Deputy District Attorneys Endorse Supervisor Kathryn Barger

The Association of Deputy District Attorneys is proud to announce our endorsement of Supervisor Kathryn Barger for re-election to the 5th District Board of Supervisors.

Supervisor Barger is a champion and a partner on public safety issues.  Her lists of accomplishments include creating a commission to examine and implement reforms on public safety, increasing access to mental healthcare, and working to help young people get jobs. Her effort to convert Camp Challenger-currently a juvenile detention facility-into a residential vocational facility that will train young people to meet the employment needs of the Antelope Valley is just one of the many significant actions which have made our community a better place to live.

Supervisor Barger is a leader in recognizing issues in our criminal justice system and taking substantive actions to affect real change. One such action, for example, is addressing the issue of mental health in our justice system.  Supervisor Barger led the effort to add 500 mental health hospital beds and increase mental evaluation teams. These teams have played an essential role in breaking the cycle between those suffering from mental health problems and their involvement in the criminal justice system.

We have no doubt that Supervisor Barger will continue to fight for safer neighborhoods, good-paying jobs, mental healthcare services, and affordable housing when she is reelected to the Board of Supervisors.  The 5th District deserves political and civic leadership. They have that in Supervisor Barger.

Michele Hanisee is President of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys, the collective bargaining agent representing nearly 1,000 Deputy District Attorneys who work for the County of Los Angeles.