The Cheat-Sheet for L.A. County Districts 2, 4, and 5
Plus the District Attorney's office, just for good measure.
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors was established in 1850, when less than 8,300 people were counted in that year’s census for Greater Los Angeles. Since the days of yore, it’s been made up of five members, each limited to three four-year terms, whose job is to uphold the interests of all the inhabitants of “the island on the land,” as Carey McWilliams once called it. Nearly 10 million people call some stretch of L.A. County’s 4,000 square miles home, so each Supervisor accounts for roughly 2 million people and a myriad of services in their communities. In 2022, the combined GDP or economic output of these communities was no less than $790 billion, or more than the standalone GDPs of 43 U.S. States over the same year.
L.A. County Board Supervisors meet regularly for public sessions on Tuesdays. You can even catch meetings on YouTube if you’d prefer to check in remotely, but just note that meetings can last anywhere from 90 minutes to four or five hours. In the end, time flies, and before you know it it’s time to review and approve another budget proposal sent over by L.A. County “CEO” Fesia Davenport again. Davenport was appointed by the Board of Supervisors in early 2020, whose job, apart from drafting the annual budget, is also to support the Board’s management of L.A. County’s 38 different departments.
Just three departments took 40% of a $43 billion pie managed by the L.A. County Board this year. First, the Board’s largest allocations went to Health Services like Primary Care, Urgent Care, Emergency Rooms, Radiology labs, and related sectors at over $9.3 billion. Second, the Board provided more than $5.4 billion for Public Social Services Department (DPSS), which oversees Social Security Services, Seniors and Persons with Disabilities Services, CalFresh, Homeless Programs and more public assistance programs; last but certainly not least, the board’s third largest beneficiary was the L.A. County Sheriff’s department, which received just shy of $4 billion. The department is the third largest police force in the U.S. and controls policing apparatuses in at least 40 of L.A. County’s 88 cities, plus scores of unincorporated areas from the Angeles Forest to just before Kern County; the Sheriff’s office also protects and presides over 38 local Superior Courts and runs the L.A. County Jail, where advocates argue taxpayers spend at least $50,000 a year to house a single inmate
In addition to these items, in case you’ve ever ridden public transportation in Los Angeles, it turns out that all five Board Supervisors serve on L.A. Metro’s Board of 12 representatives, along with the L.A. Mayor, one appointed L.A. City Council Member, and four council members or mayors from across greater L.A. County; most recently, the L.A. Metro Board heard considerable commentary on whether or not to approve billionaire Frank McCourt’s proposed Gondola development from Union Station to Dodger stadium in partnership with Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit, Climate Resolve, and “a new nonprofit, Zero Emissions Transit.”
L.A. County Supervisors also manage millions of dollars in discretionary funds for a myriad of community services and programming. According to the Public Works department, “Over 1% ($48 million) of the [L.A. County] budget is funded by County General Fund dollars to finance Board discretionary programs and projects.” To see L.A. County’s budgeting this year for 37 of its 38 departments for yourself, find this sheet.
Now, chances are you’re asking yourself how it is that you rarely hear about these Supervisors given how many billions of the “public purse” they manage; but not to worry, 8 out of 10 of your 10 million neighbors would probably be in the same lot. Consider that the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and the District Attorney races are likely the least popular for most L.A. voters. In March 2020’s primary elections, for example, when it came to the 2nd, 4th and 5th districts–which are the same districts up for elections this 2024–a combined 1 million voters cast their vote for who would take the offices. While this alone is a huge number, given that it was recorded from a pool of around 5.5 million registered voters in 2020, it means some 18 out of 100 eligible voters turned out. Likewise, for the District Attorney’s election in 2020–which is also up for a vote this March–more than 1.7 million voters cast a vote to send Jackie Lacey into a runoff with George Gascón. But since they came from the same pool of 5.5 million registered voters, about 31 of 100 of eligible voters showed up. By contrast, in November 2022’s runoff between Karen Bass and Rick Caruso for the L.A. mayor’s office, some 48 out of 100 of the city’s registered voters emerged to pick Bass for the job. For the record, I’m not saying 48 is great, but it does entail nearly half of the people registered to elect their local government actually making it happen.
So, to summarize, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors manages budgets in the tens of billions range. They also appoint L.A. County’s CEO, who drafts this budget and helps in overseeing L.A. County’s 38 different departments (three of which took over 40% of the pie between 2023 - 2024), and they form a plurality in L.A. Metro’s management and policy-making. Additionally, it’s also the Board of Supervisors’ job to execute the will of voter approved measures like 2020’s Measure J, which moved hundreds of millions from the L.A. County Sheriff’s department to diversion, mental health, education and even housing programs. There’s also more to the Cuentos of the L.A. County Board and its members’ duties, but for now, let’s take a look at upcoming elections for the 2nd, 4th and 5th districts this year.
