California’s Constitution makes each county sheriff an independent, elected official — a politician with a gun and a badge. But it is the de facto police force for unincorporated parts of L.A. County, for desert, mountains and neighborhoods as far-flung as Marina del Rey, Willowbrook and Newhall. (Los Angeles Times)For years the L.A. County sheriff got a bigger paycheck than his better-known fellow politician, the president of the United States. In 2002, Angelenos voted big-big to put term limits on the elected sheriff, but Baca appealed, and that vote was tossed out as un-California-constitutional. (The first L.A. County sheriff, George Burrill, elected in 1850, swaggered over his beat carrying an infantry sword, which certainly would have given raggedy L.A. some tone.)

Source: Los Angeles Times August 03, 2021 11:02 UTC