Supervisor Barger Rules Out County Executive Bid, Urges Pause in Reform Plan

County District 5 Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Pasadena, pledged Tuesday not to run for the county’s planned elected executive office and urged a pause in restructuring county government.

Her announcement came as the Board of Supervisors postponed consideration of major Measure G implementation proposals, according to Barger’s office. In an Oct. 20 press release, her office reported a 4-0-1 vote to continue the recommendations for 90 days.

The proposals concern the powers of a future elected county executive, a director of budget and management, and an independent county legislative analyst. The board’s published agenda identified them as Item 18, which had already been continued from an Oct. 6 meeting.

Measure G, approved by Los Angeles County voters in November 2024, calls for the first election of a county executive in 2028. It also provides for expansion of the Board of Supervisors from five members to nine, with elections for the expanded board beginning in 2032.

The elected executive would take on major administrative duties, including submitting county budgets, appointing department heads subject to board confirmation and directing emergency response. Supervisors would retain legislative authority and control over appropriations.

Barger raised concerns about the proposed executive’s compensation. In a statement issued Tuesday, she estimated the position could carry roughly $558,000 in total annual compensation, with pension eligibility, based on county human resources figures and recent adjustments.

The county charter sets the elected executive’s salary at least $1 above that of any other county elected officer. Barger also pointed to the office’s lack of term limits and required professional qualifications.

Barger said she would not seek the job and urged fellow supervisors to make the same pledge. She asked County Counsel and the county’s new Ethics Commission to consider possible conflicts of interest when supervisors shape an office they could later seek.

“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 also challenged the proposed timetable for the independent county legislative analyst. The Oct. 20 agenda called for that office to be operating no later than Oct. 1, 2027, ahead of Measure G’s broader 2028 implementation schedule. Barger said the earlier start lacked a firm cost estimate.

“The Board adopting the recommendations today is essentially signing a blank check,” she said. “That is neither a responsible nor transparent way to govern.”

For Pasadena residents, the debate concerns how countywide services, spending decisions and oversight would be divided between the elected executive and supervisors. Barger warned that the new structure could make county services less responsive, particularly in unincorporated communities.

“We cannot compromise services and responsiveness to our unincorporated regions,” she said, citing work that includes the rebuilding of neighboring Altadena after the Eaton Fire.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who helped champion Measure G, has described the overhaul as a way to make county government more representative, accountable and transparent. The county’s Governance Reform Task Force advises the board on how to carry out the voter-approved changes.

Barger also questioned whether the reform process had drawn sufficient public participation and supported waiting until January to act on the task force recommendations. A delay in considering the recommendations would not repeal Measure G or change the county charter provisions voters approve