SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA / A news summary : The Local Review / DEVELOPMENTS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY : Bill to Add 4 County Supervisors Advances
A proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would expand the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from five to nine members was approved Monday by the state Senate.
The proposal by Sen. Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles) was sent to the Assembly on a bipartisan 27-12 vote, the precise two-thirds margin needed in the 40-member upper chamber. Its prospects in the Assembly are uncertain.
Polanco, drawing support from various Latino community organizations, argues that an expanded board would be more responsive to the needs of residents in the most populous county in California.
In 1992, Los Angeles County voters handily defeated a proposed charter amendment that would have increased the board’s membership to nine.
In a new tactic, Polanco’s plan would be submitted to voters statewide for a decision next year.
Last week, the county board, feeling political heat from the Legislature, reluctantly ordered the drafting of an initiative that would again put the expansion issue to the voters. In addition to creating a nine-member board, it also would call for an elected county executive.
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