Supervisors to Keep Closer Watch on Fund Transfers

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, moving to keep a closer eye on the activities of the county’s powerful chief administrative officer, voted Tuesday to increase oversight of fund transfers within county departments.

The action comes following a grand jury report that is highly critical of CAO Richard B. Dixon, who has announced that he will retire by the end of the year.

The supervisors also voted to appoint a committee to establish a timetable for picking a new administrative officer and to revise the job description. The committee will report to the supervisors after the November election.

Supervisor Gloria Molina, who authored the fund transfers motion, said it was designed to make government more accountable by increasing the supervisors’ knowledge of the inner workings of the county bureaucracy. “We need to be more in touch with what’s going on,” she said.

The grand jury reported in June that the administrative officer exercises unchecked control over some county funds, and recommended increased oversight.

According to the motion adopted Tuesday, supervisors will receive reports of all fund transfers of more than $25,000, which Dixon and department heads previously handled with no board oversight.

The board also voted to reaffirm the independence of the auditor-controller’s office, and to instruct a committee to develop a policy on which audits should be conducted. The grand jury report called for the auditor-controller to undertake a thorough review of the administrative officer’s expenditures and management practices.

The position of chief administrative officer may undergo more drastic changes if voters approve a November ballot measure to create an elected county executive. Such an official, similar to a county mayor, would perform many of the duties carried out by the administrative officer.