On July 30, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted on a governance reform proposal that will appear on the LA County ballot this November. The initiative, authored by Board Chair Lindsey Horvath and Supervisor Janice Hahn, would amend the Charter of the County of Los Angeles.
Horvath represents the third district, which includes the city of Beverly Hills. Her goal is to update county governance to better represent the modern world.
“Debate and discourse are what make a healthy democracy, and since I joined the board, I have heard a resounding call for change,” she said at the meeting. That change, said Horvath, will result in a country that “more urgently and effectively meets the needs of our communities, especially our most vulnerable residents, who depend on county services and care.”
Horvath and Hahn’s plan of action includes reforming three main pieces of the charter: representation, accountability and transparency. To accomplish this, the Board of Supervisors will be expanded from five to nine seats. A new elected County Executive will be put in place, as will an independent Ethics Commission.
But parts of Horvath and Hahn’s plan, including the addition of an elected County Executive, were met with hesitation from some members of the board at the meeting. “It really causes me great concern when we look at empowering a single countywide elected [official], who will have greater power over five, seven, nine—however many of us,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who represents the second district. “The conversations we had today where we were talking about the uniqueness of our districts—I don’t know how a single countywide elected will be able to make priorities that sit well with the five or nine of us in terms of making investment and budget priorities with this county. I think that with the current structure, the way it’s proposed in the ordinance, the supervisors’ ability to truly fight and advocate the unique needs of our district will be deeply compromised.”
According to Horvath, who defended the proposal, this executive branch will be accountable for making sure the legislative decisions made by the Board of Supervisors are carried out and acted upon efficiently. “After more than 100 years of the status quo, this is a proposal that gives Angelenos the opportunity to shape a county government structure fit for the 21st century,” she said. “Today, as we consider whether to place the amendment to the county charter on the ballot, I want to get back to why this proposal solves the problems we’re facing. Why do we need an elected County Executive? Accountability.” This part of her proposal goes hand in hand with the expansion of the board from five to nine seats, to ensure that the legislative branch of county government doesn’t go unchecked or hold too much power.
At the meeting, LA County residents also had the opportunity to voice their opinions in person, through written comments or over Zoom.
Anthony Ayala, a representative of the Wellness Center at the Historical General Hospital in Boyle Heights, spoke in person in support of Horvath’s proposal. “We must reevaluate how to meet the needs of diverse LA County residents, to ensure support is delivered equitably and with an acute understanding of their material needs,” he said. “This is especially critical for residents in communities who have been historically excluded from conversations that have direct impacts on their daily lives and long-term futures as residents of Los Angeles County. Often, political representation doesn’t resonate with me or my lived experiences. This is something I know to be true for many marginalized communities in LA County. This is why expanding the board is necessary to ensure that the representation of local governance is able to speak directly to the needs of our community members. We must expand the board to ensure that our voices are not only heard but have the power to influence decisions made for our community by people from our community. This is how we advance equity and justice for local residents and repair our trust in governance in the process.”
At the end of the meeting, the board passed the motion in a 3-2 vote, with Supervisor Hilda Solis joining Horvath and Hahn in approving. The measure will appear on ballots in November, where voters will decide whether or not the changes to the charter will be put in place.
