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Politics & Government

Election Brings No Changes to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors

The five-member panel stays the same.

  Three members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors were up for re-election Tuesday, but there won't be any changes on the five-member panel.
   Only one board member -- Supervisor Michael Antonovich, representing the county's Fifth District -- had any opposition, but he handily fended off the challenge from Raj Pal Kahlon.
   Antonovich, 72, thanked his constituents for their "vote of confidence" shortly after the polls closed at 8 p.m.
   "I deeply appreciate the vote of confidence and the opportunity to continue representing the over 2 million residents on the Board of Supervisors," Antonovich said. "Over the past eight terms, my office has empowered our incorporated communities with a voice and supported public safety, foster youth and municipal services."
   Supervisors Don Knabe and Mark Ridley-Thomas ran unopposed.
   The five members of the board control a budget of nearly $24 billion and make dozens of decisions each week that affect local roadways, public safety, development and environmental conservation, social services, child welfare, emergency room care and other issues critical to county residents.
   But despite the power of the position, incumbents rarely face strong opposition during election season and, until 2002, were not subject to term limits. The last time an incumbent was defeated was in 1980, when Antonovich was elected supervisor of the county's Fifth District.
   Kahlon, a 50-year-old Palmdale businessman, said he ran against Antonovich because he believed it's time for someone new to take over.
   "Things aren't getting done in Los Angeles the way people want," Kahlon told City News Service, citing the troubled Department of Children and Family Services as a prime example. "They are not taking the right steps to fix the problems. They should be running this like a business. They don't hold people responsible."
   Because of term limits, this will be Antonovich's final term representing the district which includes some or all of the Antelope, Crescenta, Pomona, San Fernando, San Gabriel and Santa Clarita valleys.
   Knabe, 68 -- representing the U-shaped Fourth District that covers coastal cities from Marina del Rey to Long Beach and an area that borders Orange County from Lakewood east to Diamond Bar -- will also term out in 2016.
   Fellow incumbent Supervisors Gloria Molina and Zev Yaroslavsky will end their final terms in 2014, leaving 80 percent of the board open to newcomers over the next two election cycles.
   Ridley-Thomas, who represents the Second District, is wrapping up his first term and will be able to run again in 2016. The Second District includes South Los Angeles and runs north beyond Culver City and Exposition Park, south to Carson, west to Hawthorne and Lawndale, and east to include Compton, Lynwood and Willowbrook.
   Antonovich said the county will face many fiscal challenges in the years to come, but was upbeat about the board's ability to succeed despite obstacles.
   "We will build on our past successes and continue working cooperatively with our town councils and cities through effective public-private partnerships to solve problems and develop initiatives to address the issues that impact the lives of the 10 million Los Angeles County residents," Antonovich said.

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