Fresh Off Raman Victory, Ally Lindsey Horvath Launches Controversial Bid For LA County CEO Job

LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath announced Monday that she is running to become the county's first elected chief executive in 2028, launching a campaign for what's expected to be one of California's most powerful political offices.

Horvath, 44, is the first candidate to formally enter the race for the new position, which she helped create through Measure G, the county government overhaul approved by voters in 2024.

Her announcement comes days after City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, a political ally whom Horvath endorsed, was elected Los Angeles mayor in a victory over the city's political establishment. Horvath is now seeking to tap into a similar appetite for change, even as some of her colleagues have raised ethical concerns about sitting board members seeking an office whose powers they are helping shape.

"Los Angeles has never been a place that dreams small," Horvath said in a statement Monday. "But for too long, our county government has moved too slowly, failed to meet the moment, and allowed bureaucracy to stand in the way of progress."

The county's existing CEO is appointed by the Board of Supervisors, but the voter-approved government overhaul will transform the position into a powerful elected office in 2028, giving the executive greater authority over county operations, department leadership and budgeting.

Measure G will also expand the five-member Board of Supervisors to nine members. Elections for the expanded board will begin in 2032.

The position will oversee a county government serving nearly 10 million residents, with an annual budget of about $54 billion and more than 110,000 employees.

Horvath's early entry into the race comes as several other prominent politicians, including Supervisor Janice Hahn, former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, have been discussed as potential candidates, according to L.A. Material.

Horvath's campaign also comes on the heels of a potentially significant political alliance with Nithya Raman, whom she endorsed in October in the race against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.

Among the 20 members of the county Board of Supervisors and Los Angeles City Council, Horvath was the only one to endorse Raman's ultimately successful campaign.

• SEE ALSO: 'Armageddon' Or Not, Nithya Raman Could Bring 4 Big Changes To LA

Horvath had previously been considered an ally of Bass, but the two split following the January 2025 Palisades Fire. Horvath, whose district includes Pacific Palisades and Malibu, publicly criticized Bass over her handling of communications and other issues related to the disaster.

Horvath and Raman have also differed over the county's decision to shift hundreds of millions of dollars and major homelessness responsibilities away from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

But when she endorsed Raman, Horvath emphasized the importance of building a stronger working relationship between the city and county.

"By having those conversations, we'll figure out what partnership can look like, what the city needs, what the county needs, and how we can work together to make sure that we're solving this crisis for the entire region," Horvath said at the time.

Horvath is also launching her campaign with support from major labor organizations, including the union representing county firefighters and the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters. The carpenters union also backed Raman and spent nearly $4 million supporting her mayoral campaign, according to L.A. Material.

But Horvath's announcement comes amid a dispute on the Board of Supervisors over the ethics of current board members seeking the new executive position.

At an Oct. 20 board meeting, Supervisor Kathryn Barger announced that she would not run for the office and urged her colleagues to make the same commitment.

Barger argued that sitting supervisors face a potential conflict of interest because they are responsible for developing the powers and structure of an office they could later seek.

"With a $54 billion budget, more than 110,000 employees, no term limits, and no professional credentials required, the elected County Executive will be one of the most powerful and most highly paid politicians in the entire state of California and perhaps the nation," Barger said.

Barger also raised concerns about the position's compensation, estimating that total annual pay and benefits could reach approximately $558,000, including pension eligibility.

"If we are approving these reforms, we should do so in a way that is not self-serving to any of us," Barger said.

She asked County Counsel and the county's new Ethics Commission to examine potential conflicts involving supervisors who help determine the position's authority while considering a campaign for the job.

Supervisor Holly Mitchell echoed Barger's concerns and also pledged not to run.

Neither Barger nor Mitchell supported Measure G when supervisors voted to place it on the 2024 ballot. Both warned that the elected executive could wield enormous authority without sufficient accountability.

Horvath, who championed the measure alongside Hahn, has defended the overhaul as necessary to modernize a government structure that dates to 1912.

In comments to L.A. Material, Horvath pushed back against Barger's criticism and framed the disagreement as a clash over changing county government.

"I'm sure it's hard for someone who's been working in the county since the 1980s to see how you do something differently," Horvath said of Barger. "But I think that's exactly what L.A. County is calling for right now. I think voters are not happy with how the status quo works."

Horvath, a former West Hollywood mayor who was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2022, said her priorities as county executive would include addressing homelessness, improving disaster preparedness and making Los Angeles County more affordable.

"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a government that finally meets the scale of our challenges and the ambition of our people," Horvath said Monday.

"From making Los Angeles more affordable and ending homelessness, to protecting our communities and responding urgently to crises, we need bold, unified leadership that puts progress over politics and people over process."

City News Service contributed to this report.