LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Supporters of a measure to expand the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and make the CEO position elected have claimed victory.

Measure G is leading 51.36% to 48.64%, according to figures released Monday by the county registrar-recorder/clerk.

Measure G would increase the Board of Supervisors from five to nine members after the 2030 census and the county CEO would become an elected position by 2028. The measure also included creating the positions of county legislative analyst and director of budget and management.

“Los Angeles County residents made history by passing Measure G, paving the way for the change needed for a more efficient Los Angeles County,” said Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Lindsey Horvath, co-author of the measure, in a press release. “We will now have the ability to fix what’s wrong and deliver the results our communities count on, especially in the face of the threats the next federal administration poses to our most vulnerable residents.” With this historic change, we will tackle the most pressing problems. issues facing Angelenos with greater urgency and responsibility, and create a more ethical and representative government fit for the 21st century.

Measure G also includes establishing an ethics commission and a compliance officer by 2026. The Oversight Board has begun the process of creating an ethics commission. Its existence will now be codified in the charter, along with the creation of a compliance officer, protecting it from future dissolution in the absence of another public vote.

The measure also includes a series of other provisions, including the creation of a commission to review the county charter every 10 years; require all county departments to present their annual budgets at public meetings; require all agenda items of the Board of Supervisors to be posted at least 120 hours in advance of a regular meeting; authorize the suspension of an elected official accused of a crime relating to a violation of official duties; create a working group to oversee the implementation of changes; and require the changes to be made at no additional cost to taxpayers.

Horvath and Supervisor Janice Hahn, the measure’s other co-author, argued that the county charter was adopted in 1912, when the population was about 500,000. But the county now has a population of 10 million and includes 88 cities within its borders.

Supervisor Hilda Solis, who has supported the measure since its proposal, said, “Measure G will help bring more direct representation to many communities that have been historically underrepresented in Los Angeles. »

Currently, 10 million county residents are represented by five people on the board. Horvath called it “absurd,” saying residents deserve their government to move closer to them.

“Each of these districts is represented by a supervisor who not only serves as their social safety net, but also serves as mayor for many city departments,” Horvath told City News Service.

Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Kathryn Barger opposed the measure, saying the changes were rushed and questioned whether nine would be the appropriate number of members on an expanded board.

They had also opposed the concept of an elected CEO, saying in a vote against the measure that the person would lack accountability, serve without term limits while being given the power to control the county’s massive budget and weaken the authority of the Supervisory Board. on the budget and the ability to hold department heads to account.

“Los Angeles County residents deserve results from their elected leaders, not more unaccountable elected positions and increased spending on an already strained county budget to combat the homelessness and poverty crisis. mental health,” according to the ballot argument signed by Mitchell and Barger, alongside leaders of the Los Angeles County Firefighters Union and the Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs Association.

Opponents also questioned the idea that the changes could be implemented without new costs to taxpayers, given the creation of new elected positions and county offices.