By Jorge Casuso

September 26, 2024 -- City Councilmembers on Tuesday declined to support an LA County measure on the November ballot that would expand the Board of Supervisors and create an elected County Executive.

Measure G -- which was placed on the ballot by the County Board of Supervisors on July 30 -- has been endorsed by the Santa Monica Democratic Club, the County Democratic Party and Santa Monica's representatives in the State Senate and Assembly.

The item was placed on the agenda by Councilmember Oscar de la Torre, the City's representative to the Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG), which is seeking input from its member cities on the measure.

De la Torre, who is chair of the WSCCOG, noted that the measure presents "a lot of advantages," including expanding the number of Supervisors who represent the County's more than 10 million residents from 5 to 9.

Measure G also creates an independent Ethics Commission, establishes a nonpartisan Legislative Analyst to review proposed County policies and requires County departments to present annual budgets in public meetings, according to the agenda item.

But the Councilmembers who weighed in staunchly opposed the creation of an elected County Executive with powers comparable to, and exceeding, those of a City Manager.

Councilmember Caroline Torosis, who gave the most thorough explanation opposing the measure, called the provision "a non starter."

Measure G, Torosis said, "would basically instill a single county executive who was elected" with "all veto power over the budget and sole authority to hire and fire department heads," Torosis said.

Torosis also worried there is no budget to pay for the new elected officials and their staffs.

"We are buying new County officials and paying for them with County services, and that deeply concerns me, she said.

"This initiative is rushed. There's still time to get this right" and place a revised measure on the 2026 ballot.

Councilmember Gleam Davis said she generally agreed with the measure but was "very concerned with having an elected county executive."

"I think the problem would be that you would have someone in a very powerful position, who might not have the skills or the inclination to carry out the job,” said Davis.

Brock also opposed an elected executive, which "could become a popularity contest" and said a "reasoned" measure should be revised and brought back in 2026.

The Board of Supervisors voted 3 to 2 to place the measure on the ballot. Supervisor Holly Mitchell, a longtime progressive, voted no, warning County services would need to be cut to pay for the new positions.

The other opposing vote was cast by the board’s only Republican, Kathryn Barger, who made a failed motion to remove the elected executive, a position she worried would become politicized.