The Westside Regional Alliance of Councils will hold a candidate forum for District # 3 County Supervisor from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27.
Running in the June primary to replace L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl are Craig Brill, Jeffi Girgenti, Bob Hertzberg, Roxanne Beckford Hoge, Lindsey Horvath and Henry Stern.
The Supervisors are a five-member board that governs Los Angeles County and serves as both the executive and legislative branch of government. The county has more than 10 million inhabitants, which means each supervisor represents nearly two million people. L.A. County’s population is greater than 40 individual U.S. States
Each supervisor is elected to a four-year term, with an annual salary of $223,829.
The proposed 2022-2023 budget for L.A. County is $38.5 billion, and there is a total of $100 million set aside for the development and preservation of affordable housing. The money will go towards eviction defense, mortgage relief, rapid re-housing and homeownership and acquisition.
The Department of Public Health led by Barbara Ferrer would receive an additional $22.6 million and 166 new positions to “primarily support current operational needs that have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The County Sheriff’s Department, which received about $3.4 billion in 2021-2022 would not receive any additional funding. Sheriff Alex Villanueva, in a press conference said that $100 million in funds were re-allocated from the Sheriff’s Department to Measure J, and the commitment to close Men’s Central Jail without an alternative plan continued and a LASD hiring freeze could affect public safety.
THE CANDIDATES:
Craig Brill (Craigforsupervisorla.com) was born and raised in Whittier. He worked in the fashion industry at Bullocks and Macy’s before traveling as a wholesale representative. He joined his partner Todd, who created Dogsport, a daycare/exercise company for dogs. He said on his site “We need a government focused on the big issues of our day – homelessness, crime, affordability, job creation. Clean, reliable and affordable energy production. We need our roads paved; our water mains replaced.”
Jeffi Girgenti (jeffiforsupervisor.com) is a small business owner, and a homeowner. She is an equestrian and also a dog owner and has numerous private and organizational endorsements. Regarding homelessness, she would expand proven programs and support the Sheriff’s HOST (Homeless Outreach Sheriff’s Team) program. “I would stop corruption and abuse of taxpayer dollars on homeless housing.”
Bob Hertzberg (hertzbergforsupervisor.com) served in the California assembly from 1996 to 2002 and in 2014 was elected to the California Senate representing the San Fernando Valley. He has numerous endorsements, and on his website, it notes “As an accomplished public servant and nonprofit leader, Hertzberg has been at the forefront of pioneering public policy on virtually every issue, from criminal justice reform to climate change to quality public education to technology and consumer related issues.”
Roxanne Beckford Hoge (superroxanne.com) was born in Kingston, Jamaica and became a U.S. citizen after the turn of the century. With her husband, she founded a maternity clothing website in 1998, which she said has taught her lessons about entrepreneurship and the practical effects of government regulation. “While vulnerable seniors and our homeless population were ignored and all of us felt the rise in crime, we all looked to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and found most of them completely lacking.”
Lindsey Horvath (lindseyhorvath.com) was elected to the West Hollywood City Council in 2015 (she had also served from 2009-2011). Shortly after that election, she was sworn in as mayor. A champion of LGBTQ rights, she is a renter and runs her own marketing small business. Horvath said, that “combating and preventing homelessness is a top priority” and that her leadership in West Hollywood, produced an intersectional approach to solving homelessness – housing, services and community safety.”
Henry Stern (henrystern.org) was born in New York, raised in Los Angeles and played NCAA Division 1 water polo for Harvard. He received a law degree from UC Berkeley and his first job was a junior staff counsel to Representative Henry Waxman. An environmental lawyer, he was elected state senator for the 27th District in 2016, replacing Fran Pavley.
Link to Zoom Webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85804559642
Link to Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/WRACforLA