Five politicians with unusual power

The “five kings,” as members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors are sometimes called, have served a total of nearly 100 years. Their long tenures have drawn criticism that the board lacks transparency. But four of the members’ reigns will be coming to an end by 2016. The soon-to-be-open seats have drawn interest from a prominent Latina fresh from President Obama’s Cabinet, a member of the Kennedy clan, and the woman who almost became L.A.’s first female mayor. Below is the current makeup of the powerful county board that controls law enforcement, healthcare delivery, food safety regulation, taxes and land development.