[4] Barger began her career in government in 1988 when she interned in the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

[11] Barger coauthored a motion creating the Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Safety, which was intended to explore the impact that Assembly Bill 109, California Proposition 47, and California Proposition 57, which were collectively aimed at converting many nonviolent drug offenses into misdemeanors and allowing for the early release of some inmates, has had inside of Los Angeles County.

[12] The formation of the commission was a reaction to the murder of police Officer Keith Boyer, and ultimately passed on a 3-0 vote with abstentions.

[21] In the aftermath of the January 2025 Southern California wildfires, Barger requested that state housing laws be temporarily waived in Los Angeles County.

[27] Her brother is John M. Barger,[28] who was appointed to the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service by then-president Donald Trump in 2019.

[29] Her late father Richards D. Barger was appointed California Insurance Commissioner by then-Governor Ronald Reagan, serving from 1968 to 1972.