On July 9, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, in a 3-to-2 vote, approved Chair Lindsey Horvath and Supervisor Janice Hahn’s motion to put forward a charter amendment on the November 2024 ballot – that, if passed by voters – will expand the Board to nine members and create a new countywide elected Executive Officer position.
Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, who authored a 2023 motion with Chair Horvath for governance reform that passed with unanimous support, calling for an independent review of the County’s governance structure that would include data-informed recommendations on the number to expand the Board, abstained from voting and provided the following statement:
“I abstained from voting on the motion to present a charter amendment to the public to expand the Board to nine and to create a countywide elected officer position because these sweeping changes were not thoughtfully presented. What we were asked to vote on today lacked a focus on equity and details to support true governance reform.
“When I asked about the breadth of outreach that led to this motion being presented, there was no proof of true community engagement that included input from Second District residents or residents throughout the County. There was no data-informed reason for why the number nine was chosen for board seats versus any other number. We have no assessment of the fiscal feasibility of these changes being implemented and what it would potentially cost the County; an honest assessment to the voters is paramount. Questions on who will be able to serve on the Governance Committee remain unanswered despite this committee being tasked with ushering in governance reform for the largest County in the nation,” said Mitchell.
“There are too many critical unknowns that will only further inequities and undermine the efforts of the County to be truly transparent and accountable to the public. Last year, we unanimously agreed as a Board to take a thoughtful, data-informed approach to improving the County’s governance structure. We decided on an independent entity to recommend not just how many seats should be added to the Board for a public vote but also how the County can improve the process by which it creates policies that impact millions of lives daily. Bypassing this process to rush to the ballot box in November doesn’t solve the root of our governance problems.”
“I welcome an expansion of the Board and changes to how we govern that lead to more openness and input from the public. The pathway to achieving this is in the details. Our communities deserve an intentional charter amendment that isn’t driven by what one or any Supervisor thinks is best but by what truly is best for the greater good of the public.”
