Candidate for
Councilmember; City of La Habra Heights

Alex Villanueva has been a homeowner in La Habra Heights for eleven years, a final destination for a journey that took him from his birthplace, Chicago, Illinois, to Rochester, New York, Queens, New York, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, and an enlistment in the United States Air Force that brought him to Norton AFB in San Bernardino, in 1983.

He joined the Sheriff's Department in 1986, and eventually met the love of his life, Vivian, in 1993, while working in East Los Angeles. Always wishing to return to the rural lifestyle he enjoyed in his youth, Alex and Vivian eventually settled in La Habra Heights in 2004, where they live to this day. Alex is the proud father of Jared, a US Army and Iraq War veteran, and he was blessed with two granddaughters, Chrissy and Sophia.

A firm believer in education and a profile in perseverance, Alex started his college education in Puerto Rico, continued while on active duty in the Air Force, he then burned the midnight oil while working patrol, eventually earning an Associate of Arts, a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Public Administration, and culminating with a Doctor of Public Administration from the University of La Verne in 2005.

In addition to being a lawman, Alex has worn many hats over the years: airman, soldier, Non-Commissioned Officer, Commissioned Officer, teacher's aide, tutor, drill instructor, adjunct professor, founding president of an organization devoted to fighting corruption, patrol deputy, training officer, field supervisor, watch commander, and the first person to raise awareness of the pay to play schemes of the Baca/Tanaka administration.

As one of the first people to take a stand against the corrupt administration of Sheriff Baca and his second in command, Paul Tanaka, Alex faced severe retaliation. Unwavering, he stood his ground, eventually bearing witness to the demise of a corrupt regime that did not serve the public's interest.