This article was co-published in collaboration by L.A. TACO and LA Public Press.
Los Angeles County supervisors postponed a vote on Tuesday over a proposal to formally identify gangs and “secret subgroups” operating within the sheriff’s department.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) implemented a policy in 2024 prohibiting deputies from participating in gangs and hate groups, to comply with state law. Yet Supervisor Holly Mitchell identified deputy gangs as a “persistent issue” in her motion on Tuesday.
Mitchell’s motion drew the support of more than 50 community organizers and families affected by deputy gang violence, who rallied outside the board of supervisors building in Downtown L.A. and later packed into the meeting.
Wearing a shirt with a photo of her son’s face, bloodied and beaten, Vanessa Perez spoke at the rally before the vote, calling the motion a step in the right direction to bring transparency to the existence of deputy gangs.