Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell kicked off the New Year with an announcement that she will run for a second term because she wants to set the record straight. She wants to be the District 2 supervisor for the next eight years.
“I felt compelled to announce early, frankly, because of all of the chatter around my name being on a shortlist for consideration by the governor for an appointment to the U.S. Senate,” said Mitchell.
“I did not want people to think for a moment that I was considering leaving the county and running for senate. I have always intended to serve as many terms as the county would allow. You cannot work as hard as we did in 2019 and 2020 to get elected just to serve four years,” she noted.
Mitchell was elected to serve on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and has had to lead during a time when public trust in government is often tested.
“It’s important to be accessible,” said Mitchell, responding to how she will maintain voter trust. “One thing I am very proud of…(and) it’s just who I am. It is keeping it 100. I watched (my mother) lead. That is the only way I know how to do it. It is about having frank and direct conversations.”
Mitchell came of age in Riverside, California – the same hometown as the legendary basketball siblings, Cheryl and Reggie Miller. Mitchell’s mother, Sylvia J. Johnson, was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 1980 as the superintendent for California Institution for Women. Johnson was also the first African American and the first woman to serve as chief probation officer for Alameda County.
In addition, Mitchell’s mother was a member of a cadre of progressive Black women who were highly engaged in community politics. The Black mothers were on a mission, not just to raise children, but also, they were raising leaders by demonstrating how to build greater avenues of diversity, equity, and financial success.
“Service is part of Supervisor Mitchell’s DNA because her parents were also dedicated public servants,” said Earl “Skip” Cooper, II, chairman, president emeritus and founder of the Black Business Association.
Mitchell is accustomed to overcoming obstacles, but she was tested when the pandemic and historic racial unrest occurred during her first year as supervisor.
“I have always focused my whole career on poverty disruption, but it had taken a turn thanks to COVID,” said Mitchell.
“For example, during my time on the Metro Board, I didn’t draw a line between public transit to poverty remediation. This is something I’ve come to understand post-COVID.”
The economic impact of the pandemic was severe. Mitchell spearheaded a policy that would allow children to ride for free. Consequently, a record number of students are taking the Metro, and school attendance has improved.
Some additional high marks on Mitchell’s record include the Guaranteed Income Pilot Program. The first of its kind countywide, the pilot would provide 1,000 residents $1,000 a month for three years.
Leimert Park falls in Mitchell’s district. Being one of the jewels of the Black community, she created a pilot program to help to stabilize small businesses by providing federal COVID-19 stimulus dollars to buy buildings.
“We had the ambition to buy the building on Degnan, which has seven [buildings],” said Tony Jolly of Ora, formally known as the Hot and Cool Café.
“We had a commitment from Wells Fargo for only of a third, but we needed another $3 million. Supervisor Mitchell’s office just came through with the funds.
“She really admires how we revamped Leimert Park over the last five years. She believed that these Black businesses are worthy and should thrive.”
“I am humbly proud of the work we’ve gotten done in the middle of COVID, and we’ve only just begun. That is why I am seeking reelection,” she said.
Some of the initiatives Mitchell wants to oversee during the next eight years are the unhoused and the RV encampments, building housing to address the 500,000-unit housing shortfall, and eliminating street racing takeovers.
