Staff

In a reception on December 7, Supervisor Holly Mitchell (Second District) celebrated the passing of the gavel from Hilda Solis as incoming Chair of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. 

“It is an honor to be handed the gavel to serve as Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors,” Mitchell said. “The opportunity to step into the role of Chair during a time when every step towards recovery must intentionally build on the progress the County has made is a responsibility I welcome and do not take for granted. I am motivated by what I know the County is capable of and look forward to working side-by-side in building back with equity.”

The chairmanship position is a rotating role for the five member governing body who hold the position one year at a time. Elected and county officials joined civic leaders and invited guests for the reception, which was held at the County Hall of Administration.

“Watching my family work at the county and knowing people in my own community who relied on the county, that taught me at an early age about the powerful role the county plays in transforming lives and shaping the trajectory of our communities,” Mitchell revealed in a message on social media. “Wanting to be a part of making a transformative impact has always driven me to public service.”

Mitchell was first elected to office in 2010 to succeed Congresswoman Karen Bass as Assemblymember for the 54^th District. While serving as State Senator for California’s 30^th District, she worked to pass nearly 80 bills in the legislature that protect and advance the pillars necessary for working families to thrive, expanding access to healthcare, defending the civil rights of minorities and reducing the numbers of children growing up in poverty and was dubbed by some as “the legislature’s moral compass.”

She was the first African American to serve as the Senate Budget Chair for the state overseeing the passage of the three consecutive state budgets, each totaling over $200 Billion and in 2019, one of her bills—SB 188, “the CROWN Act”, gained international media attention, banning discrimination of natural hair by employers and public education institutions. 

In the year since being elected to represent the Second District, Mitchell has passed one of the largest guaranteed income initiatives in the nation, began the process of phasing out oil drilling across L.A. County and supported investments to close the digital divide. Among the structural challenges she hopes to address are increased transparency in governance, serving the county’s more than 66,000 unhoused residents, and infusing investments in the small businesses and local economies that have borne the brunt of the pandemic.

Says Mitchell, “The road ahead will have its fair share of challenges, but it’s also filled with immense promise. I’m ready.”