Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
By Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 12/05/16 – 8:28 PM PST |
Two newly elected Los Angeles County supervisors brought historic changes to local politics Monday when they became part of a supermajority of women to serve on the largest local governmental body in the nation.
Adam Elmahrek and Hailey Branson-Potts
November 9, 2016
Janice Hahn and Kathryn Barger were elected Tuesday night to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, marking the election of a female majority and a continued leftward shift for the influential panel.
By Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 11/01/16 – 1:37 PM PDT |
A long-awaited civilian oversight commission to push reforms within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, two years after it was formally proposed.
Adam Elmahrek
October 29, 2016
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors secretly launched a public corruption investigation of its former Chief Executive William T Fujioka shortly after his retirement two years ago, examining his role in real estate dealings, a multimillion-dollar emergency communications project and other county business, according to a document obtained by The Times and officials familiar with the probe.
By Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 08/02/16 – 6:15 PM PDT |
Four candidates who were running to replace Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich threw their support behind his top aide Tuesday.
By Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 07/06/16 – 9:09 PM PDT |
The two candidates hoping to replace retiring Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich honed in on their differences Wednesday as both get set to focus on a campaign that began with eight contenders.
Abby Sewell
July 1, 2016
After weeks in limbo, the November field is set in the race to replace retiring Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, with a political neophyte facing off against the incumbent’s chief of staff.
Abby Sewell
June 24, 2016
The latest round of vote-counting released by the Los Angeles County registrar shows an outsider candidate maintaining his lead over a state senator in a close contest for a runoff spot in the race to replace retiring county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.
By Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 06/14/16 – 7:45 PM PDT |
A week after California’s primary election, the race for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich’s seat continued to be too close to call Tuesday, with more votes still to be counted.
Abby Sewell and David Zahniser
June 8, 2016
A political newcomer running for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors staged an election-night surprise, inching past several better-known and better-funded opponents and possibly securing a spot in the Nov. 8 runoff, according to initial results.
By Brenda Gazzar, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 05/27/16 – 6:18 PM PDT |
Political observers are hedging their bets in the high-stakes race to replace Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, who is being forced out of his 36-year post due to term limits.
Abby Sewell
MAy 16, 2016
Unions representing Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and firefighters have pumped at least $800,000 into an independent expenditure committee supporting Kathryn Barger, chief of staff to county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, in her bid to replace him.
Abby Sewell
April 7, 2016
In a long-awaited ruling, a federal judge has sided with plaintiffs who argued it was unconstitutional for Los Angeles County supervisors to place a Christian cross on the county seal.
Abby Sewell
April 3, 2016
While the contentious presidential contest has drawn most of the spotlight in the lead-up to California’s June primary, the election also marks the next phase of a sea change in Los Angeles County government.
By Monica Rodriguez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 03/12/16 – 7:48 PM PST |
After meeting Friday’s deadline for submitting nomination papers to county Registrar of Voters offices, scores of candidates seeking seats at the local, state and federal level are gearing up for the June 7 primary election.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016 – 08:30 a.m.
Let the games begin.
The filing period for the California Primary Election, set for June 3, is officially open.
By Shea Johnson, Staff Writer
Posted: Feb. 15, 2016 at 2:19 PM
Updated: Feb 15, 2016 at 5:25 PM
RIVERSIDE — Attorneys for a local wastewater agency and Hesperia city councilman have filed a motion in federal court to dismiss a lawsuit by the agency’s finance director which accuses them of retaliation after she said she sought to expose corruption.
Abby Sewell
February 1, 2016
Campaign finance reports filed Monday gave a glimpse at the strength of candidates running for two open seats on the powerful Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
By Sarah Favot, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 01/12/16 – 9:26 PM PST |
After hearing comment from dozens of activists in opposition, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday that retired law enforcement officials may be eligible to sit on a commission that will oversee the Sheriff’s Department.
By Mike Reicher, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 12/11/15 – 1:52 PM PST |
Los Angeles County’s former chief attorney claims the Board of Supervisors coerced his resignation by forcing him to issue a false press release and sign an agreement “under duress” when he stepped down from the job in June.
Abby Sewell
November 20, 2015
Workers represented by Los Angeles County’s largest employee union voted to approve a tentative agreement with county management that would give them a 10% raise over three years.
Abby Sewell
November 3, 2015
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and members of several other employee groups will get a 10% pay increase over three years under contracts approved Tuesday by county supervisors.
By Sarah Favot, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 10/06/15 – 8:12 PM PDT |
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously named Sachi Hamai as the county’s chief executive officer.