First, let’s see who’s running for these offices via info from the L.A. County Clerk’s office on monetary contributions to campaigns over the last year using separate Finance Reports there from January - June 2023, and July - December 2023, plus a shorter reporting period from January 4th - January 20th 2024, which we combined to note each campaign’s total. Then, let’s consider some housing data from the districts, comparing the needs of one area or neighborhood with another in the same district, especially since L.A.’s housing inventory now needs more than 800,000 housing units to “catch up” with demand; let’s also make these comparisons considering that in 2022 L.A. County’s average income per person (per capita) was $41,000, while the median income per household was $83,000.
L.A. County Board of Supervisors - District 2
The 2nd district can be thought of as the “Greater Southwest” Los Angeles area. It’s buttressed by the Santa Monica or 10 freeway on the north and by the Cabrillo or 1 freeway on the south. On its west end is unincorporated Marina del Rey, while the city of Compton lies on the east. The area is currently represented by Holly J. Mitchell, the only African-American woman on the Board, who was first elected as Supervisor in 2020 after seven years as a member of the California State Senate.
This March, Mitchell is technically facing three opponents for the seat but is far ahead in her fundraising numbers, so barring any major surprises between now and Election Day, she should easily clinch reelection.
Candidate: Holly J. Mitchell. Funds Raised: $389,059.40 (1/1/2024/ - 1/20/2024: 1/1/2023 - 6/30/2023). Endorsed by: Los Angeles Federation of Labor. Karen Bass, Los Angeles Mayor. Working Families Party.
Candidate: Katrina Williams. Funds Raised: $10,000 (1/20/2024). Endorsed by: Unknown (not stated on website as of January 28th, 2024).
Candidate: Daphne D. Bradford. Funds Raised: $6,098.11 (1/1/2024 - 1/20/24: 1/1/2023 - 12/31/2023). Endorsed by: Unknown (not stated on website as of January 28th, 2024).
Candidate: Clint D. Carlton. Funds Raised: Unknown (As of 1/28/2024). Endorsed by: Unknown (not stated on website as of January 28th, 2024).
Her lead notwithstanding, let’s glance at just two of the 2nd district’s constituencies to consider the landscape overall, starting with Manhattan Beach on the most westward and southern boundaries. In 2022, Census data noted the beach-side city was home to an estimated 34,000 people. “White alone” households, or households where people did not identify as mixed-race but as singularly white, made up about 72% of the local demographics, and 26% of residents in Manhattan Beach were younger than 18 years old. 7 out of 10 people in the area owned their home, and the median value of a home in Manhattan Beach was over $2 million.
Between 2018 - 2022, households there typically made just over $187,000 annually, or more than twice L.A. County’s median household income of $83,000. Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it’s probably safe to assume that folks living in the area are in executive management positions and not-so-small business and finance enterprises.
Next, let’s hop-scotch it to the opposite side of the 2nd district on the eastward and southern boundaries, where the unincorporated community of Florence-Firestone (also known as Florence-Graham) stands. In 2020, Florence-Firestone was home to just under 62,000 people. 99% of households were Black and Latino, and up to 29% of them were under the age of 18. A little more than 3 out of 10 people owned their home in the area, and the median value of a home in Florence-Firestone was $480,000.
Between 2018 - 2022, households in the community reportedly made just $58,200, about 40% short of L.A. County’s median household income. Using the same U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data it’s safe to assume that in Florence-Firestone most households are working-class, working jobs where starting minimum wage for employees is generally just over $15 an hour.
Manhattan Beach and Florence-Firestone therefore experience substantially different versions of the 2nd district in Los Angeles County. In the former, households made more than three times their counterparts to the far east, despite the fact that Florence-Firestone is nearly twice the size of Manhattan Beach in population density. Similarly, most people in Manhattan Beach know what it is to own their home, while most people in Florence-Firestone only know what it is to rent their housing.
Homes in Manhattan Beach also cost five times more than those in Florence-Firestone, amounting to five times more wealth, or a “slice” of the American Dream. A worthy question then is simply about how L.A. County can actually represent these residents equitably. Of course, the 2nd District is also home to ten more cities, 17 more unincorporated areas, and at least 13 more neighborhoods in this southwest portion of Greater Los Angeles, the majority of whose residents have much more in common with households in Florence-Firestone than with those in Manhattan Beach.
