VIEWPOINT – In November 2028 we will be electing a Los Angeles County Executive who will become the second‑most powerful public official in California after the Governor. Politically, this is an enormous structural change in local government, creating a system born from a narrow consensus.
The mandate is real, of course, but not overwhelming. The electorate was sharply divided, approving Measure G on November 5, 2024, with 51.36% of the vote, compared to 48.64% voting No. Consequently, with a small margin of 2.72 percentage points, for the first time in 172 years, we will be electing a dominant county executive who will effectively become the county’s executive branch, while nine supervisors, up from five, will represent the legislative branch.
Certainly, L.A. County will undergo a major operational transformation, with the new executive appointing department heads and supervisors confirming or overseeing them. Supervisors will retain the power to make ordinances, but the executive will enforce them, thereby creating a clear separation of powers not seen before in the county. Significantly, the executive will control a budget of over $45-$50 billion and have authority over 100,000 employees…