Board of Supervisors

The Los Angeles County CA Board of Supervisors oversees major county services, adopts policies, approves spending, conducts public hearings, and responds to issues affecting residents across incorporated cities and unincorporated communities. This guide explains how the five-member Board works, how to identify your supervisorial district, how to review meeting agendas and official actions, and how to submit comments or speak during a public meeting.

Understand What the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Does

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors website is the central official source for Board agendas, meeting broadcasts, district information, public participation instructions, commission materials, and Executive Office services.

The Board of Supervisors is the governing body of Los Angeles County, which operates under a county charter. Unlike a city council, which manages the government of one incorporated city, the Board oversees countywide departments and programs that serve millions of residents across a large and diverse geographic area.

The Board has three broad types of authority:

Executive authority: The Board directs county operations, approves departmental priorities, appoints certain officials, and oversees the delivery of public services.

Legislative authority: Supervisors adopt ordinances, establish county policies, approve the annual budget, and make decisions involving programs, fees, contracts, and land use.

Quasi-judicial authority: The Board conducts hearings and decides certain matters involving appeals, property, zoning, assessments, and other proceedings governed by formal rules.

The Board was created by the California Legislature in 1852. Its responsibilities have expanded as the county population, budget, departments, infrastructure, and public service needs have grown. Today, the Board manages one of the largest and most complex county governments in the United States.

See How the Five Supervisorial Districts Divide the County

Los Angeles County is divided into five supervisorial districts. Voters in each district elect one supervisor, and each supervisor represents a different combination of cities, neighborhoods, and unincorporated communities.

Board members are elected by voters in their respective districts and are limited to three four-year terms. Because district boundaries determine representation, residents should identify their district before contacting a supervisor, requesting constituent assistance, or following district-specific projects.

First District

The First District includes communities stretching from areas of East Los Angeles through portions of the San Gabriel Valley. It contains incorporated cities, unincorporated communities, and neighborhoods within the City of Los Angeles. Hilda L. Solis represents the First District.

Second District

The Second District includes communities in South Los Angeles, the South Bay, and nearby areas. Its cities and communities include Carson, Compton, Culver City, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Florence-Firestone, and Marina del Rey. Holly J. Mitchell represents the Second District.

Third District

The Third District covers portions of the San Fernando Valley, the Santa Monica Mountains, and the Westside. Communities represented within the district include areas from West Hollywood and Malibu to Topanga, Chatsworth, Pacoima, and Santa Monica. Lindsey P. Horvath represents the Third District.

Fourth District

The Fourth District includes Southeast Los Angeles County, the Gateway Cities, Long Beach, the Harbor Area, the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Torrance, and Catalina Island. Janice Hahn represents the Fourth District.

Fifth District

The Fifth District includes cities and unincorporated communities across portions of the San Gabriel, San Fernando, Crescenta, Santa Clarita, and Antelope valleys. Kathryn Barger represents the Fifth District.

Confirm Your District Before Contacting a Supervisor

A mailing address does not always reveal whether a property is located inside an incorporated city or in an unincorporated county area. Some addresses use the name of a nearby city even though the property is outside that city’s legal boundaries.

Residents can use the county’s district and precinct map lookup to search by address or review available district maps. Enter the house number and street name carefully, leaving out street types such as Avenue, Street, or Boulevard when the application instructs you to do so.

Finding the correct district helps residents:

Contact the supervisor responsible for their community.
Follow district motions and local improvement projects.
Locate district field offices and constituent services.
Track appointments, community events, and funding decisions.
Determine whether an issue should be handled by the county or an incorporated city.

Track Board Meetings Before Decisions Are Made

Regular Board meetings are generally held on Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration. Meeting dates, starting times, agenda items, participation details, and supplemental materials can change, so residents should verify the current information before attending or calling.

The official Board meeting and agenda page provides upcoming meeting dates and downloadable agenda documents. Agendas may also be available in Chinese, Spanish, and Tagalog, depending on the meeting and document.

Review the Agenda Instead of Relying on a General Meeting Date

The agenda is the most useful document for determining what the Board plans to consider. It identifies motions, departmental recommendations, public hearings, appointments, contracts, reports, ordinances, property matters, and other items scheduled for discussion or action.

Before attending a meeting or submitting a comment, review the agenda for:

The meeting date and official start time.
The item number connected to your concern.
The department that prepared the recommendation.
Supporting reports, attachments, or supplemental documents.
Whether the matter is a regular item or a public hearing.
Any instructions that apply specifically to that meeting.

