LA County’s all-female Board of Supervisors could be reformed as voters come into the polls
Elections 2024, LA Politics, Homepage News
Rebecca Ellis Jaclyn CosgroveMarch 5, 2024
The balance of power on the LA County Board of Supervisors could change after voters go to the polls on Tuesday, potentially ending the reign of the so-called “Five Little Queens.”
TwelveEleven
Candidates are competing in three races that could reshape the board, which has been all-female since 2020, fundamentally changing its approach to issues including public safety and homelessness.
Primary election results: Los Angeles County
Incumbent Supervisor Janice Hahn faces two male challengers as she vie for a third and final term: former LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who wants the seat after losing his bid for another term as top cop, and John Cruikshank, the mayor of Rancho Palos Verdes, a city of about 40,000 residents. Hahn represents the 4th District, which covers the southern and southeastern portions of the county, including Long Beach and Torrance.
After two terms, Supervisor Kathryn Barger, a lifelong Republican backed by the unions, is running against four candidates, including prominent Democratic Assembly member Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) to represent the 5th District in the northern part of the county , including Lancaster, Santa Clarita and Burbank.
Finally, Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell is fighting to keep her seat after one term representing the 2nd District, which includes South LA, Inglewood and Carson, as well as unincorporated Marina Del Rey and Willowbrook. Her challengers for a seat held by a black leader for the past three decades include
bee
educator
Daphne D.Bradford
And
two
nonprofit executives
Clint D Carlton and Katrina Williams
.
Each supervisor represents approximately 2 million voters and can serve a maximum of three terms. In the past, many supervisors have been re-elected twice and served the full twelve years.
If no one wins more than 50% of the vote in each district on March 5, the top two candidates will compete in November’s runoff election.
The five provincial supervisors manage a $43 billion budget and a workforce of 110,000 people responsible for
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managing everything from the region’s public hospitals to its prisons.
The supervisors also serve as a quasi-municipality council for the 1 million residents who live in the county’s approximately 120 unincorporated areas.
Villanueva’s candidacy was expected to add some excitement to the typically sleepy races for county supervisors. During his sole term as sheriff, he regularly sparred with supervisors and their staff over the size of his budget and the scope of their oversight.
But his fundraising has lagged far behind Hahn’s, hampering his ability to deliver his message that LA County is a crime-ridden region in need of new leadership. At one point, his primary account on X, formerly known as Twitter, was closed, further limiting his reach.
Barger, a county employee since the late 1980s, and Holden, who has held public office for about 35 years, are the best-known candidates in the 5th District. The two have exchanged barbs in mailers, with Holden suggesting that Barger supports Donald Trump, a claim Barger has denied. She has repeatedly said that there is no place for party politics in local politics.
Like Hahn and Barger, Mitchell is running in a reformed district. An independent redistribution commission in 2021
predominantly white communities
, including Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, from Hahn’s 4th district to the 2nd. This raised concerns about whether a black leader could continue to win the seat.
The election results will be received around 8:30 PM on Tuesday and will be updated until March 26. It can take days, if not weeks, for the winner of a race to be determined.

Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.