Six months after his ouster as the head of the nation’s largest sheriff’s department, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has found a new gig.
Villanueva announced Friday that he would be starting his own talk radio show, “The Resistance with Sheriff Alex Villanueva.”
The show will air Monday through Friday on CRN Digital Talk Radio beginning May 8.
Villanueva served as the 33rd sheriff of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, a regime mired in controversy and clashes with some of the county’s most prominent leaders, including the County Board of Supervisors and high-ranking members of his own department.
Notably, Villanueva was often in public spats with members of the media for his handling of various topics, including reports of deputy gangs within the Department’s ranks and allegations of covering up or downplaying use-of-force incidents. Villanueva ardently fought back on those claims during his time as sheriff.
In March, following the publishing of a Los Angeles County Civilian Oversight Commission report that documented a still ongoing issue of deputy gangs in the LASD, Villanueva told Fox News that the report was a “political hit job.”
He also made national headlines for his refusal to enforce a COVID-19 vaccine mandate among his staff, calling it an “imminent threat to public safety,” if it led to deputies being fired or suspended.
Elected as a Democrat in 2016, Villanueva faced criticism likening him to President Donald Trump for his many battles with politicians and media members, which he often defended as the acts of a political outsider fighting back against entrenched elected bureaucrats and activist journalists.
In November, he was unseated as sheriff by Robert Luna, a then-former chief of the Long Beach Police Department. Luna received more than 60% of the vote, bolstered by a roster of former candidates in the primary who also hoped to unseat the embattled sheriff.
Villanueva has mostly stayed out of the spotlight in recent months, but he will make his grand return to the public conscious in the coming days.
In a news release sent out Friday, he said he was excited to connect with the public again, this time as a private citizen and activist.
“Even though I am out of office, the fight continues. We are at a crossroads at which many of our elected officials are no longer serving the public. They are serving themselves and their individual interests,” Villanueva said. “I want to stand with the people to fight the corruption. We are the resistance that will save our state and the country.”
His new radio program will be broadcast on CRN Digital Talk Radio, a multimedia platform that distributes talk radio and video broadcasts to various streaming platforms.
The show promises to touch on many different topics, including news of the day and issues involving crime, law enforcement, public safety, homelessness and “the failures of many of our elected officials.”
The show will also feature guests from law enforcement, public safety and community leader, as well as a call-in line for listeners.
Michael Horn, CEO of CRN Digital Talk Radio, said Villanueva will bring “experience and expertise” that will make him a valuable addition to the company’s slate of program offerings.
