Los Angeles County Board Delays Governance Reform Items for 90 Days: Supervisor Kathryn Barger Pledges Not to Run for Elected County Executive
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in California voted 4-0, with one abstention, on October 20 to continue for 90 days three Governance Reform Task Force recommendations: creating an elected County Executive, an Office of Budget and Management, and a County Legislative Analyst. Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued a statement the same day supporting a pause and pledged that if the elected County Executive office is ultimately created, she will not run for it.
In her statement, Barger said that based on current Department of Human Resources figures, the elected County Executive's total annual compensation would be about $558,000 — required to be at least one dollar above every other county elected official and carrying pension eligibility — while the Governor of California earns $245,000. The office would oversee a $54 billion budget and more than 110,000 employees, yet would have no term limits and no professional qualifications. She said it would create one of the most powerful and highest-paid politicians in the state and possibly the nation. She also objected to accelerating the Legislative Analyst's office to an October 2027 launch — more than a year ahead of the timeline in voter-approved Measure G — without a cost estimate, calling it a request to sign a blank check.
Measure G passed in November 2024 with 51.6 percent of the vote. Barger said she supports pausing the task force recommendations until January 2027 and has asked County Counsel and the newly established Ethics Commission to weigh in on conflicts of interest. She also warned that restructuring could weaken the Board's responsiveness to unincorporated communities, citing ongoing work on North County roads, homeless outreach, and Altadena's rebuilding after the Eaton Fire.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图为洛杉矶县行政大楼 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration（资料图）。Visitor7 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，Wikimedia Commons。 | The Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in Los Angeles (file photo). Photo by Visitor7, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
