Bonuses Should Be Up to the Board

Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina is raising another righteous fuss. This time she is questioning how $3 million in management bonuses was awarded without direct approval by the board of supervisors, and at a time when the county budget is hurting.

Her inquiry is prompted by a leaked memo from the county’s chief administrative officer, Richard Dixon. That Aug. 2 interoffice missive reveals that Dixon awarded more than $85,000 in bonuses to 37 staff members. Under current county procedures, Dixon can do that. He doesn’t need board OK to approve his bonuses, or the nearly $3 million in bonuses recommended by department heads.

The CAO’s independence protects against the intrusion of politics in personnel matters. That’s fine, up to a point. But how can we be sure the bonuses were deserved, and are not just granted automatically year after year?

Innovative, dedicated and exemplary employees deserve incentives. Astute staff who manage to save the county money during these tough times also deserve a reward. But those decisions should be made openly, not secretly.

The other supervisors should at least join Molina in pushing to determine how much of the cost savings or unused funds could be used to shore up beleaguered services--for example, to hire another nurse instead of to fund several bonuses.

No employee should be denied extra pay for extra effort. But the decision should be publicly discussed by the supervisors.