Bel Air and Holmby Hills voters will face a county charter amendment on the Tuesday, November 3 ballot after the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 on Tuesday, July 28, to call a special election on the measure.

The amendment would create the county's first independent Ethics Commission and restore roughly $288 million in annual funding for jail-alternative programs that was accidentally wiped out by 2024's Measure G.

Supervisors Hilda L. Solis, Lindsey P. Horvath, and Janice Hahn voted in favor. Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Bel Air and Holmby Hills in the Fifth District, abstained. Supervisor Holly Mitchell was absent, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"I believe the Board must retain the flexibility to make budget decisions based on community needs and priorities," Barger said in a statement explaining her abstention.

Barger objected to mandated funding requirements that would bind future boards. The measure would require 10% of unrestricted, locally generated county funds to go toward jail diversion programs including mental health treatment, housing support, and youth development, restoring a commitment voters approved under 2020's Measure J. A drafting error in Measure G inadvertently repealed that requirement; the repeal was set to take effect in December 2028.

The special election will be consolidated with the statewide general election on November 3. As we reported July 15, the Ethics Commission charter amendment had been expected to reach the ballot. Tuesday's vote makes it official.

The board also introduced a separate binding arbitration charter amendment for the same November 3 ballot, which would establish a process for resolving labor disputes between the county and public safety employee unions. That measure was introduced July 28 and is expected to come back for final adoption at a future meeting.

Eaton Fire ordinance extended through August 2027

At the same meeting, the board held a public hearing on extending the Eaton Fire Disaster Interim Ordinance through Sunday, August 22, 2027. The ordinance eases development restrictions in unincorporated areas in District 5 affected by the Eaton Fire, streamlining rebuilding permits, reducing fees, and allowing temporary uses that support disaster recovery.

The interim ordinance was first enacted on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, and extended once before to August 22, 2026. The July 28 action adds another year, according to the county's meeting agenda. The item required a four-vote supermajority; the final vote tally was not available at publication.

Pipeline franchise in District 5

The board also heard testimony on a petroleum pipeline franchise for Crimson Resource Management Corp., a Colorado company that operates an existing pipeline system in District 5. The five-year franchise would run from Thursday, August 27, 2026, through Tuesday, August 26, 2031, with a $10,000 granting fee paid to the county. The final vote on this item was also not confirmed at publication.

Residents can submit written public comments at publiccomment.bos.lacounty.gov or address the board by phone at (213) 306-3065.