LA County Sheriff -- No rec
Based on our analysis, four of the challengers for this position have distinct visions for the district. We recommend that you choose the challenger who best aligns with your values in this race.
Voting has changed in Los Angeles County this year. The Voter’s Choice Act was enacted in the county to make voting more convenient. Changes include an expanded period of in-person early voting, every registered voter in the county will receive a vote-by-mail ballot, and every registered voter in the county is able to vote in-person at any Vote Center in their county. Also, in-person voters in Los Angeles County will have the opportunity to use the new Ballot Marking Device, a touchscreen with audio features, to mark their ballots. Have questions about the changes to voting in Los Angeles County? Find out how to vote in Los Angeles County.
Each of the 58 counties in California is governed by a five-person board of supervisors. A board of supervisors has legislative and executive power to manage county services and resources, including courts, jails, public health, and public lands. They also have quasi-judicial powers, which gives them the right to hold hearings, conduct investigations, and make decisions in a manner similar to judicial courts. Laws passed by boards of supervisors are generally called ordinances. Because counties include both incorporated cities, which are administered by their own city councils, and unincorporated areas, which are directly administered by the county, ordinances may or may not apply in different areas of the county. Supervisors are typically limited to 3 terms, or 12 years in office total.
Los Angeles is California’s most populous county. Los Angeles County’s board of supervisors oversees the needs of 10 million people and manages an estimated budget of $36.2 billion annually. According to the County Charter, Los Angeles County is governed by a five-member board of supervisors, a county assessor, a district attorney, and a sheriff. District 3 includes the areas of Universal City, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica Mountains North Area, Westhills, Franklin Canyon, and Malibu Coastal Zone.
There are six candidates running for this seat, including State Senator Henry Stern, State Senator Robert Hertzberg, West Hollywood City Councilmember Lindsey Horvath, Craig Brill, Jeffi Girgenti, and Roxanne Beckford Hoge. Sen. Stern’s campaign has raised $60,000 and is not funded by fossil fuel, real estate, police, or corporate PAC interests. Sen. Hertzberg’s campaign has raised over $150,000 and is not funded by fossil fuel, real estate, police, or corporate PAC interests. Horvath’s campaign has raised over $40,000 and is not funded by fossil fuel, real estate, police, or corporate PAC interests. The campaigns for Brill, Girgenti, and Hoge have raised insignificant funds.
Henry Stern, an attorney and a state senator, was raised in Los Angeles. According to campaign materials, Sen. Stern is running for election to bring his state government experience to the real-time crises of homelessness and public safety facing Los Angeles County residents. In 2016, Sen. Stern won his first election for State Senate District 27 by 12 points over Republican Steve Fazio.
Sen. Stern started his career as a high school teacher and a juvenile-justice investigator, which inspired him to pursue his law degree at UC-Berkeley. He served as an attorney on Capitol Hill before pursuing civil rights and environmental law back in California. He is a longtime supporter of environmental protections, and has received annual recognition from Sierra Club and California Environmental Justice Alliance for his work in the legislature.
As a legislator, Sen. Stern’s priorities for SD-27 this year have included 46 bills about environmental protections, homelessness and housing, and education. Of these, one has been chaptered into law, ten have died, and the majority of the others remain in committee. He currently serves on four committees, and is chair of the Natural Resources and Water Committee, and chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management. He scores a Lifetime CS of 81 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Sen. Stern has supported some progressive bills that made it to a vote. That said, he failed to vote to codify California’s carbon neutrality goal.
Henry Stern is endorsed by many progressive groups in the district, including LA League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, and United Teachers of Los Angeles. He is also endorsed by many local elected officials, including State Senator Maria Elena Durazo and State Senator Connie Leyva. Based on our analysis, Stern’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will be a progressive champion for the constituents of Los Angeles County and will govern effectively in the best interest of this diverse district.
Measure HH asks voters to approve a flat-rate parcel tax of $68 on developed land in the Santa Monica Mountains and Hollywood Hills, directing approximately $1,940,000 toward much-needed fire-prevention measures. This work will be carried out by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), which does not receive permanent ongoing funding from local or state taxes. Unimproved parcels are exempt from the tax, as are families earning at or below 50 percent of the median family income for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale areas. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Metro Fair Market Rents Areas are also exempt from the tax, ensuring that only those who can afford it are asked to pay.
There is no prominent misinformation about Measure HH.
Measure RR asks voters in the Los Angeles Unified School District to extend the current property tax rate that was previously authorized by voters. According to the ballot text itself, the rate and the duration of the tax may vary over the term of repayment but is estimated to be approximately $21 per $100,000 of assessed property value through 2055. Measure RR is estimated to generate roughly $330 million annually. This measure requires 55 percent voter approval.
The committee created in support of Measure RR “Yes on Measure RR - Committee for Safe, Updated, Modernized Schools” has yet to file any contributions with the Secretary of State’s office. We are unable to provide monetary information until contributions are filed.
There is no prominent misinformation about Measure RR.
Judges of the California Superior Courts are elected in nonpartisan, county-wide elections to six-year terms.
Klint James Mckay is an Administrative Law Judge based in Los Angeles County.
David Berger is a deputy district attorney for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
David Diamond, a practicing attorney and professor of law is a lifetime resident of Los Angeles County. Diamond graduated from Southwestern Law School, and has over 20 years of experience practicing law.
Scott Yang, a deputy district attorney for more than 11 years, is originally from Vietnam and settled with his family in Echo Park in 1984.