Lindsey Horvath came from the city council of tiny West Hollywood to a seat on the powerful Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors a little more than 100 days ago.
And early in her rookie season with her new club she’s swung for the fences, though not always hitting the ball out of the park. Some say the missed hits are part of her political DNA, that Horvath, 40, a millennial, enjoys jabbing at the status quo as one of the five supervisors and as a director on the 13-member LA Metro governing board.
“She’s not willing to take the quick and easy way out. She wants to take a deeper dive into the issues and ask ‘Is there a better way to do this?’,” summed up Suju Vijayan on Thursday, March 30, a member of the leadership team of East Valley Indivisibles. The group advocates progressive values and endorsed Horvath over her opponent, former state Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys.
On three occasions in a little more than three months, Horvath has proposed motions to change the way things are done, even adding more supervisors to the board — an idea that has never succeeded.
On the board of supervisors since Dec. 5, she’s tried unsuccessfully to gain approval of a set of renter protections stretching beyond March 31, when the county’s COVID emergency ended. She also teamed with Supervisor Holly Mitchell in failing to bring more transparency to the board. They sought to have agendas and motions available earlier, hire a consultant to pursue expansion of the board to more than five members, and institute public financing of supervisors’ election campaigns.
At LA Metro on March 23, her motion went against a staff recommendation requiring the agency’s CEO to negotiate and approve new contracts with law enforcement. Her motion would have granted final authority to the directors, not the CEO. Her motion failed by one vote and instead the board voted to allow the CEO to extend new law enforcement contracts without board approval.
“To not take that opportunity to see where deployment (of law enforcement) has fallen short is a real missed opportunity,” Horvath said.
She has begun riding Metro as a way to understand first-hand issues of safety and reliability — and the issue of the homeless sleeping on platforms and in trains and buses.
Took the Red Line this morning from our office to Union Station, where @metrolosangeles is headquartered. Two committee meetings here today!
Looking forward to discussing how we improve the system, informed by our experience on the system pic.twitter.com/FZU8ajpIyk
— Lindsey P. Horvath (@LindseyPHorvath) March 16, 2023
Her three provocative motions are striking examples of Horvath’s attempts to change the way things are done. Many note that her use of substitute motions are unusual tactics. Others say they knew that Horvath, as an instigator, was coming — regardless of outcome.
“That was her conversation on the campaign trail,” said Mark Gonzalez, Democratic Party chair for Los Angeles County, on March 30. ” ‘I’m not gonna be a rubber stamp or a typical politician.’ That’s what won her that election.”
The new supervisor in town is getting noticed, not just from supporters, but also from those who opposed her in the race for the board seat.
Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry Commerce Association, said he’d rather see someone challenge the status quo even if they are not 100 percent successful.
“Having a supervisor who is willing to take chances and put out proposals, whether they pass or not, is still moving the needle on the conversation,” he said.
VICA, the organization he leads, supported Hertzberg in the race, on the grounds he is from the San Fernando Valley and would bring the Valley strong representation from the county and Metro.
While Waldman disagrees with many of Horvath’s positions, he praised her for showing up in the Valley, something he said her predecessor, Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, did not do. Kuehl retired and left an open seat, and she endorsed Horvath. Horvath won by 28,917 votes, 53% to 47%.
“In her first 100 days she has already exceeded the amount of time her predecessor came to the Valley. That says something,” Waldman said on March 30.
She’s given public presentations to the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, the United Chambers of Commerce/San Fernando Valley Region and The Valley Economic Alliance. And she’ll speak at VICA on May 3.
Horvath was asked if she had trepidation when meeting with Hertzberg supporters.
“No. I won. I am serving the entire district,” she said on March 30. “People who don’t like me are welcome to articulate that.” The Third District includes 431 square miles from West Hollywood and Beverly Hills to Santa Monica and Malibu, and into the San Fernando Valley.
“I’ve heard throughout the Valley that people felt they weren’t getting their fair share,” Horvath said. “We are working to change that perspective, but also that reality on the ground.”
In the coming months, she wants to continue to work on reform of the troubled county juvenile justice system — something the entire board has agreed on — as well as finding solutions to lowering the incidence of hate crimes against the Jewish community and the county’s LGBTQ+ residents.
She and Fourth District Supervisor and Board Chair Janice Hahn co-authored a motion adopted March 7 to raise the LGBTQ Pride flag over all county facilities during Pride Month celebrations each June. The board is working with Sheriff Robert Luna at ways “to better protect our Jewish community members,” she said.
She criticized Metro’s contracts with LAPD, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and Long Beach Police Department, saying the board must ensure these agencies put law enforcement patrols aboard trains and buses, and not rely on driving by their stopping points in patrol cars.
“We can all agree what’s going on now — advancing the status quo — isn’t cutting it,” she said. She hopes future contracts with law enforcement will be scrutinized more deeply and include requirements for deployment. “We had more transparency with advertising contracts than with policing contracting,” she said.
She has taken rides recently on the B (Red) Line, identified by Metro as one of the lines with the most crime and illicit drug use. She said she wants to get to know the system better.
While taking the train to a Metro committee meeting, an escalator meant to bring passengers up to street level was not working. Taking the stairs was the only option. “When an escalator doesn’t work, it is a little trickier when you are wearing heels,” she said.
“It is clear there are plenty of things to improve,” she said.
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