LA City Council Committee advances LAPD chief nominee

Despite concerns from some immigrant rights advocates and other activists, a City Council committee on Tuesday advanced Mayor Karen Bass' nomination of former county Sheriff James McDonnell as the next Los Angeles Police Department chief.

The five-member Public Safety Committee voted 4-1 in favor of McDonnell, whose nomination requires a vote by the City Council before it can be finalized. Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, a member of the committee, was the lone "no" vote.

Committee members questioned McDonnell on various subjects and issues impacted in the Los Angeles Police Department -- from recruitment woes to boosting morale, and unarmed response initiatives and improving relationships with the city's residents.

Other issues council members raised were ongoing efforts to reform the department's disciplinary process, use of pretextual stops, and how to limit liability claims stemming from officer misconduct, among other things.

However, a hot topic revolved around McDonnell's past policies related to immigration.

McDonnell, who served as the county sheriff from 2014 to 2018, allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into county jails. In 2017, he also opposed state Senate Bill 54, which established California as a sanctuary state, limiting law enforcement agencies cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Soto-Martinez grilled McDonnell on this issue, noting the city is in the process of establishing itself as a sanctuary city.

LAPD officials have maintained compliance with the California Values Act, which took effect in 2018, and prevents state law enforcement agencies from using resources on behalf of federal immigration enforcement agencies.

"I know my role very clearly as chief of police," McDonnell said. "I work for the police commission, for the mayor, with the council, and we work as partners in public safety."

"It's not something that we're going to step out and do something differently or counter to what everybody else in the city is focused on as policy," he added. "Our role is operational to protect all of our communities equally and do that to the best of our ability."

While Soto-Martinez opposed McDonnell's nomination, the other members supported him

Rodriguez thanked the former county sheriff for his stated commitment to engaging with the city's stakeholders on public safety.

"It's when we meet with our detractors that we garner the most wisdom and find a path to move forward," Rodriguez said.

The councilwoman noted that she has known McDonnell for many years, and thanked him for stepping up to lead the department.

Prior to the discussion, about 50 people gave public comment, which Rodriguez, who serves as the chair, limited to a minute each citing regulations with convening a special meeting.

Several of them condemned  the nomination of McDonnell, and one person called it a "slap to the face."

"I've lived in Los Angeles for the last three years, and what struck me most about this city is its diversity. People from all over the world call Los Angeles home," Gabriel Aguilar, a resident of El Sereno, said. "His actions and record are, in my opinion, disqualifying, and you should not be our police chief."

Members of The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights also opposed McDonnell's nomination, and urged council members to make Los Angeles a sanctuary city, which would formally enshrine protections for its immigrant community.

Earlier this month, Bass announced McDonnell as her pick to lead the LAPD, succeeding Michel Moore, who retired in February. Dominic Choi has been serving as interim chief.

McDonnell was one of three finalists for the position, alongside LAPD Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides and former Assistant Chief Robert "Bobby Arcos," head of investigations for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Bass described McDonnell as "one of America's finest police professionals" and a "nationally recognized thought leader on public safety.'' She had expressed confidence in McDonnell to keep the city safe as the region will host major sporting events in the coming years.

Some observers had anticipated that Bass would select either a woman or a Latino to fill the chief's office -- both would be firsts. But in the end she opted for McDonnell, who is white.

"Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles is both dismayed and outraged by the mayor's choice," BLM-LA said in a statement it released on Oct. 7. "We will continue our work to hold police accountable and challenge elected officials who prioritize their own political ambitions ahead of community interests."

Bass defended her selection, saying public safety was her top priority.

"Our city has a lot of work to do to prepare and to welcome the world," Bass previously said. "To me, what is most important, as I said from the beginning, is to keep this city safe. We needed and I feel very confident in one of the top law enforcement professionals in our country who was willing to come back to the department and lead us in a time when the department internally needs to be transformed, the city needs to feel safe and we need to prepare to welcome the world. And I feel very strongly and confident in that decision.''

McDonnell served with the LAPD for 29 years, and held several ranks leading up to first assistant chief of police before he retired in 2010 to lead the Long Beach Police Department, where he served for almost five years.

McDonnell previously said his goals were enhancing public safety in the city, "to grow our department back to full strength," and "to strengthen public trust, the foundation of all we do," and develop community relationships, while ensuring "respectful and constitutional policing practices."