Los Angeles County opens applications for Measure G governance reform task force

Los Angeles County officials urged residents and county workers to apply this week for a 13-member governance reform task force created by Measure G and outlined who is eligible, how members will be chosen and what the panel will do.

County Executive Office Executive Officer Edward Yen said the task force will “research and analyze the current government structure, conduct public outreach, and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors on a reorganization proposal that implements the voter approved charter amendment.” The first task force meeting is scheduled to convene May 30, 2025, and the work is expected to conclude Dec. 3, 2028, unless the Board extends that timeline.

The task force will be advisory and will not include elected officials, Yen said. He described the body as a mix of community leaders and residents — not elected officeholders — who will advise the Board on changes required by Measure G, including greater public posting time for agenda items, creation of an independent ethics commission and office of ethics compliance, and steps toward an elected county executive and an expansion of the Board from five to nine members after 2030 redistricting.

Applicants were told the deadline to apply is March 7. Applications must be submitted online through measureg.lacounty.gov or hand-delivered to the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration at 500 West Temple Street, Room 383; mailed applications will not be accepted. The county provided an email for questions: info@measureg.lacounty.gov. Jennifer Wicks, communications manager for the Board of Supervisors executive office, opened the virtual meeting and gave application and access instructions.

Yen and staff described the task force’s composition and selection process: each of the five supervisors will pick one member from the applicant pool (five total); three members will be nominated by labor organizations (the LA County Federation of Labor, SEIU Local 721 and the Coalition of County Unions); and the remaining five at-large members will be selected by the five board-appointed task force members and must be approved by a four-fifths vote. The task force must include at least one member representing each of these areas: business, municipal government, community-based organizations and public-sector ethics. At least two members must live in unincorporated areas of the county.

Yen described expected duties: drafting rules to increase agenda posting from 72 hours to 120 hours for nonurgent legislation, recommending the structure of an independent ethics commission and an ethics compliance office (including the ethics compliance officer), advising on how department budgets are presented in public and making other recommendations to implement Measure G’s charter changes. He said task force members will be paid a per diem, but the per-diem amount had not yet been set and will be determined after the county budget is approved.

Eligibility rules and disqualifications were emphasized: applicants must be adults (18+), live or work in Los Angeles County and be willing to commit time (Yen estimated 20–40 hours per month based on prior commissions). Disqualifying statuses include currently serving elected officials; staff who work directly for an elected official; registered state or local lobbyists; paid consultants or immediate family members of the disqualified categories; and anyone who is a candidate for public office at the time of application. County employees may apply provided they do not report directly to an elected official or candidate; Yen said county or city employees who do not work directly for a supervisor, sheriff, district attorney or assessor are eligible.

Meetings will be public and subject to the Brown Act, with efforts to provide language access and remote participation; county staff said they plan to hold meetings in multiple supervisorial districts and offer remote options. Yen said staff from the Board executive office will support the task force with coordination, outreach and drafting work.

The presenters repeatedly encouraged broad public participation, emphasizing that the task force is intended to include people with diverse backgrounds — students, volunteers, business owners, service workers and professionals — and is not limited to people with formal government experience.

The presentation and live question-and-answer session were streamed to the Board’s YouTube channel, and the county encouraged viewers to consult measureg.lacounty.gov for application materials, translations and additional information.