May 26, 2008 | 9:47 PM
Category:
Political
More than 2 million people, give or take.. that's how many folks each LA County Supervisor represents, more than some states' population. It's a budget of 22 billion, more than most states. They have an awesome reach and responsibility. So... did you know there's an election for the 2nd Supervisorial District on June 3rd ? You probably don't unless you live there, but that's a big ''there'' there from Mar Vista and Culver City south through communities like Inglewood, Carson, and Compton. You ever heard of Kenny Hahn ? He was Supervisor for only 40 years. Did a lot of good things. Had a couple kids you might've heard of. Then Yvonne Burke. .,... let's just say she's never been accused of being Kenny Hahn. ....Now it's either going to be former LAPD Chief turned City Councilman Bernard Parks.. or his predecessor on the council and current State Senator Mark Ridley Thomas.... probably the only politician you'll find with a doctorate degree in religious studies. I had the opportunity to spend time with each of them up close and personal over a few days last week and they are both smart, serious, and dedicated. They both want to re-open King Drew Medical Center in our lifetimes. They love doing things for people, know sports, help little old ladies cross the street, and have some great ideas for how to make the ponderous county bureaucracy more relevant to people's lives before they find themselves in a hospital or in jail or taking a bus or have a court date, or you're in some other crisis. And that's a goal that has been elusive to even the most dedicated Supervisor. Have you ever been to a Board of Supervisors meeting ? In a word, boring... but much of the process of governing is. Have you ever been to downtown L.A . ? Have you ever voted ? You gotta get involved... If you live in the second district, please vote.... you don't wanna have 20 thousand people determining who represents more than 2 million. In fact, we could probably use more Supervisors, but that's a different discussion. For now, five is what we had so make sure that the first time there's an open seat in 12 years is filled w/ the person you want.... and then when they get in there... make em accountable.