Aug. 02--The primary election is 10 months away, but candidates for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors' 5th District are raising hundreds of thousands of dollars as they jockey to pull ahead in a crowded field.
L.A. City Councilman Mitch Englander raised $580,570, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Kathryn Barger, the chief of staff to incumbent Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, raised $514,957. The other leading money-raisers in that race are:
-- Prosecutor Elan Carr, $426,068
-- State Sen. Robert Huff (R-Diamond Bar), $264,437
-- Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian, $113,652
Four other declared candidates, William Malone, Raj Pal Kahlon, Alan S. Reynolds and Pauline Field, did not file electronic reports with the registrar.
This will be the first time in more than 35 years that the 5th District seat is open. Antonovich is leaving because of term limits. The district is 2,800 square miles, covering northern L.A. County from the county line down to Santa Clarita and the San Gabriel Valley.
Supervisor Don Knabe in the 4th District will also leave office next year. Rep. Janice Hahn (D-San Pedro) led that field in fundraising, bringing in $331,488. Steve Napolitano, an aide to the incumbent supervisor, raised $141,534. Former Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin raised $114,273.
The L.A. County Democratic Party has already endorsed Hahn in that race.
County supervisors wield tremendous power. Each of the five supervisors represents roughly 2 million people, and together they oversee a $27-billion budget.
For their reelection bids, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas raised $560,150, and Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey raised $415,364. Both candidates are running unopposed.
The primary will be held on June 7, 2016.
Update
3:30 p.m.: This post was updated with new details on campaign contributions for some candidates.