By Patrick McGreevy
September 10, 2015
The Senate on Thursday failed to muster the two-thirds vote to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot requiring large California counties, including Los Angeles, to expand their five-member boards of supervisors to at least seven members.
By Shea Johnson
Staff Writer
Posted Sep. 1, 2015 at 5:33 PM
Updated Sep 1, 2015 at 7:23 PM
ADELANTO — Mayor Pro Tem Jermaine Wright on Tuesday welcomed Los Angeles County Supervisors’ rejection of a controversial jail plan that was touted by its developers as an injection into the city’s lagging economy.
By Mike Reicher, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 08/22/15 – 4:47 PM PDT |
On the Los Angeles County government’s official list of employee take-home vehicles, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas looks very frugal. His assigned car, a 9-year-old Chrysler 300 Limited sedan, cost the county about half as much as the next supervisor’s.
By Abby Sewell
August 19, 2015
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey notified the Board of Supervisors last week that their vote on a controversial downtown jail plan violated the state’s open meetings law, the latest in a string of incidents in which the board has run afoul of the Ralph M. Brown Act.
By Alice Walton
August 2, 2015
The primary election is 10 months away, but candidates for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ 5th District are raising hundreds of thousands of dollars as they jockey to pull ahead in a crowded field.
By Sarah Favot, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 07/28/15 – 11:52 PM PDT |
While calling Los Angeles County “late to the party” when it comes to police oversight, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday discussed the role of a new oversight commission for the Sheriff’s Department but took no action.
By Abby Sewell, Jean Merl and Katie Shepherd
July 21, 2015
Organized labor won an important victory Tuesday when the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to increase the minimum wage to $15, but it now faces a more daunting political challenge: convincing other local governments to join the movement.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 07/20/15 – 1:10 PM PDT |
Proposed legislation that would require San Bernardino County and other California counties with populations of 2 million or more to increase their number of elected supervisors from five to seven is gaining momentum in the state Legislature.
By Mike Reicher, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 07/11/15 – 3:23 PM PDT |
Walk the garage under Los Angeles County’s headquarters and you’ll see rows of practical Ford Tauruses and efficient Toyota Priuses — the ones with government seals on the front doors.
By Abby Sewell
July 7, 2015
They are called the “five little kings.”
Each represents a constituency of about 2 million people. Together, they oversee America’s largest local government agency, with a $27-billion budget and 100,000 employees.
By Sarah Favot, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 06/16/15 – 9:55 PM PDT |
The Los Angeles County of Board Supervisors voted Tuesday to oppose a measure proposed in the state Legislature that would expand the number of supervisors on the board from five to seven.
By Abby Sewell
May 5, 2015
Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to call for an investigation into possible corruption in the embattled City of Industry, including any dealings officials there might have had with surrounding cities.
By Abby Sewell
April 14, 2015
As the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department launches a major hiring push, county officials are concerned that it will have a hard time filling hundreds of positions without compromising hiring standards.
By Abby Sewell
April 13, 2014
Los Angeles County officials plan to spend more than $100 million over the next year to reduce abuses in the county’s crowded jails, improve treatment of mentally ill inmates and divert others with mental health issues from entering lockups.
By Jean Merl
April 12, 2015
Longtime Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich won’t leave office until the end of next year. But the race to succeed him already has drawn seven candidates, with one high-profile elected official expected to join the field any day and another seriously considering running.
By Jean Merl
March 16, 2015
State Sen. Robert Huff (R-Diamond Bar) has filed a statement signaling his interest in running for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors next year.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
02/19/2015 10:12 PM
It’s obvious that California’s highest-profile political contest next year will be for the U.S. Senate seat that Barbara Boxer will give up after 24 years.
By Staff reports
Posted: 02/18/15, 7:58 AM PST
Confirming months of speculation, U.S. Rep. Janice Hahn announced her candidacy today for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
By Seema Mehta
February 4, 2015
Janice Hahn must decide whether to stay in Congress, with her party out of power, or run for county supervisor
By Abby Sewell
January 15, 2015
Los Angeles County officials Wednesday completed a major reorganization in the top tier of management, moving some upper officials out of the county’s chief executive office and bringing others into newly created positions.
By Kate Linthicum
December 13, 2014
The cash-strapped city of Adelanto, already home to three detention facilities, has approved a plan to build another.
By Abby Sewell
December 2, 2014
At their first meeting following a major election turnover, the new Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors removed the county’s acting chief executive and appointed a new one.
By Staff reports
Posted: 12/01/14, 7:30 PM PST | Updated: 1 min ago
Former Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills, was sworn in Monday as San Bernardino County’s new 4th District Supervisor, representing several West Valley cities, in a day when new faces appeared on county boards in San Bernardino and Los Angeles.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014 – 09:30 a.m.
