One year after being sworn in to serve as supervisor for Los Angeles County’s Third District, Lindsey P. Horvath became the youngest-ever chair of the Board of Supervisors.
Horvath wanted to acknowledge the importance that she has become the youngest to serve as chair because it highlights the youth and she must incorporate their voices and perspectives.
“In listening to young people, I am clear that the crisis of the moment is homelessness,” Horvath said. “From the threat of falling into homelessness because of the rising costs of rent and just living, to the reality of being unhoused while trying to go to school, and never being able to recover from the debt that piles up, the pervasiveness of homelessness in our region is a daily attack on our dream for a better future.”
Horvath said while homelessness is the crisis of the moment, climate change remains the crisis of our time.
“No one makes that clearer than our young people, whose commitment to a cleaner, more sustainable future is unwavering,” she said. “But, the most insidious, sinister crisis we face today is the crisis of despair. The rate of suicide is unprecedented, especially among women and girls who face increasingly complicated mental health challenges. Anxiety, depression, and substance use are pervasive.”
Most recently, Horvath attended the PCH Taskforce meeting on Tues, Nov. 14, at Malibu City Hall, with city, county, and state elected officials and Caltrans to discuss ways to address dangerous conditions on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
“Speeding is one of the top issues on PCH,” Horvath said at the PCH Taskforce meeting. “Enough is enough, we have to take action today. We’re here with the Malibu community.”
Horvath concluded with a call to action.
“This is a moment for urgency. This is a moment for impatience. This is a moment for profound change. We must march forward together and take bold steps to bridge generations and create the change that we so urgently need,” Horvath said. “I know that we can do better, and the people of Los Angeles County deserve nothing less. This is a moment for urgency, this is a moment for impatience, this is a moment for profound change.”
At the reorganization meeting, Supervisor Kathryn Barger was selected as Board Chair Pro Tempore.