Veteran Democratic legislator Bob Hertzberg plans to run for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, upending the race to represent the San Fernando Valley on the powerful panel.
Hertzberg, who serves as the majority leader in the state Senate and was previously the speaker of the state Assembly, told The Times he was motivated to run by new district lines that place much of the Valley inside a single district.
“The San Fernando Valley in my judgment is too big to not have a voice on the Board of Supervisors,” Hertzberg said, noting that if it were a city, it would be the seventh largest in the nation. “I’m the only elected leader who would be in this race as of now who has an 818 area code. We in the Valley know what that means.”
Although the county board typically doesn’t receive the same attention as the Los Angeles City Council or the mayor’s office, it is among the most powerful local government bodies in the nation, with an annual budget of more than $39 billion. The five county supervisors represent 10 million people, more than all but 10 states.
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