Rhambo, a former assistant sheriff, made the announcement by releasing a handful of endorsements and an online video called “For Good,“ in which he vows to stand up to corruption and outlines other elements of his platform.
Rhambo has worked for 33 years in law enforcement and also served as city manager of Compton from 2017 through July 2019 and assistant city manager of Carson from 2014 to 2017.
In his “For Good” campaign video, Rhambo said he wants to address issues in the department such as deputy gangs and the continued rise of murders and shootings in Los Angeles County, where violent crime is increasing at a rate not seen in decades. As a Black and Asian man, he said he understands what it’s like to walk down the street as a person of color.
Rhambo accused Villanueva of eroding public trust in the agency, saying he “used fear to consolidate power, and tried to rehire ex-deputies that committed domestic violence or excessive force and who make us good cops look bad.”
Villanueva has fiercely defended his record as sheriff, insisting he undertook sweeping action to eliminate deputy gangs and lashing out at the Board of Supervisors for what he has called dramatic budget cuts — or “defunding” — in a time of spiking crime rates.
Rhambo’s early supporters include California Legislative Black Caucus Chair and state Sen. Steve Bradford; California Assembly Democratic Caucus Chair and Assemblyman Mike Gipson; California Progressive Caucus Founder and Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer; Assemblywoman Autumn Burke; and Assemblyman Jim Cooper.
Rhambo, who was raised in Compton and South Los Angeles after being adopted from Korea, said his experience in law enforcement includes an assignment in the Internal Affairs Bureau, where he assisted in the formation of the Shooting and Force Response Team in the wake of the Rodney King beating. He also headed the Asian Crime Task Force, commanding a group of investigators and multilingual deputies to investigate crimes committed against Asians or by Asians. And, he said he helped start the Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Bureau, focused on suppressing violent crime, combating homelessness, offering quality of life programs and creating mental health response teams.
“And as sheriff, I’ll stop the corruption, fight crime, address homelessness and make our criminal justice system more just and fair so that it works for all of us,” Rhambo said in his campaign video.
Also running in the 2022 election is Eliezer Vera, a chief in the department, who announced his campaign this spring. Vera has served in the department since 1988.
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Alby says
Rhambo? Korea? Huh??
Mark Alvarado says
This guy doesn’t have a chance in hell with all of the damage Gascon has done. Whether he likes or not, he will be linked to Gascon and the rise in crime.
Tim Scott says
LOL…the damage Gascon has done? The Sheriff’s Department was ‘damaged goods’ to the point that it really should have been disbanded in a full reset long before Gascon came along. When the Sheriff goes to prison it takes more than a new guy at the top to clean out the corruption. That had barely gotten started when Villanueva got in there and reversed the process. Things now are pretty much right where they were under Baca.
Things are never gonna get better when the “sure, we love corruption” voting block keeps putting in the worst seeds they can find. First pro tip…ANYONE endorsed by Wrecks or his pocket puppets should NEVER be voted for.
Claire says
I really like what Cecil Rhambo said in his video. I hope he can put those words into action. You go, Rhambo!
Rambo says
Paragraph four, the last sentence.
Now this guy is a victim. Pathetic.
Tim Scott says
Experiencing oppression doesn’t make someone a victim.
Interesting way to sign your comment by the way. I agree, you are pathetic.
Tim Scott says
There is a trap to be fallen into here. Basically, ANYONE is better than Villanueva, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are actually good.