LA County Board of Supervisors advances major governance overhaul

The The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors advanced a major proposal on Tuesday aimed at significantly changing county governance.operates. The measure aims to expand the board from five to nine members and create a countywide elected executive position.

The proposal, supported by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Janice Hahn, was approved for preparation for the November ballot. Horvath and Hahn noted that LA County pointed out that the board, with its five board members representing a total of 10 million residents, equates to 2 million people per each supervisor, an imbalance when compared to other regions such as San Francisco and Cook County, Illinois.

In their motion, Horvath and Hahn stated, “Los Angeles County residents suffer deficits of representation and accountability.” At Tuesday’s meeting, Horvath added that expanding the board would place “more power into the hands of the community.”

The proposal has garnered strong support from community activists who have criticized the current board’s inability to adequately represent LA County’s racially and ethnically diverse population.

Kathryn Barger and Holly Mitchell abstained from supporting the proposal, citing cost and other concerns.

“I don’t see how we pay for that,” Mitchell remarked, voicing doubts about the proposal’s claim of being cost-neutral.

The expansion plan is part of a broader reform package. This includes electing a county chief executive officer by 2028 who would have the power to craft and veto budget changes unless overridden by a two-thirds board majority. Currently, the board appoints the CEO, who manages daily operations.

According to the motion, “As we have faced and continue to face numerous crises on multiple fronts — the COVID-19 pandemic, massive wildfires, homelessness, criminal justice reform, and climate change to name a few— the lack of strong, elected executive leadership has impacted our ability to address those challenges as nimbly and efficiently as possible.”

Additional reforms suggested involve establishing an independent ethics commission to oversee campaign finance, government contracts, ethics laws and lobbying.

“With additional elected representation comes the need for independent oversight to maintain public trust,” the proposal stated. “The numerous reports of ethics and corruption scandals in local government over the last two decades reinforce this need.”

The package also includes provisions aimed at criminal accountability for elected officials and a two-year lobbying ban for former county employees.

Out of the more than 50 people who spoke at the meeting, nearly all were in support of the reforms. Alissa Bernstein of the American Jewish Committee commented, “Expanding the board from five to nine will allow more diverse voices reflective of the makeup of Los Angeles County.”

Supervisors must finalize the vote by Aug. 9 to get the reforms on the November ballot.