07/09/2024
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Los Angeles County Governance Reform For a more representative, accountable, and efficient County The Need for Reform The Los Angeles County government has remained unchanged since 1912, before women had the right to vote and the population was500,000. Today, five elected supervisors serve the most populous county in the nation, each representing two million constituents. Now is the time to reform Los Angeles County’s form of government to be responsive to our region’s greatest challenges. Comprehensive Reform Package LA County deserves a governance structure that is effective, representative, and transparent. By expanding the Board, electing a County Executive, and establishing an independent Ethics Commission, we can build a government that truly serves and reflects the needs ofourcommunities.1. REPRESENTATION: EXPANSION OF THE BOARD Expand from Five to Nine Supervisors: Increasing the Board to nine Supervisors would allow more diverse voices, truly reflective of LA County, to shape County policy. The expansion would also increase accessibility of Supervisors to the communities theyrepresent.2. EFFICIENCY: ELECTED COUNTY EXECUTIVE Transition from Appointed to Elected: Moving from an appointed CEO to an elected County Executive would ensure the County’s operations and budget management are more efficient and accountable to the public. This separation between an executive and legislative branch would create necessary checks and balances within LA County government.3. TRANSPARENCY: INDEPENDENT ETHICS COMMISSION Transparency and Trust: An independent Ethics Commission would increase transparency, build public trust, and combat corruption. The commission enhance accountability and integrity within the County’s governance, ensuring ethical conduct. Additional reforms include a commission to review the County Charter every ten years; a Department of Budget and Management and a County Legislative Analyst; open budget hearings by departments annually; and creating a task force to oversee reform implementation. Why Now? This is a once in a generation opportunity to create the necessary structural changes within LA County to tackle our greatest challenges through Charter reform that will go before voters as a ballot measure in November 2024.We can no longer let a dated bureaucracy prevent us from more effectively addressing our homelessness crisis, making real progress on justice reform, or actualizing a government where Angelinos can meaningfully be at the decision-making table. Reform has been studied for decades–the time to act is now. This is the change our communities have called for and now voters have an opportunity to bring Los Angeles County into the 21stcenturythis November
