Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath on Monday became the first candidate to enter the race for county executive, a new office voters created in 2024 that will take over much of the Board of Supervisors' executive power.
Horvath, whose 3rd District includes Santa Monica and Malibu, announced her candidacy in a written statement.
"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a government that finally meets the scale of our challenges and the ambition of our people," Horvath said.
She criticized the county's current government. "Los Angeles has never been a place that dreams small. But for too long, our County government has moved too slowly, failed to meet the moment, and allowed bureaucracy to stand in the way of progress," she said.
Horvath said the county needs "bold, unified leadership" to make the region more affordable, end homelessness, protect communities and respond quickly to crises.
The position stems from Measure G, a county charter amendment Horvath and Supervisor Janice Hahn proposed in July 2024. The Board of Supervisors placed it on the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot by a 3-2 vote, with Supervisor Hilda Solis joining the authors and Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Kathryn Barger opposed, according to a September report by Claremont McKenna College's Rose Institute.
Voters approved the measure narrowly, 1,665,735 to 1,561,068, or 51.62%, according to the registrar's certified results.
Supporters argued that the five-member board, which holds both legislative and executive power under a structure dating to 1912, was too small to govern a county of 9,694,934 residents, according to 2025 U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
Opponents warned that the executive would wield vast power with no term limits and questioned whether the changes could be made at no added cost. The ballot argument against the measure was co-signed by Mitchell, Barger and leaders of Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014 and the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs.
The executive will absorb the board's executive and administrative powers and replace the chief executive officer the board now appoints, according to the county's Measure G website.
The officeholder will appoint department heads, subject to board confirmation; propose the annual budget; veto ordinances and budget items; and lead emergency response. The board can override a veto by a two-thirds vote.
The charter requires the executive to be paid at least $1 more than any other elected county officer. Barger's office has estimated, based on county human resources figures, that total annual compensation could reach about $558,000. The executive will oversee a $54 billion budget and more than 110,000 employees.
Measure G also created an independent ethics commission, a legislative analyst and a budget director. It will expand the board to nine members, with the first elections for the expanded board in 2032.
Candidates must have been registered county voters for at least 30 days before filing nomination papers and must live in the county while in office. Terms last four years, with elections held in presidential years. The charter does not set a term limit for the office.
The race will appear on the 2028 ballot.