Sheriff Robert Luna Visits City of West Hollywood for Dialogue with a Deputy

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna was in West Hollywood this past Saturday, March 11, 2023, for a Dialogue with a Deputy meet and greet event with West Hollywood Council members, City Staff, community leaders, and West Hollywood residents. The event was hosted by Dialog Cafe, located at 8766 Holloway Drive. Some of the deputies from the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station included law enforcement officers who identify as LGBTQ.

West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tem John Erickson, council member Lauren Meister, and members from city commissions, including Safety Commissioners Robert Oliver and Tod Hallman were at the event.

“I think it’s great anytime you bring out a community that is engaging with us in law enforcement, specifically the LA County Sheriff’s Department,” Sheriff Luna told WEHO TIMES. “The keys to safety are relationships, which means communication, cooperation and a true partnership. What I sense from being out here and talking to the elected officials in West Hollywood, with community member, and others who are engaged, is that there appears to be a solid relationship, but then you get the suggestions, ‘we would like to look at this and we would like to look at that,’ so you always want to know where the gaps are.”

Sheriff Luna said community members mostly gave him positive feedback on his deputies, “They told me the deputies are engaged and they listen,” he said. “They also talked about some challenges in the relationship, but they are out here to try to make those relationships better.”

Sheriff Luna added that the West Hollywood residents he met with were happy that he was in the City of West Hollywood. “They are happy with the engagement” he said. “Some of them talked about wanting to go on ride alongs with deputies to understand both sides. One resident asked me how I felt about drones from a response perspective. Those are all good conversations to have.”

When asked what he felt his relationship was with the city in comparison to his predecessor, Alex Villanueva, he said, “I aspire to have the best relationship with the City of West Hollywood. I know when I was campaigning, there were a lot of people here who weren’t happy with my predecessor. I won’t get into any details about that. My strengths are partnerships, being visible, accessible and responsive in all of our communities. West Hollywood is one of our most important contracts, so I want to make sure I maintain that level of responsiveness to this great city.”

Dialog Cafe hosted the first ever “Dialogue with a Deputy event on July 21, 2022, where they invited West Hollywood sheriff deputies, neighbors, local business owners and West Hollywood elected officials to gather for coffee and conversation with WeHo law enforcement. The café is a family-owned with a close-knit crew serving the West Hollywood community.

Located at 780 N San Vicente Blvd in West Hollywood, the LASD West Hollywood Station provides law enforcement services for the City of West Hollywood and the unincorporated Universal City Walk.

Any individuals or businesses interested in sponsoring a future “Dialog with a Deputy” event, can contact [email protected].