Political leaders in Los Angeles are trying to find a way to oust their sheriff, a signal that calls for changes in law enforcement leadership are moving beyond police chiefs to leaders whose positions are elected and designed to be immune to such pressures.

Disagreements between Alex Villanueva, who commands the nation’s largest sheriff’s department, and the elected Board of Supervisors, who run the county, have escalated into a bitter public battle. The two sides have feuded over an increase in shootings of civilians by deputies during the sheriff’s tenure, potential budget cuts, and calls for greater civilian oversight of a department that patrols parts of the county without their own police forces and that guards jails.

“In my 36 years, this is the worst I’ve ever seen,” Ron Hernandez, president of the union that represents Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies, said of the fight.

Unlike police chiefs, who typically report to mayors and have in numerous cities lost their jobs amid this year’s Black Lives Matter-led protests, sheriffs are typically elected independently.