fifth district

Next week, Los Angeles County will elect a new supervisor to oversee an area that has the highest rates of reported child abuse and neglect and the highest infant mortality rate in the county.

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.

Altadena entrepreneur Darrell Park has won a place in November’s runoff election to replace Michael Antonovich on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, finishing second to frontrunner Kathryn Barger. On Tuesday the Board of Supervisors declared the results of the June 7 primary election official.

Yesterday, Kathryn Barger handily outpaced seven contenders in the race to replace Michael Antonovich on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. With 100 percent of precincts reporting Wednesday morning, Barger garnered nearly 30 percent of the vote in Los Angeles County’s fifth district, nearly twice that of her closest competitor.

Five candidates for a seat on the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors spoke on Tuesday about how a mix of professional and personal experiences have shaped how they approach the serious issues that affect the futures of children in L.A.