Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna’s bid for reelection next year will not go uncontested.

Challenging Luna for that seat will be a member of his own department.

Lt. Oscar Martinez, a 16-year employee of the Sheriff’s Department who is assigned to its Palmdale Station, said he’s running because the department needs a leader who will empower deputies to do their jobs.

In an interview ahead of a campaign launch event in Santa Clarita on Wednesday, April 2, Martinez was highly critical of Luna, accusing the sheriff of bowing to the political pressures of anti-police groups instead of standing up for the people who work in the Sheriff’s Department.

“We need a sheriff that stands for law enforcement,” he said.

Martinez is a registered Republican, while Luna is a Democrat. The Sheriff’s office is nonpartisan.

Martinez said he feels Luna did not do enough to defend Deputy Trevor James Kirk, who in February was found guilty of excessive force when he assaulted and pepper-sprayed a woman during a 2023 confrontation outside a Lancaster supermarket.

On the same day that Kirk was convicted by a federal jury, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement stating that Kirk’s “actions are completely contrary to the values and standards upheld by the Sheriff’s Department.”

“Law enforcement officers not only take an oath to uphold the law, but are held to the highest standards of accountability and integrity. No deputy is above the law and any abuse of power which violates the public’s trust will not be tolerated,” the department said.

In another recent statement, the Sheriff’s Department, responding in part to criticisms about its role in Kirk’s case, clarified that “despite allegations to the contrary, this case was not referred to the FBI nor the U.S Attorney’s Office by anyone within the department.”

The investigation was led by the FBI.

Luna, in a statement provided by his campaign Wednesday, defended his record.

“As sheriff, I have prioritized keeping our communities safe and bringing new leadership, stability and accountability to the Sheriff’s Department,” Luna stated.

“Since becoming sheriff, violent crime has fallen every year in the areas patrolled by LASD, and 2024 saw the fewest number of homicides in the past five years,” he continued. “In addition, uses of force have decreased, and our reforms, including our Office of Constitutional Policing and policy banning law enforcement gangs, have increased public trust in the Department.”

Luna was elected in 2022 with 61% of the vote, handily defeating then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva. It was only the second time in about a century that an incumbent L.A. County sheriff had lost their bid for reelection. (The first occurred in 2018 when Villanueva beat then-Sheriff Jim McDonnell.)

Martinez believes it’s time for another leadership change.

Under Luna’s administration, he said, public safety has been compromised by “weak leadership.”

Martinez said if elected sheriff, he would base decisions on what’s best for public safety, not political agendas.

“What we need right now is no politics, just public safety,” he said.

Martinez says his priorities are to defend and support law enforcement officers; modernize the department through embracing new technology and modern policing strategies, including the use of drones and non-lethal weapons; and practice fiscal responsibility.

Before joining the Sheriff’s Department, Martinez was a U.S. Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 44-year-old lives in Santa Clarita with his wife and two children.

Luna, before being elected to his current post, spent 36 years working for the Long Beach Police Department. He left that department after seven years as its police chief.

On his campaign website, Luna noted that as sheriff, he led the creation of a new crime strategy unit, worked with L.A. Metro to make the public transit system safer, increased transparency with “timely releases of body-camera video,” creating a public dashboard with crime statistics and posting data on uses of force, Taser usage and other incidents on the department’s website.

“I’m running for reelection to continue our leadership, progress and success at LASD, and I look forward to meeting with voters across L.A. County in the months ahead,” Luna said in his statement to Southern California News Group on Wednesday.

The winner of the 2026 race will head up the largest Sheriff’s Department in the country.