Of the many aspects of a November ballot measure to overhaul the structure of Los Angeles County government, the one involving the chief executive officer is hardly the most appealing.
However, it has become one of the most controversial issues, dividing the county’s unions and politicians even more than the proposed bill. Expansion The number of members of the Supervisory Board was increased from five to nine.
Supporters say electing the chief executive rather than appointing him would bring more accountability to one of the county’s most powerful positions, since voters would elect and potentially remove the CEO. Opponents warn it would further isolate America’s largest county.
“The newly-minted elected chief executive is merely an experiment,” said Richard Pippin, head of the Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs’ Association. County employee unions arguing that an elected chief executive would politicise the position and lead to “insider political games”.
But Fernando Guerra, director of the Center for Los Angeles Studies at Loyola Marymount University, which supports the measure, said that’s the case with appointed CEOs.
“This is one of the most political positions in the state of California,” Guerra said, adding that the current chief executive can be removed by a majority vote of county supervisors. “Anyone who would say this isn’t a political position doesn’t understand politics.”
Five observers were appointed Phaecia Davenporta longtime county employee, was appointed chief executive in 2021. She oversees the county’s day-to-day operations and drafts its $45 billion budget.
Simply put, the supervisors provide the vision for the county, and Davenport is responsible for implementing it. He can be removed by the supervisors, but he cannot be ousted by voters.
November ballot measure Voters will be asked if they want to make dramatic changes to the way LA County is governed. In addition to expanding the board and making the chief executive an elected position, the ballot measure would create a new ethics commission, led by Supervisors Lindsay Horvath and Janice Hahn.
“From the conversations I’ve had, it is clear that the most concerning element of the proposed ordinance is the elected countywide chief executive officer,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said. Said The measure was added to the ballot after he and Supervisor Holly Mitchell were defeated by their colleagues by a 3 to 2 margin at last month’s board meeting.
Under the ballot measure, the elected executive would have the power to veto board policies and have full authority over department heads. Currently, supervisors have the final word on departments.
Raphael Sonenshein, executive director of the Haynes Foundation, which funds research on governance in Greater Los Angeles, said it would create a system of checks and balances that should be familiar to most voters.
The supervisors would be the legislative branch. And the CEO — like the president of the United States — would lead the executive branch. Right now the supervisors are doing everything, Sonenshein said.
“There’s a consensus about having its own branch of executive authority,” he said. “You would never think that Congress would run the departments.”
Horvath’s motion Several counties with elected executives were noted for drafting ballot measures, including Cook County, Illinois (population 5.2 million); Montgomery County, Maryland (1 million); and Cuyahoga County, Ohio (1.2 million).
But for most larger counties, an appointed executive is the norm, said Jason Grant, director of advocacy. International City/County Management Association.
The association, which often works with local governments to consider structural changes, wrote to the Board of Supervisors in July, arguing that an elected executive was a bad idea. The letter cited a study that found there is less corruption in a “council-manager” form of government with an appointed executive, as the county has now.
An elected executive can be influenced by donors and political allies, Grant said.
L.A. County public employee unions, opposing an elected chief executive, say the system would lead to chaos.
AFSCME Local 685, which represents probation officers, wants to see the county “be a career professional, not a politician.” Dave Gillott, president of Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014, urged the board to “set aside” language about an elected chief executive.
But the largest county union, representing 55,000 workers, is willing to give it a chance.
David Greene, The president of Service Employees International Union Local 721 said his union is leaning toward supporting the elected CEO, in part because of frustrations over recent contract negotiations.
Green said they can easily contact five county supervisors. But the person with the most power in negotiations — the CEO — stays behind the scenes.
“We can do better, honestly,” Green said. “Can an elected CEO fix this? I don’t know. I don’t have a crystal ball.”
Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.
