Yaroslavsky Seeks to Expand Board of Supervisors

County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky will ask his colleagues Tuesday to approve drafting two ballot measures to expand the Board of Supervisors from five to nine members and create the office of an elected county executive.

The move comes as a constitutional amendment by state Senate Majority Leader Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles) to expand the board awaits action in a Senate committee. Polanco’s amendment would require approval of voters statewide; Yaroslavsky’s measure would require approval from Los Angeles County voters only.

Yaroslavsky refused to discuss the issue late Friday after he placed it on the agenda for Tuesday’s board meeting. But his motion says the structure of county government is an “anachronism,” with five supervisors representing upward of 10 million people. Yaroslavsky said that increasing the number of supervisors would make their districts more accessible and manageable than the current system.

A move to expand the board is expected to give Latinos and Asian Americans a greater voice in county government.

Yaroslavsky’s motion says that having an elected county executive would “sharply reduce the potential for parochialism” and add an essential regional perspective to county decision-making.

Polanco issued a statement commending Yaroslavsky for offering a “moderate proposal” to make county government more accessible. He said that if the supervisors place the issue on the November 2000 county ballot, he would withhold his proposed constitutional amendment.

In what may be a sore point, Polanco again urged the board to agree not to increase the supervisors’ budget if the board is enlarged.

“We need government to be more responsive, without making it more expensive,” he said.