Second District Supervisor Holly Mitchell hopes to be re-elected to a second term representing the more than two million residents that currently live in District Two.

The district includes the cities of El Segundo, Inglewood, Compton, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach along with the unincorporated community of Marina Del Rey, the Fairfax/Park La Brea, and Larchmont Village neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

Mitchell was first elected at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and assumed office on December 7, 2020. She previously served as a state senator in the 30th District, where she served as chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee.

Before holding public office, Mitchell directed Crystal Stairs, a large nonprofit that administers subsidized child-care services for families in L.A. County. Mitchell is endorsed by the L.A. Times, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, several labor unions, Planned Parenthood Action Fund L.A. County, and the Sierra Club among many others. She is widely expected to coast to re-election.

One critical issue in much of District Two is housing affordability. Mitchell says to ease the severe shortage of housing, Los Angeles needs more capital to build and preserve affordable housing.

“As I lead the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency as the inaugural Chair of this newly formed entity, I am working to set up the policies for current and long-term investments in affordable housing that will be a game-changer throughout L.A. County,” she says. “For example, we are looking at bonds, guarantees, and financing products to complement existing sources for financing housing. Focusing on the finance piece is critical because that is what’s missing. We are also focused on land use and zoning in unincorporated areas that the county has oversight.”

Another key issue is transportation. Mitchell currently has a seat on the Metro Board of Directors and says one of her priorities is to ensure a safe and accessible transit experience for all riders along with expanding free access to Metro for students and low-income communities that rely on public transit in their daily lives.

“I have been a strong proponent of the Metro Transit Ambassadors Program and I am proud that it is now permanent and will continue to advocate for resources to keep our transit system safe for all residents,” says Mitchell “This program helps us do that by having trained local residents in addition to law enforcement on-site to be a welcoming presence and resource for transit riders. I have led Metro in ensuring meaningful community engagement as it continues to build out its transit system and look forward to continuing to do this as we work to build an expansive and reliable public transportation system.”

Mitchell cites public safety as another key issue and says there are immediate and long-term public safety needs for the residents in her district, such as the illegal street takeovers happening all over the county.

“I often hear from constituents in our unincorporated communities about fatal hit and runs. To help address this I have pushed for $21 million in funding towards Vision Zero in our unincorporated communities, including Florence-Firestone,” she said. “And I have put forward motions with the support of the Board of Supervisors calling for tougher ordinances, a community forum to create solutions from county departments and residents working together, and the development of a County Transportation Commission.”

Mitchell says she voted in support of the motion to allocate funding from the state to support the Sheriff Department’s newly formed Organized Retail Theft Task Force due to the rise in organized retail theft.

“We have a responsibility to foster a culture of safety that starts within our Sheriff’s department and permeates throughout the diverse communities our deputies serve,” she stated. “I have called for funding to be tied to a thoughtful plan to address deputy gangs and extra training classes to help with recruiting people who want to serve with integrity so we have sufficient personnel to prevent burnout and fewer deputies working overtime and jeopardizing their mental health,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell added she plans to continue to champion investments in public safety strategies that yield both short and long-term results, with a strategic focus on youth.

“Our juvenile halls are overcrowded with young people who are in the custody of the County, including many who could have avoided entering our justice system if there was a greater investment in solutions like diversion, youth development, and violence prevention and intervention,” says Mitchell. “I will continue to support steps to invest in our youth so we can depopulate our juvenile halls and have more young people building a life of purpose and dignity, and giving back to their community.”

Mitchell says when she was elected in 2020, she came into office knowing there was no way to go back to business as usual. She says communities and small businesses were barely hanging on before COVID-19, which the pandemic only made worse.

“I am proud of the accomplishments we have made within my first term to help achieve this, like creating a countywide program to move unhoused residents living in RV encampments off the streets and into housing, a pillar of the County’s Pathway Home initiative,” said Mitchell. “Within 5 months of launching this program, we connected nearly 200 residents to housing in my district.” She added, “My office successfully passed an ordinance to end oil well drilling in our unincorporated communities, we helped small businesses keep their doors open with grants and helped keep people housed by passing the Rental Relief Fund. These are just a few of the many ways we have been working to create a Second District where every resident can live with dignity. I am clear that our work is far from done.”

She added that she is running for a second term to build on the progress made while keeping an urgent commitment to solving the challenges residents face. She said her fundamental priority is to leave Los Angeles County’s Second District better than it was before she came to office.

“Every day my office is working to be responsive to the two million residents that call L.A. County’s 2nd District home. I hope that is noticeable to our constituents, even if we may not always agree on the solutions, I understand that it is our responsibility as an office to listen, show up, and be effective, especially for our unincorporated communities where we are their local government.”

Mitchell says she ran for Supervisor in 2020 because she knew her experience serving in the California Legislature as an Assemblymember, State Senator, and Chair of the Budget Committee along with her non-profit leadership would be put to good use in improving the quality of life for residents and solving the big structural challenges impacting the largest county in the nation.

The Supervisor faces only token opposition from Daphne Bradford, Clint Carlton, and Katrina Williams. If no one wins more than 50 percent of the votes on March 5th, the top two candidates will compete in a November runoff.

Photo provided by Supervisor Mitchell’s office.