LA County Sheriff's race heats up over 'grandstanding' allegations

(FOX 11) - Residents of the Malibu and Calabasas areas are still on edge over a possible crime spree by a mysterious armed man. Now a political opponent of LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell is alleging the law enforcement response -- was actually a political ploy.

By most experts predictions, Jim McDonnell will win re-election to his post as sheriff of sprawling LA County. It's a big job, with what is generally described as the largest law enforcement force in the nation, not to mention overseeing the county jails and the cauldron of issues always bubbling there.

Challenger Alex Villanueva, himself a former Sheriff's Lieutenant, thinks he has a legitimate shot at the upset though.

Villanueva got 33% of the June primary vote, McDonnell 48 % just short of what he needed to win outright.

Villanueva and I spent a lot of time together today and his feeling is that McDonnell is ''politicizing'' decisions that should be based strictly on law enforcement considerations and that will resonate with voters, as described in the accompanying story.

McDonnell, when I asked him about it, said those kinds of allegations would be ''comical'' if not so serious.