Here’s some area election results of note.
In San Bernardino, voters dumped charter reform Measure Q. The measure would have removed wage-setting provisions from the city charter to collective bargaining. The city’s police and fire unions easily tubed the measure. The result is a blow to novice Mayor Carey Davis and backers, who put very little effort in support of the measure.
By Marisa Gerber
October 31, 2014
Los Angeles County supervisors violated the state’s open-meeting law earlier this year by discussing compensation negotiations behind closed doors without properly informing the public, according to the district attorney’s office.
By Garrett Therol
October 29, 2014
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich has tapped his chief of staff, Kathryn Barger-Leibrich, as his preferred successor when he retires from public office in 2016 after 36 years in the job.
By Kate Linthicum
Ovtober 7, 2014
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to extend a controversial partnership with federal immigration authorities designed to target potentially deportable immigrants who have been convicted of serious crimes.
By Abby Sewell
August 12, 2014
By Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 08/05/14, 3:12 PM PDT | Updated: 1 min ago
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors narrowly rejected a plan Tuesday to create a civilian oversight commission for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, voting 3-2 against the proposal.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Jul. 21, 2014 – 12:00 am
In an otherwise lackluster campaign season, California’s most interesting political duel may be one for a rare vacancy on the five-member Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 05/31/14, 9:53 PM PDT | Updated: 46 secs ago
Tuesday’s primary election for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is expected to be among the most competitive in recent history.
Abby Sewell
May 28, 2014
Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to require candidates to file their campaign finance reports electronically, allowing the public to see them quicker.
By Abby Sewell
May 6, 2014
After years of debate about how to best modernize the county’s aging and troubled jail system, Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday for a $2-billion plan to replace the deteriorating downtown Men’s Central Jail and create a new women’s jail.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 04/14/14, 11:15 AM PDT | Updated: 8 hrs ago
Los Angeles County’s budget officials on Monday unveiled a proposed $26.1 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2013-2014 that calls for hiring about 1,300 new employees — mostly nurses and social workers — as well as funding for reforms in the troubled jail and child welfare systems.
By Catherine Saillant and Abby Sewell
April 13, 2014, 5:15 p.m.
Bobby Shriver, the first Los Angeles County supervisorial contender in 18 years to opt out of voluntary campaign spending limits, is calling for a major overhaul of county election laws, including lifting fundraising restrictions on candidates who use personal wealth to help pay for their campaigns.
By Abby Sewell
February 25, 2014, 6:12 p.m.
Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to ask the newly appointed inspector general of the Sheriff’s Department to work with interim Sheriff John L. Scott to study setting up a civilian commission that would oversee the department.
By Catherine Saillant
February 22, 2014, 7:35 p.m.
NBC correspondent Maria Shriver said she sees no need to step down from her news job while campaigning for her brother, Bobby Shriver, a candidate for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 02/20/14, 8:13 PM PST | Updated: 9 hrs ago
Realizing they both have a lot to lose if public employee retirement costs continue spiraling out of control, Los Angeles County and its labor unions have agreed to what they called “sweeping reforms” that could save as much as $840 million over the next 30 years.
By Paul Pringle and Jack Leonard
February 11, 2014, 10:30 p.m.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is looking into whether thousands of dollars in taxpayer money was misspent on improvements to Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas’ home last year, an office spokeswoman said Tuesday.
By Catherine Saillant
February 3, 2014, 8:23 p.m.
Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and former state Sen. Sheila Kuehl have a considerable fundraising jump over their rivals for two open seats on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, new campaign reports show.
By Jack Leonard and Paul Pringle
January 31, 2014, 8:09 p.m.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas obtained a building permit Friday to renovate what appears to be an improperly converted garage at his Leimert Park home by adding a carport and removing a section of the detached building.
By Abby Sewell and Robert Faturechi
January 28, 2014, 6:07 p.m.
The newly named interim sheriff of Los Angeles County, current Orange County Undersheriff John L. Scott, said Tuesday that he would continue the momentum of reform in the department.
By Paul Pringle and Jack Leonard
January 22, 2014
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas acknowledged Tuesday that a taxpayer-funded project to install a security system in a converted garage at his home involved improvements “over and above” that job, but said he reimbursed the county for the upgrades.
By Jack Leonard and Paul Pringle
January 19, 2014, 8:50 p.m.
A taxpayer-funded project to provide a home security system for Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas included improvements to his converted garage that involved a week of work and upgrades to the building’s electrical service, according to interviews and records.
By Paul Pringle and Jack Leonard
January 16, 2014, 8:13 p.m.
