By Karli Wallace
Staff Writer
Chief Deputy to Supervisor Don Knabe, Steve Napolitano, is running for Los Angeles County Supervisor for the November 8th elections.
Napolitano attended Mira Costa High School, graduated from Marymount College and was elected as Mayor of Manhattan Beach at the age of 26. He served as Mayor for three terms from 1992-2005. Napolitano is the youngest Mayor to be elected in Manhattan Beach.
“After eleven years with Supervisor Don Knabe, I’ve been to all our communities, I know what the issues are and every single one of those communities is unique,” Napolitano said. “I know how to get things done. Especially in Manhattan and Hermosa, they know and support me.”
The Board of Supervisors for Los Angeles County is a five-person committee that’s responsible for governing Los Angeles county. The Board was created by the state Legislature in 1852, and is responsible for the more than 2 million residents that live there.
Link: Steve Napolitano’s voting statistics
“County Supervisor, like a City Council member, sets policy and the County departments determine what those policies are,” Napolitano said. “If you are poor or in need, if you have a mental illness, the County provides services.”
Napolitano will focus on county problems if he is elected to the Board of Supervisors. According to Napolitano, he has a plan to end homelessness, a plan to improve transportation and a goal to implement the expansion of public pre-school.
“This was why I got into local government; it was the ability to make a difference,” Napolitano said. “To make things better and to give a voice to those who didn’t feel they had one. That’s what I’m about: solving problems and serving people.”
Link: Steve Napolitano and his current candidacy for Manhattan Beach mayor
Napolitano is running against Democrat Janice Hahn. Hahn is the former United States Representative from California’s 44th congressional district and is a former Los Angeles City Councilwoman who represented the 15th district.
“Government, like most things, should have balance,” Napolitano said. “Janice Hahn, my competitor, is a partisan politician from Washington D.C. I’m not a partisan politician. I know the district and I’ve worked with the district and I’m from local government.”
Voting to determine who will take over Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe’s position will occur on Election Day. The election is the second and final ballot of the race, which means that it will be the final election for Board of Supervisors.
“It’s not one of those jobs where you vote in a particular way. You vote your conscience,” Napolitano said. “I’m not running to run for anything else; I’m running to serve here.”
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