L.A. County Board of Supervisors - District 4
The 4th district could probably also be nicknamed “Greater Southeast” Los Angeles area. Crossed by eight different highways, its westernmost points are home to the Rancho Palos Verdes peninsula, as well as San Clemente Island, Santa Catalina Island, and Avalon. The L.A. and Long Beach ports make up its southernmost side, while the easternmost point can be found in La Habra Heights just outside of Orange County. The north of the district reaches up to just outside of downtown L.A. and includes the city of Vernon and the Southeast Gateway Cities, also known as SELA.
The 4th district is currently represented by Janice Hahn, who was first elected to this office in 2016 after serving for a single tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives for California’s 44th district (prior to this, she also served for a decade as the Councilwoman for L.A. City Council District 15). Hahn is running for what would be her third and final term on the board and faces at least two challengers for the seat: John Cruikshank, the mayor of Rancho Palos Verdes, and disgraced former L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. While both of these challengers should receive significant name recognition, fundraising numbers so far place Hahn well ahead of the pack.
Candidate: Janice Hahn. Funds Raised: $620,659.84 (1/1/2023 - 12/31/2023). Endorsed by: Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. Los Angeles County Democratic Party. U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff.
Candidate: Alex Villanueva. Funds Raised: $88,304 (1/1/2024 - 1/20/2024: 7/1/2023 - 12/31/2023). Endorsed by: Unknown (not stated on website as of January 28th, 2024).
Candidate: John Cruikshank. Funds Raised: $79,368.39 (1/1/2023 - 12/31/2023). Endorsed by: Michael D. Antonovich, former Los Angeles Supervisor for the 5th district. Russ Lesser, former Manhattan Beach Mayor. Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC.
Now, let’s take a glance at two cities in the 4th district. First up is a “small town” city on L.A. County’s westward and southern boundaries (not counting the Islands), the city of Palos Verdes Estates, where in 2022, Census data noted it was made up of just over 12,000 residents. 6 out 10 people in Palo Verdes Estates identified as “white alone,” and upwards of 28% of them were over the age of 65; almost 9 out of 10 people in the “PVE” owned their homes, and the median value of homes there was over $2 million.
As for the costs of “keeping up with the Joneses” in “PVE,” the median household income was noted as north of $224,000, or three times L.A. County’s median household income of $83,000. This suggests that folks in Palos Verdes made at least $116 an hour as recently as 2022, or a number so high the Bureau of Labor lists no job in either L.A. or across the U.S. which generally pays so generously. It’s literally off the charts.
Now, let’s skedaddle 33 miles over to the 4th district’s eastward and southern boundaries to see how life compares in the city of Whittier. In 2022, the Census counted just over 84,000 people in the community, 23% of whom were under 18. Just under 7 out of 10 households identified as Latinx, and just over 5 out of 10 households owned their home. Last but not least, the median value of a home in Whittier was over $700,000, or slightly less than the $839,000 general asking price in L.A. County, according to some of the latest numbers on Zillow.
On the income scale, households in Whittier made just over $89,000 to keep their roofs over their heads, or an annual income just slightly above L.A. County’s median household income. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data thus allows us to assume that folks in Whittier are more likely to work in Social Science fields, like say, work at a local library, a small business or some other service-based work.
The differences between Palos Verdes Estates and Whittier need not be overstated. Whittier’s population is seven times larger in density than the former, more diverse, and contains households whose incomes and home values are significantly closer to the average rate in L.A. County, so issues of concern for families in Whittier are probably about how to maintain their cost of living in an increasingly unaffordable “Golden state” and pass housing onto the next generation.
At the same time, while Palos Verdes Estates residents probably tend not to worry about affordability in L.A. vis-a-vis gentrification, it is the case that the area faces substantial environmental crises for the foreseeable future. This was made clear just last year when 12 luxury homes in the vicinity actually slipped into a canyon. Once again, the question for the 4th district is how to “square” resources from L.A. County for these communities equitably, but all the more so given that between Palos Verdes Estates and Whittier are 33 more cities, including the heavily Latinx Southeast Gateway cities (aka SELA), and 13 more unincorporated communities. L.A. Metro also recently made headlines with its plans to open up a new line through the 4th district from Vernon to Artesia by 2035. If this means new development–as it usually does–at the same time that L.A.’s housing needs continue unaccounted for, then communities from SELA to Whittier may feel the brunt of new amenities at the expense of their “staying power” for the next generation, which is currently the case in L.A.’s denser centers.
