In a wide-ranging motion, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday, Feb, 28, to explore expanding the board beyond five members, as well as examining ways to increase transparency and community input into board actions.
A third-party report was ordered by a unanimous vote of the Board that could require major changes in the governance of the Board, including giving the public weeks instead of only a few days to review proposed board motions, department head directives and a $44 billion county budget.
The motion, authored by Second District Supervisor Holly Mitchell and Third District Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, also asks the consultant hired to explore new rules when running for supervisor, including public financing of campaigns and creation of an ethics commission to call out candidates who violate campaign finance rules.
“It casts a broad net to yes, talk about expanding the size of the Board but also the way the Board conducts its business,” said Mitchell.
Horvath also mentioned the report would look at making remote public comments permanent, not just during an emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic that is set to expire shortly. “A key part is expanding the number of county supervisors because our residents deserve representation that is greater than someone representing 2 million plus.”
Los Angles County has a population of more than 10 million, with only five supervisors. That means each represents about 2 million people and covers a disparate district with more than 400 square miles of territory. The action requires a report that looks at how other counties are run throughout the country.
For example, San Francisco City and County, a single entity, has an 11-member Board of Supervisors. And the city of Los Angeles has a 15-member City Council.
Several groups representing Latinos, Asian-Americans and Black who testified in support of increasing the board to 7, 9, or 11 or more members said the board needs representatives who…
Read the full article here
