LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath launches new campaign

Let's get to I'm going to call this breaking news. It was announced today. She announced it. L.A. County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath. She was with us last week. I asked her about the newly created L.A. County CEO position on whether or not she was going to seek it. She said that she was considering it. And then today she announced that she will officially run for this new seat. So she is here with me now on Fox Local. We're so glad she is. Just bringing her up. Lindsey Horvath, thank you so much. And congratulations. Is this officially the launch of your campaign then for L.A. County CEO? Okay. Very good. I'm so excited. Thank you very much for having me. And yeah, I mean, we opened our committee today. We are incredibly thrilled to be fighting for the future that Los Angeles deserves. I know that. So many people love Los Angeles in such an important way and the Los Angeles we know and love is out there and it's inside all of us and we want to make sure that we're actually realizing that. And this recent election cycle showed that people want change, that people are not happy with the way things are today. They want to see somebody who's willing to roll up their sleeves, do the hard work and fight the status quo that pushes back on change. Okay. So this, so just to catch our viewers up, this was voter approved in 2024. When the voters passed measure G, this created this position. Typically this was an elected position or rather an appointed position. Now it will be an elected position. Why did you decide to run? I decided to run because I think Los Angeles County needs somebody who's willing to fight for change. During my time serving as supervisor, I've heard from people who desperately need the help and support of L.A. County but haven't been able to get it because the way our government works is just inaccessible to them. And when you're the social safety net fighting for people who are most at risk and most vulnerable And it's objectively. objectively harder than ever to get ahead in Los Angeles. We need to make changes and we've been successful at doing that. Since I came into office, we were able to end the loss of debacle that has been consuming more dollars than delivering results. And people have been very dissatisfied with that. We changed that system and are building a new one to actually deliver results. We brought forward Measure G for the voters to consider how we could make changes inside county governance, and they approved it. And just recently, in this last election, we brought forward Measure E, which builds on the success of Measure G to strengthen the independence of the Ethics Commission that will be created this year. So there's more transparency, accountability, and change coming to LA County. We want to continue that trend and make sure that the voices of Los Angeles voters are Are what's driving. What happens in Los Angeles County, not the institutional inertia we've seen plague our region for far too long. All right, well, you represent District 3 as it is, and each district represents about 2 million constituents. This position would cover the entire county, so 10 million residents overall. For those constituents in District 3 now who have concerns that now that you are campaigning for the next two years, because this election is in 2028, they have concerns that you may not be fully present, may not be fully focused on their district and their needs. What do you say? Well, the work that we're doing in the third district, I believe, is work that we want to build on as we are seeking this office. We want to make sure that we're strengthening. Thank you for listening. Securely building the system to deliver services and solutions on homelessness that people have been longing for. So we're going to continue that work and building that countywide is part of it. We're going to continue to strengthen our emergency, our Office of Emergency Management, not only because my district is the most disaster prone of any in the entire country as designated by FEMA, but because Los Angeles County as an entire region deserves to have world class preparation and response to disaster people safe. And we have seen with recent disasters that we just do not have the resources invested that cause people to feel protected and know that they can trust that their government is going to be able to show up for them. So we have to make those changes. It's based on the experience that I've had in my district that I know Los Angeles. County can do better. And it just requires somebody who's willing to go in there and fight for it. And because of the experiences that I've had taking on the challenges that I have had in the district, I know that I know how to tackle those challenges inside the county and make sure that we're delivering the results that people want to see. With that, I mean, it's still a lot to juggle campaigning and then looking after your current district. So do you have a plan to sort of balance that. Well, I won't be the first elected official to run for office from another one, but I do know that we have a strong team in my office who have. been delivering results throughout our entire first term. We have a strong team outside of the office to work with everyone who's learning about what it means to have a new county executive for Los Angeles County and what we're looking to bring to this role. And each of those teams will be responding accordingly. But the most important thing that I think needs to happen And right