Supervisor Lindsey Horvath became the first candidate to announce her 2028 run for Los Angeles County CEO, a new position with immense power that voters approved in 2024.
“What makes it powerful is that the county, if it was its own state, would be the 12th largest in the United States,” said Zev Yaroslavsky, who served on the Board of Supervisors for 20 years. “It has a budget of $52 billion.”
In its current state, the LA County CEO reports to the supervisors. However, the new position reverses the hierarchy, with the supervisors reporting to the CEO.
“I’m very excited about these changes being implemented,” Horvath said. “I’m excited about this particular role, being able to get things done much faster, for people to see results from their government and start to trust it again.”
After Horvath announced her bid, fellow LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who opposed the creation of an elected CEO, criticized Horvath for entering the race, saying she should hold off because of pending legal challenges to the position.
“I believe campaigning for the new County Executive position is premature when serious questions remain about whether the office itself is constitutional,” Barger wrote in a statement on Monday. “While I respect the voters’ decision, the County has a responsibility to ensure those reforms comply with state law. Moving forward with an office that would fundamentally change how Los Angeles County is governed, without first resolving these questions, is putting the cart before the horse. We need clarity.”
During a meeting last month, Barger also questioned whether any supervisor should run for the position.
“Given that the current Board of Supervisors authored and approved the motion that placed Measure G on the ballot, one could argue that it’s a conflict of interest for any of us to run for the county-elected position,” Barger said.
Horvath responded to Barger’s most recent statement and her comments from last month, saying that her colleague has not “been a fan of just about any of the reforms” in the past.
“We’ve seen ‘Trumpian’ tactics before where people are trying to thwart change, thwart reform,” Horvath said. “I know she hasn’t been a fan of just about any of the reforms that have come to Los Angeles County in the past decade.”
Along with the newly elected CEO, voters also approved expanding the Board of Supervisors from five to nine members.
Yaroslavsky believes the reforms make sense and that the county CEO should have more power.
“When you have five people in charge of a government this big, nobody’s in charge,” he said.