L.A. County Board of Supervisors - District 5
The fifth district can fairly be called the north, the whole north, and nothing but the north of L.A. County. On the westernmost boundaries are the cities of Castaic and Gorman, while parts of Los Feliz, South Pasadena and even Temple City anchor its southernmost points. To the east, the cities of La Verne and Claremont round out the 5th district before it cedes the ground to San Bernardino County. The northern ends are held by the city of Lancaster and the Antelope Acres before the land is recognized as Kern County.
It’s also the largest of the districts, as Supervisor Kathryn Barger can tell you: “..the Fifth District spans 2,785 square miles and is larger than all the other districts combined.” Barger was first elected to the office in 2016 after serving for 15 years as chief deputy supervisor to the former representative for the area, Michael D. Antonovich; she is now running for what would be her third and final term on the board, and there are at least four other challengers for the seat, with one in particular mounting a competitive fundraising effort.
Candidate: Kathryn Barger. Funds Raised: $1,038,107.08 (1/1/2024 - 1/20/2024: 7/1/2023 - 12/31/2023: 1/1/2023 - 6/30/2023). Endorsed by: Robert Luna, Los Angeles County Sheriff. Los Angeles Times. Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project Los Angeles County Action Fund.
Candidate: Chris Holden. Funds Raised: $1,005,330.69 (1/1/2024 - 1/20/2024: 7/1/2023 - 12/31/2023: 1/1/2023 - 6/30/2023). Endorsed by: Congressman Adam Schiff. Los Angeles County Democratic Party. Armenian National Committee of America.
Candidate: Konstantine Anthony. Funds Raised: $134,968.00 (1/1/2024 - 1/20/2024: 1/1/2023 - 6/30/2023: 7/1/2023 - 12/31/2023). Endorsed by: Ground Game-LA. Kenneth Mejia, City of Los Angeles Controller. Green Party of Los Angeles County.
Candidate: Perry Goldberg. Funds Raised: $15,473.00 (1/1/2024 - 1/20/2024: 1/1/2023 - 12/31/2023). Endorsed by: Unknown (not stated on website as of January 28th, 2024).
Candidate: Marlon Marroquin. Funds Raised: Unknown (As of 1/26/2024). Endorsed by: Unknown (not stated on website as of January 28th, 2024).
With campaign dollars reported to the L.A. Clerk’s office out of the way, let’s begin our glance at the 5th district through the city of San Marino, which is located in the southernmost boundaries. The 2022 Census showed that not much more than 12,000 residents lived in the area, and that unlike most of the other small and wealthy towns in L.A. County, “white alone” households made up just 25% of the area, while “Asian alone” households, or households where people did not identify as mixed-race but singularly Asian-American, made up 69%. Additionally, some 21% of San Marino residents were over the age of 65, and over 8 out of 10 households in the area owned their home. As was the case for its counterparts to the far southeast and far southwest–the median value of a home in San Marino was north of $2 million.
In terms of annual income, households there reportedly made over $174,000 in 2022, or over twice that of L.A. County’s median household income. Similarly to households in Manhattan Beach, then, our handy U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics sheet allows us to speculate that folks in San Marino were in high management positions or other lucrative business and finance fields.
Now, let’s Metrolink our way out to the city of Lancaster, on the northernmost point of the 5th district. 2022 Census data showed that just under 170,000 people called the area home. Latinx households made up 45% of the area, while white and African-American residents made up 26% and 21% of the population, respectively. About 28% of the area’s residents were under the age of 18, and just over 5 out of 10 people in Lancaster owned their home; last but not least, the median value of a home in the area was $368,000, or less than half the median asking price for a home in L.A. County.
As for work and income, households in Lancaster reportedly made $71,000, below the median for Los Angeles by about 17%. This suggests that households in Lancaster typically make just over $15 an hour. Like we did for folks in the Florence-Firestone area, we can reasonably suppose folks here are generally employed in retail, fast food work, or other essential employment that is nonetheless paid minimally.
Once again, the L.A. County Board Supervisor for the 5th district has two opposite worlds between just two cities, with housing differences between them being especially interesting. In San Marino, families are probably more interested in the exclusivity of their neighborhood since this keeps property values high, as it was certainly the case recently in nearby South Pasadena and La Cañada-Flintridge. On the other hand, in Lancaster, families are probably more concerned with getting a raise or even a better paying job altogether, not to mention getting their kids through school successfully. As long as they’re faced with these two fronts, home-ownership is likely out of the question for half of Lancaster’s residents for a while, something millions of other working-class, immigrant parents in L.A. County can relate to.
