Kathryn Barger

Kathryn Ann Barger-Leibrich is an American politician and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors,[2] representing the 5th District.[3] Barger previously served as Chief Deputy Supervisor and Chief of Staff to her predecessor Michael D. Antonovich.[4]

Kathryn Barger
Member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Assumed office
December 5, 2016
Preceded byMichael D. Antonovich
Constituency5th District
Personal details
Political partyRepublican [1]
ResidenceSan Marino, California
Alma materOhio Wesleyan University 1983
Websitekathrynbarger.lacounty.gov

Personal

Barger was born and raised in the 5th District. She is married to a retired Sheriff’s deputy and lives in the San Gabriel Valley.[5]

Early career

Barger began her career in government in 1988 when she interned in the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. By 2001 she had risen up the ranks to Antonovich's chief of staff.[1]

Political career

In her role as a county supervisor, Barger has co-authored bills furthering the county’s support for veterans[6] and foster children.[7]

Barger also co-authored motions to address homelessness in LA County, which notably includes a bill passed by the California State Assembly in May 2018 amending the state’s definition of “gravely disabled”, and allowing more state-sponsored medical care to be provided to those who may be suffering from a serious mental illness.[8][9]

Barger coauthored a motion creating the Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Safety, which was intended to explore the impact that Assembly Bill 109, California Proposition 47, and California Proposition 57, which were collectively aimed at converting many nonviolent drug offenses into misdemeanors and allowing for the early release of some inmates, has had inside of Los Angeles County.[10] The formation of the commission was a reaction to the murder of police Officer Keith Boyer, and ultimately passed on a 3-0 vote with abstentions. The commission membership at its inception was controversial, with critics citing that many of the 27 members drafted to the commission were directly affected by Proposition 47, coming from roles within the county’s judicial system.[11][10] Other critics noted that linking the murder of Officer Boyer to the passage of criminal reform efforts was misguided because the error that led to the release of Officer Boyer’s murderer was committed at the county level.[12][13]

In 2017, Barger was the only opposition in a 4-1 vote to eliminate the "registration fee" that the Los Angeles County Public Defender's office and other court-appointed counsel charge defendants before providing them with legal services.[14][15]

In 2017, Barger was the only opposition in a 4-1 vote to establish the Business Registration program, which would levy a fee on businesses to create a registry and connect them with county resources.[16]

On December 3rd, 2019, Barger was elected by a unanimous vote of the Board to become its chair, succeeding Janice Hahn.[17]

Fifth District

The Fifth District is the largest Supervisorial district of Los Angeles County, spanning 2800 square miles, and includes 22 cities and 70 unincorporated communities in the San Gabriel, San Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys.[18]

Electoral history
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, 5th district, 2016[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
N/A Kathryn Barger 105,520 29.64%
N/A Darrell Park 55,185 15.50%
N/A Bob Huff 52,359 14.71%
N/A Ara James Najarian 46,587 13.08%
N/A Mitchell Englander 42,823 12.03%
N/A Elan Carr 40,580 11.40%
N/A Billy Malone 8,701 2.44%
N/A Rajpal Kahlon 4,285 1.20%
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, 5th district, runoff 2016[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
N/A Kathryn Barger 350,998 57.90%
N/A Darrell Park 255,165 42.10%

References
  1. Branson-Potts, Hailey (November 2, 2016). "Why political party matters so much in a nonpartisan race to replace a county supervisor". Los Angeles Times.
  2. Wells, Sandy (January 23, 2017). "LA County Supervisor Leads Effort to Deescalate Controntations Between Deputies and Homeless". KABC-AM. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  3. Abram, Susan (December 5, 2016). "Janice Hahn, Kathryn Barger give LA County Board of Supervisors historic female supermajority". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  4. "Kathryn Barger to be Sworn in Today as Los Angeles County Supervisor Representing Pasadena". Pasadena Now. December 5, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  5. "Supervisor Kathryn Barger | Supervisor Kathryn Barger". kathrynbarger.lacounty.gov. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  6. "LA County Officials Approve $20 Million in Funding for Veteran Housing". NBC News.
  7. "LA County will let foster children stay at their original school, even if they change homes". Los Angeles Daily News. Southern California News Group. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  8. Abram, Susan. "following-la-county-vote-legislation-filed-to-amend-state-law-to-help-gravely-disabled-homeless". Daily News.
  9. Signal Staff. "State definition of "gravely disabled" on the road to be amended". The Signal. The Signal. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  10. Agrawal, Nina. "County approves a new panel to study criminal justice reform: What's the impact of downgrading felonies and releasing inmates early?". Los Angeles Times. LA Times. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  11. Ender, Gina. "Supervisors to propose public safety commission". The Signal. The Signal. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  12. "County mistakes, not reform laws, allowed the alleged killer of a Whittier police officer to go fr". Los Angeles Times. The Times Editorial Board. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  13. The Times Editorial Board. "County should seek the whole truth, and nothing but, on criminal justice". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  14. Stoltze, Frank. "LA County drops $50 public defender fee for criminal defendants". Southern California Public Radio. SCPR. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  15. Agrawal, Nina. "L.A. County ends public defender 'registration fee'". latimes.com. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
  16. Duan, Crystal (May 24, 2018). "Businesses, officials sound off on new county fee". The Signal.
  17. Barger, Supervisor Kathryn (2019-12-03). "My term as Chair will focus on our youth — our greatest hope for future success. Through what I'm calling Our County, Our Children, Our Commitment, we will renew our dedication to the well-being of youth as the forefront of our mission to serve LA County.https://vimeo.com/373191425". @kathrynbarger. Retrieved 2019-12-21. External link in |title= (help)
  18. "Los Angeles County Fifth District" (PDF). Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office.
  19. "Los Angeles County Election Tuesday, June 7, 2016". Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  20. "Los Angeles County Election Tuesday, November 8, 2016". Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
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