecent trends in oversight now call into question whether they can equally and fully represent the \u2018public interest,\u2019\u201d the  grand jury\u2019s June report states. \u201cCounty counsel is conflicted in equally representing the [Board of Supervisors], LASD, and the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The  oversight commission has sued the Sheriff\u2019s Department to enforce a subpoena seeking three confidential use-of-force reports, and hired two former commission  chairs \u2014 attorneys Robert Bonner and Sean Kennedy \u2014 to represent it in court, pro bono.<\/p>\n<p>Bonner and Kennedy left the commission last year.<\/p>\n<p>According to the suit, L.A. County\u2019s attorneys have repeatedly blocked the commission\u2019s efforts at oversight, instructing the Sheriff\u2019s Department not to hand over confidential documents sought by the commission.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the moment that the Civilian Oversight Commission showed we were serious about doing our job under the law and following up on our subpoenas to actually see them enforced, county counsel has stepped up its efforts to undercut, suppress, intimidate and retaliate against the lawful execution of oversight,\u201d said Hans Johnson, chair of the commission.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/local\/lanow\/la-me-ln-sheriff-oversight-20141209-story.html\"> The commission was established<\/a> in <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/opinion\/editorials\/la-ed-sheriff-oversight-20161031-story.html\">2016<\/a> by the county Board of Supervisors after a jail abuse scandal that sent multiple<a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/local\/lanow\/la-me-ln-sentencing-la-county-sheriffs-officials-20140923-story.html\"> sheriff\u2019s deputies to prison, <\/a>and was meant to provide civilian oversight of the department.<\/p>\n<p>The grand jury\u2019s support for the commission\u2019s approach underscores its mission, Johnson said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a very gutsy finding by the civil grand jury that reinforces the work of the Civilian Oversight Commission and backs the findings that we\u2019ve been raising about the conflicted nature of the county counsel,\u201d Johnson said. <\/p>\n<p>In a statement, the Office of County Counsel said that legal representation for all county entities is provided \u201cexclusively\u201d by its office under the county charter, and that it would take an amendment for the commission to hire outside attorneys. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is the Office of County Counsel\u2019s job to help all commissions and departments navigate federal, state, and local regulations to ensure their actions are consistent and in alignment with policy and legal direction from the Board of Supervisors,\u201d the statement read. \u201cCounty Counsel\u2019s advising of County officers and sub-entities, such as the [Civilian Oversight Commission], does not create an attorney-client relationship \u2018separate and distinct\u2019 from &#8230; the Board so it is not possible for a conflict of interest to exist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When provided with the county\u2019s explanation, Johnson was incredulous.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is laughable and does not pass the smell test from anyone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The legal fight has centered on three incidents, including a fatal shooting in which the Sheriff\u2019s Department has refused to provide unredacted records to the commission.<\/p>\n<p>During a Jan. 22 meeting of the commission, Sheriff Robert Luna confirmed the department was withholding the reports on the advice of counsel, citing a letter from county attorneys that the commission was required to \u201cmeet and confer\u201d with the sheriff\u2019s union before the documents are released. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re following now,\u201d Luna<a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=KHmdbumNnHE\" target=\"_blank\"> told the commission<\/a> at the time. \u201cWe have to follow the legal process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Under the requirement of \u201cmeet and confer,\u201d the commission would have to meet attorneys and leaders from the Sheriff\u2019s Department\u2019s labor unions to negotiate whether and how investigative and personnel reports  would be released.<\/p>\n<p>The commission has argued it should be allowed to review the records under closed session, without having to meet with labor unions, to maintain their confidentiality, and said recent court decisions and laws give them the authority to do so.<\/p>\n<p>Measure R, approved by Los Angeles County voters in 2020, provided the commission with subpoena powers, and in 2025 Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill  847 into law, allowing oversight bodies to receive confidential  law enforcement personnel records in closed session. <\/p>\n<p>An appellate court ruling this year involving a Sonoma County civilian oversight body also found in favor of the watchdog groups, ruling they had the authority to subpoena the law enforcement departments they\u2019re tasked with monitoring. <\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, in L.A. County, the Sheriff\u2019s Department has continued to defy the subpoena, relying on the advice of county attorneys, Johnson said. The county counsel\u2019s office has not changed its position amid the litigation or in light of the grand jury\u2019s recommendation.<\/p>\n<p>Members of the office  said the county, including its commissions, is still obligated to meet with labor unions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not up to the County\u2019s discretion,\u201d the  office said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>After the commission filed suit, County Counsel Dawyn Harrison told The Times in a statement that the lawsuit was \u201cnot legally valid\u201d because it wasn\u2019t filed or approved by county attorneys.<\/p>\n<p>The suit is still in litigation.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The civilian commission overseeing the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department needs to ditch the county counsel because that office is stifling the commission\u2019s role as a watchdog, according to the Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury. The Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, which is represented by the Office of the County Counsel, has repeatedly clashed with&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/3477d0f\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1602x841+0+84\/resize\/1200x630!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb9%2F98%2F3e75940f4693a16ace2448e25f73%2F1349583-los-angeles-county-sheriff-patrol-car-6-ajsc-crop.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}