now is for people to listen to the voters who. Made their voices very clear in this most recent election, not only in Los Angeles, but across the country, calling for change, wanting to see results and wanting to see people who are actually willing to fight for them and make things more affordable, accessible and restore public trust. I think that happens when government actually delivers results. I think that's why I had the privilege of being able to be returned to my seat earlier this year. I didn't have to go into a runoff because the voters of the third district said they wanted to see me continue to work. We're not slowing down. They want to see somebody who's willing to continue to fight for the changes that they want to see in Los Angeles County is incredibly large. And if we work at the size and scale that we are, we will be unstoppable. But we need somebody who's willing to fight for the changes that people want to see. And I think for far too long, we've just sort of seen a process that just. continues to churn without the kind of accountability that people really want to see, especially when it comes to how much they're investing in that change. Is it fair to say that you did help create this position? Yes, I absolutely helped to write Measure G. But I think, first of all, the founding fathers created the separation, the three branches and the checks and balances that they represent. It's the voters who approved it. It's and what was included in Measure G is something that has been studied for decades inside Los Angeles County. So it's not even a new change in concept. What is new is that we were actually able to deliver for voters things that they've been trying to fight for for many years now in Los Angeles County. And I think that's why people trust me and trust the teams that we built to deliver change, because we've actually been able to do that early in our first term. And when you created it, did you know back then that you wanted to ultimately run for this position? It was not something that I thought about, but it's certainly something that I think we are taking seriously because of the opportunity that it represents. I think the voters are the ones, as I said, who created this position by passing Measure G. And if they didn't want it for that reason or for any other reason, I think we've certainly seen Voters defeat measures that they didn't like for whatever their reasons. In this case, they want to see reform. They want to see change. And all of these changes are part of what the voters have called for. And let me ask you about the salary. I mean, there's been a lot of talk about the salary. It's more than double what the governor of California makes. It's 550. $558,000 per year. Again, more than double the governor's salary. County taxpayers who, first of all, how would this benefit, noting that salary, how would county taxpayers benefit? And then for those constituents who are already concerned about how money is mismanaged within the county, your thoughts, your response to that. Well, first, I would say that the salary, which is approved by the voters through Measure G, is comparable to what the current county executive county CEO makes. So in that respect, I expect that it will continue to be a budget item that is pretty consistent. But I think the most important thing is that. People know they actually have a say in who holds that seat. Right now, the occupant of the CEO's office is someone who gets appointed by the five supervisors and is responsible to their needs and gets directed by their wishes as opposed to the voters who get to elect this new position. So I'm excited about that. I think that kind of accountability matters when you're talking about how you budget. I think that kind of accountability Accountability matters when you're talking about how you run the county on a daily basis. Right now, each department head responds to five different people. And we've seen that when five people are in charge. It really feels like no one's in charge. And if you can't really get to consensus outside of the Tuesday board meetings, it's incredibly difficult to deliver the kind of broad scale change that we've wanted to see on any number of issues from homelessness to justice reform and so much more. So I appreciate that there are questions that will come up and I think we should absolutely talk about them. What we shouldn't be doing, however, is repealing the support, repealing the reform that people have been calling for consistently. Consistently, there have been measures, you know, almost every election cycle to reform how we do county governance. And I think there's a reason for that. People are not happy with the status quo. Going backwards on the budget transparency we've already implemented, the ethics reform that we've already implemented. We're looking at changing how we do our agendas so there are more, there's more transparency. I think all of those changes are good things and moving government in the right direction. And and we should continue to do that. And if there are questions going forward, we should absolutely have those conversations. But I'm prepared to listen to the will of the voters who are looking for Los Angeles County to be structured in a way that meets the moment of 21st century needs. This position has no term limits. You would be overseeing a budget of $54.2 billion. We know that one of your counterparts on the board. Catherine Barger, Supervisor Catherine Barger, she had vowed and made a pledge not to run for it. She asked other supervisors to do the same. We know that Holly Mitchell