Lindsey Horvath is defending her seat on the powerful Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors while three challengers try to make homelessness and public safety the headline issues of the campaign. The race pits a one-term incumbent with a stated reform agenda against three political newcomers who offer different ideas on shelters, enforcement and county governance. For many voters across the sprawling Third District, the contest functions as a referendum on whether the county's shift to direct control of homelessness programs is actually delivering results.
Who’s on the ballot
Official filings place Horvath on the June 2 primary ballot alongside realtor Tonia Arey, software developer Tomás Sidenfaden and reforms advocate Carmenlina Minasyan. As confirmed by the county's candidate roster, each of the challengers is a first-time contender for this supervisorial seat. According to the Los Angeles County Registrar, their names and filing dates are listed on the public ballot documents.
A sprawling, politically mixed district
The Third District covers roughly 446 square miles, stretching from Santa Monica and Hollywood to the Ventura County line, and includes more than two million residents, which makes it one of the county’s most geographically varied seats. Per Supervisor Horvath’s office, the district spans portions of 10 cities and dozens of Los Angeles neighborhoods. Horvath has framed her re-election bid as a continuation of county reforms she helped launch, and she is running on themes of implementation and accountability.
Homelessness is the center of debate
Board actions over the past year, including the move to create a new county homelessness department and to shift more than $300 million away from the L.A. Homeless Services Authority, have become central flashpoints in the race. LAist reported the funding shift and the county's plan to centralize homelessness services, a change that Mayor Karen Bass warned could cause a “massive disruption.” Horvath's campaign argues that the new county department will “unify a fragmented system” and make spending accountable to outcomes, a message that has become a core plank of her re-election pitch.
Challengers' pitches: shelters and enforcement
Tomás Sidenfaden's platform labels homelessness a public-health emergency and calls for rapid expansion of emergency shelters on unused government land along with a unified command structure to accelerate placements. Those priorities are outlined on Tomás Sidenfaden's campaign site, which emphasizes immediate shelter capacity and accountability. Tonia Arey's campaign centers on public safety and institutional accountability, stressing support for law enforcement and emergency preparedness as core priorities, according to Tonia Arey's campaign. Carmenlina Minasyan has cast herself as a Valley reform advocate, though she has offered fewer public policy details so far.
Measure G, funding fights and public-safety tradeoffs
The race is unfolding in the shadow of sweeping governance changes that voters approved with Measure G in 2024, which will expand county oversight, create an elected county chief executive and establish an independent ethics commission. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the rollout of Measure G also erased an earlier charter provision, Measure J, that had guaranteed funds for anti-incarceration programs. That shift has complicated budget priorities and debates over jail closure and public safety, and it has given the challengers space to argue for different mixes of enforcement, treatment and shelter in the county's response to homelessness.
What to watch and the timetable
The primary election is scheduled for June 2, 2026. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will move on to a November runoff. Voters in District 3 will be weighing near-term shelter proposals, short-term enforcement strategies and longer-term county reform plans as they decide who should lead implementation of those changes. For official candidate listings and election information, voters can consult the Los Angeles County Registrar.
