Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued the following statement on the motion voted upon by the Board of Supervisors that will place a Charter Reform Initiative on the November 2024 General Election ballot:
“This reform proposal isn’t a panacea. Whether our Board stays at five members or grows to nine or more, our elected body has a responsibility to lead responsibly, effectively, and transparently. Bigger government doesn’t necessarily mean better government—but the matter will be in the public’s hands so they can decide that for themselves come November.
I will say that, regardless of size, our Board’s decisions repeatedly get stuck in bureaucracy and an unwillingness to make tough decisions.
A prime example is Men’s Central Jail. Despite our Board’s unanimous vote to close it, we’re nowhere closer to shuttering its doors than we were 12 years ago. This is because there is a lack of political will to approve a plan to securely rehabilitate incarcerated individuals who cannot be legally diverted despite several studies that have all concluded that is the path forward.
I believe we should concentrate on improving the transparency of our decision making. The votes and directives issued by our Board of Supervisors are largely personality driven instead of being guided by process, expert input, and transparency. I wholeheartedly support creating an Ethics Commission now, so we can immediately tackle improving both transparency and Board accountability. I will introduce a motion at our next regular Board meeting to accomplish that. If we’re serious about reforms, let’s enact those now. There’s no need to wait.”