Agency Leader to Step Down Amid Dispute : Government: Robert L. Braitman’s announcement comes the day after he signed a settlement on a sex harassment complaint.

Robert L. Braitman, a Ventura County official who recently became the target of a sexual harassment complaint, announced Thursday that he will resign as executive officer of the Local Agency Formation Commission.

The resignation came a day after Braitman, 44, signed a settlement agreement with Lynne Kada, 55, the LAFCO senior staff analyst who filed the complaint in August.

Braitman, who took over as head of LAFCO in January, 1974, said Kada’s complaint “was a catalyst” in his decision to leave his $60,000-a-year position.

He had been considering resigning for some time because he has served 21 years in county government, he said in his resignation letter.

“The decision to leave was completely and entirely mine,” he said in a telephone interview from his home.

In a two-page letter to LAFCO, dated Thursday, Braitman said that since Oct. 1, when Kada’s complaint became public knowledge, it “has been particularly difficult for me, both at work and outside the office. . . .”

Braitman wrote, however, that “I have been extremely heartened by the numbers of friends and supporters who have called or written notes of encouragement and confidence during this time.”

LAFCO agencies were established in counties throughout California in 1963 by the Legislature. The sometimes controversial agencies make changes in city boundaries, incorporations, annexations and political districts.

Braitman and Kada said Thursday that they could not comment on the specific contents of the 5 1/2-page settlement agreement, which was mediated by Ronald L. Komers, county personnel director.

“The intent (of the settlement) is that it resolves all issues,” said Jim McBride, Ventura County counsel.

McBride said Braitman’s resignation, effective next January, “was not part of the package.”

Generally, according to McBride, the settlement calls for Kada to leave her $53,000-a-year post this week and begin a position with similar pay in the planning department of the Resource Management Agency.

Kada, who has worked in county government for 13 years, characterized the settlement as “reasonable and fair.”

County officials said Thursday that they expected a similar sexual harassment complaint filed by Kada with the state Fair Employment and Housing Department to be swiftly settled in light of the county agreement.

Kada reportedly alleged that Braitman often touched her while talking with her in the LAFCO offices on the fourth floor of the Hall of Administration.

Braitman, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., reports to LAFCO board members. He is given high marks by both appointed and elected county officials for his work at the agency. If he has an Achilles’ heel, they agreed, it is that he can be abrasive.

In a recent interview, Braitman said it is his style to touch people while engaged in conversation.

“Touching is an act of friendliness,” he said. “I was never indecent (toward Kada). It was always on a shoulder. There were never any sexual advances.”

After Kada’s allegation, county supervisors directed county Chief Administrative Officer Richard Wittenberg to inquire into the complaint. Wittenberg reported to the supervisors Tuesday during a closed-door session. Wittenberg could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Maggie Erickson Kildee, chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors, said Braitman at times could be overbearing, but that he was “always very hard-working and quick to do whatever he was assigned to do.”

Kada’s complaint was not the first against Braitman by a county employee.

In 1977, Florence B. Young, then 54, also filed a complaint against Braitman with the county, alleging mental--not sexual--harassment. According to a letter filed with Ventura County counsel in April, 1977, by her doctor, Young alleged that Braitman had a “chronic hostile, negativistic and undermining attitude.” She also transferred to another agency.

Young’s complaint led to a county grand jury inquiry. In its 1977-78 report, the grand jury concluded that Braitman “is competent, but guidance is needed to help him improve his relationships with those with whom he deals.”

Times staff writer Daryl Kelley and correspondent Polly Bee contributed to this story.