Agenda items are subject to change. An item may be revised, continued to another date, taken out of order, or accompanied by a supplemental document. Checking the agenda again shortly before the meeting can prevent confusion.

Pay Special Attention to Public Hearing Meetings

The regular meeting held on the last Tuesday of the month is primarily used for legally required public hearings. These proceedings may involve zoning matters, fee increases, special districts, property transactions, and other issues requiring formal public notice and an opportunity for testimony.

Public hearing procedures may differ from the handling of ordinary agenda items. Residents should read the agenda language and participation instructions carefully, especially when a deadline, hearing notice, appeal right, or documentary requirement may apply.

Speak to the Board in Person or Remotely

Board meetings are open to the public, and residents may participate through the methods authorized for a particular meeting. The county publishes detailed instructions for addressing the Board, including in-person registration, online participation, telephone participation, written comments, viewing options, and accessibility requests.

Register to Speak at the Board Hearing Room

In-person meetings are held in the Board Hearing Room at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration. Participants can sign up to speak by using the kiosks or posted QR codes located outside and inside the hearing room.

When registering, identify the agenda item or items you plan to address. During the meeting, the speaker’s name may be called and displayed when it is time to speak. Speakers should be ready to approach promptly and follow instructions from the meeting moderator.

Join Through the Online Meeting System

When remote online participation is offered, participants can register through the web-conferencing system identified on the Board website. After completing the registration form and joining the meeting, a participant is generally placed in a listening-only queue.

When the relevant agenda item is called, use the system’s “Raise Hand” function to enter the speaking queue. Keep the microphone muted until called. Participants should also grant the application or browser permission to access the device microphone before the meeting begins.

Address the Board by Telephone

The telephone number, participant access code, and meeting password used to address the Board may change from one meeting to another. Always use the call-in details shown on the current agenda or meeting page rather than relying on information from a previous meeting.

After joining, telephone participants are normally placed in a listening-only queue. When the relevant item is announced, pressing *3 moves the caller into the speaking queue. Pressing the command twice may remove the caller from the queue, so participants should wait for the system confirmation before taking another action.

Prepare for Your Speaking Time

Public speaking time may be limited. A focused statement is more useful than a long introduction that does not reach the main issue. Prepare your remarks around the specific action you want the Board to consider.

State your name when called.
Identify the agenda item number.
Clearly state whether you support, oppose, or want changes to the item.
Explain the local impact using specific facts.
Make a direct request before your time expires.
Stay on topic and follow the moderator’s instructions.

Turn down other devices before speaking remotely. Audio from a second computer, television, or live stream can create feedback and make the speaker difficult to understand.

Submit Written Public Comment for the Official Record

Residents who cannot speak during a meeting can use the official Board public comment system after the meeting agenda has been posted.

The comment form asks the user to provide required identifying information, select an agenda item, and choose a position such as “In Favor,” “Oppose,” or “Other.” A participant may enter comments for individual items or upload supporting documents, subject to the form’s attachment limits.

Written comments submitted through the system are public and may be displayed online. Avoid including private account numbers, medical information, confidential legal material, personal identification numbers, or other sensitive information that should not become part of a public record.

Make Written Comments Easier to Review

A clear written comment should identify the meeting date, agenda item, affected community, and requested action. Use short paragraphs and place the main request near the beginning.

For example, a useful comment may explain:

Where the resident lives or which community is affected.
How the proposal would change a county service.
Whether the concern involves cost, access, safety, staffing, land use, or implementation.
What amendment, delay, approval, denial, or follow-up report is requested.
Which facts or documents support the resident’s position.

Submitting a general complaint without connecting it to an agenda item may make it harder for staff and Board members to determine what action is being requested.

Watch Live Meetings and Review Past Board Actions

Residents do not have to attend a meeting to follow Board proceedings. Meetings may be viewed through the county’s live broadcast system, and telephone listening options are provided for English and Spanish listeners.

After a meeting, the Statement of Proceedings and minutes search can be used to find official records of actions taken by the Board. Search options may include keywords, exact phrases, dates, categories, districts, transcripts, statements of proceedings, and supporting documents.

The Statement of Proceedings is particularly helpful when a resident wants to confirm whether an item was approved, continued, amended, referred back to a department, or otherwise acted upon. It is more reliable than assuming that an agenda recommendation was adopted exactly as originally written.

Search by Topic, Date, or Supervisorial District

The proceedings portal organizes records under subjects such as health, housing, homelessness, public safety, transportation, fiscal governance, land use, environmental justice, child welfare, technology, veterans, and county services.

