Supporters of Los Angeles County Measure G claimed victory a week after Election Day with voters supporting the expansion of the board of supervisors.
Updated results early Tuesday showed 51 percent of LA County voters in support of the measure with 49 percent casting "No" votes.
With the voters’ approval, Los Angeles County is allowed to amend its charter to increase the total number of the Board of Supervisors from the current five to nine.
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The county will also create a county executive, who would essentially become “the mayor of the county,” who would be selected by LA County voters, in addition to establishing an ethics commission.
"The people of Los Angeles County have made history in passing Measure G, ushering in the change necessary for a more effective Los Angeles County,'' Board of Supervisors Chair Lindsey Horvath, who co-authored the measure, said in a statement. "We will now have the ability to fix what is broken and deliver the results our communities are counting on, especially in the face of threats to our most vulnerable residents from the next federal administration. Through this historic change, we will address the most pressing issues facing Angelenos with greater urgency and accountability, and create a more ethical and representative government fit for the 21st century."
Measure G, which was supported by three of the current supervisors, Janice Hahn, Hilda Solis and Horvath, was proposed to make the Board of Supervisors more diverse as more members will represent the nation’s second largest county with diverse policies that could serve and represent different areas.
To fulfill Measure G, Los Angeles will have to vote and select their own county executive, who will serve as a “county mayor.”
Supporters of Measure G had said the current LA County CEO, who is appointed, lacks accountability and transparency. By electing the county executive, voters can hold the elected official accountable for critical issues, such as the county’s budgeting process.
But it remains to be seen whether Measure G would create a rift among the supervisors as two other members, Holly Mitchell and Kathryn Barger, opposed the proposal, saying it’s too costly while giving too much power to one person.
