2016 Election

On Saturday night, two fast rising former foster youth put their stamp on child welfare leadership by pulling off a near flawless online town hall in support of Hillary Clinton. In a Richmond, Virginia office space hastily re-configured into a T.V.

When it comes to children’s issues in Los Angeles County, candidate Steve Napolitano is hoping to borrow a page from current Supervisor Don Knabe. Knabe is stepping down from his fourth district seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors because of term limits.

Janice Hahn has a different relationship to Los Angeles County than most politicians. Many voters in the county are at least passingly aware of her father, Kenneth Hahn, who served on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from 1952 to 1992.

Growing up in Reston, Va., Darrell Park had an up-close view of foster care. The candidate for a seat on Los Angeles County’s five-member Board of Supervisors recalls that his parents fostered 19 children from the time he was born until he left for college.

Long before she launched a bid to succeed her boss on Los Angeles County’s powerful Board of Supervisors, Kathryn Barger cut her teeth working on children’s issues in the county. After a stint interning in current Supervisor Michael Antonovich’s Pasadena field office more than 25 years ago, Barger spent 13 years as his health and welfare deputy, where she learned the ropes of county politics by working on children’s services, mental health, health services and welfare.