also did. You are obviously now announcing your run for it. She did say this. She said, quote, with a $54 billion budget, more than 110,000 employees, no term limits and no professional credentials required. The elected county executive. We'll be one of the most powerful and most highly paid politicians in the entire state of California and perhaps in the nation. Do you have a response to that? Well, first, to the question of term limits, that's determined by the California Constitution. So if she wants to change the Constitution, I suppose we could certainly go through that process, but it's not for lack of consideration. The more important question is, what is the ethical thing to do here? And I certainly don't think it's ethical to be talking about elections while we're doing the taxpayers' work and doing the people's work on the dais. Found that to be completely inappropriate. And we can certainly have those conversations, but they should be done in the right forums. I think we also have to make sure that, you know, what when we're thinking about who can run for this office, we should think about who what those qualifications are. Certainly somebody who understands how county how the county works, but is also. Also has a proven track record of delivering reform and change is, I think, somebody you want to be considering this position. And I understand that Supervisor Barger doesn't want to run for it. And, you know, I think she's lamenting change that's coming to the county that I think is long overdue. And she's been working inside the county since the 1980s. So I can appreciate that things were different back then. But even before Measure G, she and I had a conversation where I said to her, I don't know how you've lasted this long. It takes forever for things to change. It used to be that a motion would come forward on a Tuesday and if it were passed, the change would happen by Friday. Rarely does that happen in the county now. And I asked her, you know, when did that change? And she couldn't really identify it, but she acknowledged that she was frustrated by that reality as well. So I understand that we're going to have difficult conversations going forward. But those are the kinds of conversations that are necessary to make sure that our government is actually working for people. We shouldn't shy away from them. We shouldn't shy away from. Talking with people who might have different perspectives. I think that's how we get to better outcomes. And I believe that if Supervisor Barger had participated more in the conversation regarding Measure G, she could have informed and shaped how it was written and what the outcomes were. But she didn't. She just wanted to say no, and she lost. And I'm sorry for whatever hurt feelings that exist from that. For me, this isn't personal. It's about bringing change. And people are unhappy with the status quo. They made their voices heard, and even the people who challenged some of these reforms in court have said this is what the people have called for, and they're ready to roll up their sleeves and do the work to properly implement that. I don't know why my colleague doesn't want to do that, but I do. Do we know who any of your challengers are just yet, or are you the only one to announce? I'm the only one to announce. I've spoken with several people who have been rumored and hope to have good conversations with them about ways that we can work together and, you know, what it is they're looking for from county government that, you know, hopefully we can end up on the same page. I'm willing to work with anyone who wants to have a conversation and think about that brighter future that we all should be fighting for. But at the end of the day, you know, I'm in this race to make sure that we deliver the change that people want to see. Can you share any of those rumors or those who are rumored to run? Well, I mean, I think there are lots of reports about who has been mentioned. So I've had conversations with. Several of those people and, you know, we'll we'll see who else decides to get into this race. For my part, I'm proud that, you know, we have we already have labor support, as as was shared earlier today, that carpenters and the firefighters have already endorsed and said that they want to be on our team, which I'm thrilled for. We have support from legislators at every level of government, from Congress to the state legislature, to local officials, Republican and Democrat. Because we know that L.A. County serves everyone and needs to serve everyone. And that means everyone's voice has to be involved in how we have these conversations going forward. And that's really the thing that excites me most about Measure G. People are realizing the power of their vote and their voice. And for far too long, they have felt that their institutions weren't listening to them. And now they actually get to see that change happen. And I want to see more of that happen. Okay, well, we thank you so much for your time. A lengthy interview there and discussion with L.A. County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath. Anything else you'd like to add? No, that's it. I'm just really excited to be in the race. I'm excited to hear people's ideas about what Los Angeles County can become for them and that we're willing to do it together, ready to get to work. Okay, congratulations on your official campaign launch today. Thank you. Okay, thanks. And I'll talk to you soon. All right, it is 1:36 and we are going to step away for our next two minute break here on Fox Local. We'll be right back with more. Stay with us.