Los Angeles city building inspectors launched an investigation Thursday into whether county Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas has an illegally converted garage at his Leimert Park home, where government employees recently performed thousands of dollars worth of work.
By Beatriz Valenzuela, Press-Telegram,
Greg Yee, Press-Telegram and Sandy Mazza, Daily Breeze
Posted: 01/07/14, 8:05 PM PST |
Those who decide to run to be head of the nation’s largest sheriff’s department will face a series of issues that will test their leadership.
By Abby Sewell and Seema Mehta
January 7, 2014, 9:17 p.m.
A divided Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to add a cross back to the county’s official seal, despite warnings the decision would invite legal challenges.
By Ben Poston and Robert Faturechi
December 29, 2013
Dozens of police officers rejected for jobs at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department after investigators found evidence of dishonesty or past misconduct were given positions elsewhere in county government, according to interviews and internal hiring records reviewed by The Times.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Dec. 30, 2013 – 12:00 am
A seat in Congress is one of the nation’s most sought-after political prizes, and once elected, a member rarely gives it up voluntarily.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 12/18/13, 5:50 PM PST |
It was not only the Sheriff’s Department that absorbed troublesome officers from Los Angeles County’s now defunct police force despite knowing about their previous misconduct – several other county agencies did the same, including those charged with public safety.
By Bob Pool and Robert Faturechi
December 4, 2013, 2:39 p.m.
Under fire for hiring dozens of officers with histories of serious misconduct, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca acknowledged Wednesday shortcomings in the way his agency handled the process.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Nov. 4, 2013 – 12:00 am
Los Angeles County is home to more than a quarter of California’s population, and nearly 60 percent of its residents are Latino.
However, just one of the county’s five supervisors is Latino, and Gloria Molina was elected to the board 22 years ago only because the U.S. Justice Department interceded in redistricting and declared that not creating a Latino seat would violate the Voting Rights Act.
By Abby Sewell
October 31, 2013, 6:05 p.m.
A local resident and the American Civil Liberties Union are suing Los Angeles County for refusing to disclose how much it has spent defending lawsuits against the county sheriff’s department.
By Rick Orlov, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 10/18/13, 7:42 PM PDT | Updated: 22 mins ago
The decades of problems within the Los Angeles County jail system took a new turn this week when a federal-court jury decided Sheriff Lee Baca should be held personally liable for the injuries suffered by an inmate in 2009.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 09/17/13, 6:53 PM PDT | Updated: 5 hrs ago
Saying the troubled Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department should be placed under greater scrutiny, the county Board of Supervisors stepped up its search for an inspector general Tuesday but stopped short of creating a proposed citizens oversight commission.
By Abby Sewell
July 23, 2013, 10:30 p.m.
With Los Angeles County government’s revenue on the mend, the Board of Supervisors approved the first pay hike in five years for sheriff’s deputies and probation officers.
Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/30/2013 11:37:47 AM PDT
Updated: 04/30/2013 07:36:59 PM PDT
Related: Two Los Angeles County supervisors push for local control of ONT | ONT special section
View: Agenda item | Agenda amendment | Ontario letter | ARSAC letter
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has joined more than 100 government entities and officials calling into question the management of L.A./Ontario International Airport and advocating it would be better under local control.
Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/29/2013 11:10:55 AM PDT
Updated: 04/29/2013 07:05:51 PM PDT
View: Agenda item
Special Section: Ontario airport Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Don Knabe and Mike Antonovich are recommending that the agency that oversees LA/Ontario International Airport return it to local control.
Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/11/2013 12:43:00 PM PST
Updated: 02/11/2013 11:16:50 PM PST
Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe plans to introduce a motion today that would force Los Angeles World Airports to comply with a 2006 settlement that required the agency to redistribute air traffic throughout the region.
By Jason Song, Los Angeles Times
April 10, 2012
Los Angeles County could receive almost $50 million less than expected in property taxes next year, according to the latest estimates, which could lead to cuts in law enforcement, education and other services.
Last year, Assessor John Noguez estimated that the county property tax base would grow by almost $18.7 billion for the next fiscal year. But he revised that figure to $5.1 billion last week.
Frank C. Girardot, Staff Writer
Created: 09/30/2011 05:03:08 PM PDT
Local officials are bracing for a radical realignment of the state penal system that will place thousands of low-level felons in county jail rather than prison.
Christina Villacorte, Staff Writer
Created: 09/26/2011 09:25:30 PM PDT
An overflow crowd is expected today as the Board of Supervisors tackles the once-a-decade task of redrawing Los Angeles County’s voting boundaries and decides whether to give Latinos more political clout.