LA County Board

13. Improving Los Angeles County Board Governance to Strengthen Equity\nand Transparency\nRecommendation as submitted by Supervisors Mitchell and Horvath: Direct the\nExecutive Officer of the Board to conduct an expedited Request for Statement\nof Interest competitive solicitation and report back to the Board in writing within\n90 days with a recommended independent third-party entity (Consultant) to\nwork with the Executive Officer to convene stakeholders and conduct a review\nof the Board’s governance model and identify best practices from across the\nCountry, with the Executive Officer to seek a consultant with a background in\nacademia and/or policy, with expertise at the intersection of government and\nequity, and include in the scope of work a written analysis of best practices and\nrecommendations on potential governance reforms to enable a more\ntransparent and equitable policy development process including, but not limited\nto:\nExploring a process for advance review of proposed motions and Board\nletters in order to increase analysis and the opportunity for public review\nbefore they are considered by the Board;\nReviewing the current policy cluster system and budgeting processes,\nincluding suggestions for improvements that will increase efficiency,\ntransparency, and equitable outcomes;\nDeveloping a procedure for routine evaluations of the County Code,\nCounty Charter, and the Board roles and authorities, procedures, and\nparliamentary processes, enabling a continuous improvement process\nthat ensures that the County’s governing documents and procedures are\nmodernized and align with the ongoing evolution of governance best\npractices;\nReviewing potential changes to the structure of the Board, including\nexpansion of the Board to achieve more equitable representation;\nDirect the Chief Executive Officer, in coordination with the Executive Officer, to\nreport back to the Board during the Fiscal Year 2023-24 Final Changes budget\non an appropriate funding source to cover the cost of the Consultant, including\nan exploration of potential philanthropic funding;\nDirect the Chief Executive Officer, through the Legislative Affairs and\nIntergovernmental Relations Division, to report back to the Board in writing\nwithin 60 days on legislative opportunities that would further amend the Brown\nAct to:\nExplicitly allow members of the public to comment remotely at public\nmeetings beyond a designated state of emergency; and\nAllow commissions and committees created by the Board to conduct\nhybrid meetings by convening virtually when a quorum of the body is\npresent in person; also explicitly allow for remote public comment at\nthese commission and committee meetings; and\nInstruct the Interim County Counsel, in consultation with the Executive Director\nof the Anti-Racism, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, Chief Executive Office, to\nreport back to the Board in writing in 90 days with recommendations for County\ncampaign finance reforms to advance a more equitable process, including an\nanalysis of adjusting contribution limits, creating a matching funds program for\nCounty elections, and establishing fully publicly financed elections, and creating\na process for routine review of campaign finance ethics (e.g., a campaign\nfinance ethics commission following every County election). (23-0683)\nAttachments: Motion by Supervisors Mitchell and Horvath\nPublic Comment/Correspondence