The question for the Supervisor’s position is again about how L.A. County’s millions, if not billions, can be used to support such families, and all the more so due to an increasingly less affordable housing market. Of course, besides San Marino and Lancaster there are 18 more cities, along with 83 unincorporated communities across the valley regions north of the Central L.A. basin for the Supervisor to keep in mind. Additionally, the Supervisor for the 5th district may need to take part in extensive auditing of the Sheriff’s offices in unincorporated L.A. County; in the last couple of years the agency has faced several crises in leadership and multiple criminal investigations, so voters should weigh carefully who’s going to be the most effective at making this happen successfully.
L.A. District Attorney’s Race
The District Attorney oversees crime cases across all 4,000 square miles of the land, from cases involving juveniles in L.A. County’s probation system to whether or not to charge police officers behind fatal shootings, to exonerating wrongfully convicted people, and more. In 2020, current D.A. George Gascón defeated incumbent Jackie Lacey in what many saw as a victory for criminal justice reform, so this year’s race is bound to be framed as a referendum on his “progressive” control of a historically more conservative office. There are up to 11 challengers for the seat during this March’s primary elections, and at this recent debate between the lot of them, challengers alleged that recent “smash and grab” burglaries in L.A. could only be the result of Gascón's “soft-on-crime” approach; while data does show there’s been a spike in property crime in the years since the pandemic, it also shows there’s been a fall in homicides and other violent crimes during the same period. Naturally, the nuance has gone far less noted by Gascón's critics, but it’s also the case that the ‘smash and grab” phenomenon has been just the latest in a series of thorns during his tenure, making his successful reelection this year a true test.
There’s more to say about L.A. County’s District Attorney office, but for now, this line from Jim Newton at Cal Matters sums up what to watch for with the D.A. come March 5th: “Gascón’s best chance for survival probably rests on one of his more conservative challengers, Jonathan Hatami or Nathan Hochman, making it to the runoff [in November]. Hochman, for instance, is a newly registered independent who ran as a Republican for California attorney general, discovering in the course of that ill-fated campaign that California math makes it nearly impossible for the GOP to break through at the state level.” You can also check out this podcast interview with Gascón to learn more about him, or catch him and other progressives on the ballot this Thursday evening at a virtual rally hosted by LA Forward.
Candidate: Nathan Hochman. Funds Raised: $1,558,984.65. Endorsed by: Steve Cooley, former L.A. County District Attorney. Joyce Dudley, former Santa Barbara County District Attorney. Terree Bowers, former U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.
Candidate: Jonathan Hatami. Funds Raised: $552,139.49. Endorsed by: Israeli-American Civic Action Network. Beverly Hills Police Officers Association. San Gabriel Police Officers Association.
Candidate: Eric Siddall. Funds Raised: $413,936.01. Endorsed by: Association of Deputy District Attorneys.
Candidate: George Gascón. Funds Raised: $337,519.93. Endorsed by: Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. Los Angeles Times. L.A. County Democratic Party.
Candidate: Maria Ramirez. Funds Raised: $275,319.81. Endorsed by: Teamsters Joint Council 42. Alma D. Puente, El Monte Councilwoman. Glendale Police officers association.
Candidate: George McKinney. Funds Raised: $252,804.80. Endorsed by: Thomas Wong, Mayor pro tem and Councilman of Monterey Park. Democrats for Israel - Los Angeles. American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3090 – Los Angeles City Employees/911 Dispatchers.
Candidate: Debra Archuleta. Funds Raised: $244,010.00. Endorsed by: Glendale Police Officer Association. Robert Gonzales, Mayor of Azusa.
Candidate: Craig Mitchell. Funds Raised: $195,512.50. Endorsed by: Democrats for Israel - Los Angeles. Howard Berman, former U.S. Representative & Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. IAPAC (I-Chinese American Political Action Committee) Board.
Candidate: Jeff Chemerinksy. Funds Raised: $90,534.19. Endorsed by: Hydee Feldstein-Soto, L.A. City Attorney. Mitch O’Farrell, former Councilman for District 13. Nick Melvoin, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Candidate: Dan Kapevolitz. Funds Raised: $12,300.00. Endorsed by: The Green Party of Los Angeles County. Michael Feinstein, former Mayor of Santa Monica. Art Goldberg, founder of The Working People’s Law Center.
Candidate: David S. Milton. Funds Raised: $4,376.24. Endorsed by: California Republican Assembly. L.A. GOP Assembly District 43.
Candidate: Lloyd “Bobcat” Masson. Funds Raised: (No Monetary Contributions on file with the L.A. Clerk’s Office as of January 28th, 2024). Endorsed by: Unknown (No website info as of 1/28/24.)
Had enough yet?! Happy voting, Los Angeles.
J.T.