When searching for an action:

Begin with a distinctive phrase from the agenda title.
Narrow the results using the meeting date.
Select the relevant document type.
Use a district or policy category when the search returns too many results.
Open supporting documents to understand the details behind the action.

Meeting transcripts are also available for searching by word or topic. The archives include Board meetings beginning in January 2003. Online transcripts with corresponding video and audio are generally posted after the meeting processing is complete.

Follow Department Reports and Board Correspondence

County departments frequently submit reports, notices, contract recommendations, implementation updates, audit responses, and other correspondence to the Board. These documents can help residents follow what happens after a motion is adopted.

The official Board correspondence search allows users to search by keywords, department or agency, and date range. This is useful for tracking departmental responses that may not appear prominently on a regular meeting page.

Board correspondence may include:

Reports responding to earlier Board motions.
Notifications involving delegated authority.
Contract and procurement recommendations.
Departmental staffing or operational updates.
Audits, follow-up reviews, and corrective action reports.
Budget, grant, public health, fire, justice, and infrastructure documents.

Search titles may use formal government language. Try several versions of a keyword, including the department name, program name, community name, and wording from the original Board motion.

Learn How the Executive Office Supports Board Operations

The Executive Office of the Board performs administrative and public-service functions that allow the Board, commissions, departments, and residents to access official information and participate in county government.

Its responsibilities include preparing and publishing weekly agendas, maintaining official Board records dating back to the 1850s, and providing administrative, accounting, procurement, personnel, payroll, facility management, and technology services.

The Executive Office also supports or oversees numerous commissions, committees, boards, and specialized functions. These include services involving assessment appeals, commission administration, conflict-of-interest and lobbyist registration, records of the Board, public records requests, the Office of Inspector General, the Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission, the Office of Child Protection, and the County Equity Oversight Panel.

Use Commission Agendas to Follow Specialized County Work

County commissions and oversight bodies often study issues, receive reports, conduct hearings, and make recommendations within specialized areas. Their agendas and minutes can provide more detailed discussion than a short reference on a Board agenda.

Residents following a specific policy area should check whether a commission, committee, or task force is reviewing the same issue. This can reveal upcoming meetings, staff presentations, reform efforts, implementation timelines, and opportunities for public participation.

Contact the Right Office for Faster Assistance

The Board’s central contact form can be used for general questions, but district-specific concerns are often better directed to the office of the supervisor representing the affected address. Matters involving a county department may also require direct contact with that department.

Before sending a request, include enough information for staff to identify the issue:

Your full name and preferred contact method.
The affected address or community.
Your supervisorial district, when known.
The responsible county department or program.
The meeting date and agenda item number, if applicable.
A brief description of the problem and the action requested.
Relevant case, permit, appeal, or reference numbers that are safe to share.

A constituent request should be specific and factual. Explain what has already been done, which office was contacted, and whether a deadline, hearing, service interruption, or immediate public concern is involved.

Board of Supervisors Offices and Contact Information

Executive Office of the Board of Supervisors
Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 West Temple Street, Room 383
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 974-1411

Board Hearing Room
500 West Temple Street, Room 381-B
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Assessment Appeals Board
(213) 974-1471

Records of the Board
(213) 974-1424

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors FAQs

How can I check the real-time status of an agenda item?

During a meeting, the official live Board broadcast may display an agenda status table showing whether an item was approved or received another recorded disposition. Because items can be considered out of numerical order, watch the item number rather than assuming the Board will proceed sequentially. For the final official record, check the published Statement of Proceedings after the meeting.

Can residents receive notices when a new Board agenda is published?

Yes. The Board meeting and agenda page provides an email subscription option for notifications about the next meeting agenda. This is useful for residents following recurring subjects, proposed ordinances, contracts, public hearings, or department reports. A notification does not replace reviewing the posted agenda because supplemental documents and meeting details may be added later.

Where are recordings of older Board meetings available?

The Board media archive provides on-demand access to previous meetings. Archived recordings can help residents hear the complete discussion surrounding a motion, including staff presentations, supervisor questions, amendments, and public testimony. When researching a decision, compare the recording with the official proceedings because the final action may differ from the original recommendation.

How can I find reports submitted after the Board requests follow-up work?

Use the county’s Board correspondence search. Search by department, agency, date range, program name, community, or language taken from the original motion. Follow-up documents may appear under formal titles such as “report back,” “notification of delegated authority,” “quarterly report,” or “implementation update.” Trying several related search terms can produce better results when the exact report title is unknown.