In response to growing calls for government reform, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will consider Tuesday whether to move toward expanding its size from the current five members.
Right now, each supervisor represents about 2 million people — more than the populations of 13 states, including West Virginia, New Hampshire, and Hawaii.
“Having more seats at the table means that more and different voices can be part of the conversation,” said Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, a co-sponsor of one of two motions before the board that address expansion. With more supervisors, “each district will have greater access to their supervisor,” she said.
The motions before the board call for studying the issue; it’s unclear how many supervisors would support expanding the board. Horvath’s co-sponsor, Supervisor Holly Mitchell, was carefully non-committal.
“I am absolutely open to it,” Mitchell told LAist. But she also noted that voters turned down efforts to increase the size of the board in the past, “so I think we need to look at why.”
When it comes to expansion, “nobody wants to dilute their political power,” said CalMatters commentator Dan Walters.”It’s much better to be one of five than one of nine, 11 or 13,” he said, ticking off possible expansion numbers.
Historically, voters have been skeptical about expanding the number of elected officials, given their often dim view of politicians. This is a different historical moment.
The City Hall secret recording scandal has prompted calls to not only expand the City Council but the Board of Supervisors as well. The recording of top city officials and a powerful labor leader discussing how to hold onto their power during the decennial process of redrawing council district boundaries sparked…
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