A New Order of Business : County’s New Administrator Shows Willingness to Shake Things Up

After only a week on the job, Los Angeles County’s new chief administrator is displaying a willingness to shake things up, saying she will transfer some top managers to new areas to “broaden their experience.”

Although she may be ready to chart a new course for the county, Sally Reed concedes that the sheer size of the county and its bureaucracy could force her to make changes in the way she conducts business.

At her first briefing for reporters Friday, Reed listed a number of practices that in her opinion need revising or updating. She offered few specifics, but expressed a vision and framework that, if successful, could vastly alter the mechanics of county government.

She is displeased with the way the county has managed its finances in the past, borrowing money to make ends meet and amassing a huge debt.

“I will be looking for a stable plan to balance the budget which is likely to be a painful one,” she said.

She indicated that she will try to bring some order to the county’s vast decentralized personnel system and will move to put controls on the system of awarding contracts to ensure more cost-effectiveness and quality.

She said she has noticed a reticence on the part of staffers to speak out. Improving the lines of communication will be a top priority.

“There seems to be less freedom to talk about things than I would like to see, although it may simply be a factor of having a new person in the office,” she said. “I’m very impressed with the staff and the amount of cooperation I’m receiving, but I also hope to modify the structure of the office in the way I feel I need to.”

One way she proposes to do that is by shuffling her staff. “There are a lot of talented and committed people here, but they are people who would benefit from a bit of rotation and change of assignment.”

Reed, formerly the chief administrator of Santa Clara County, said the county’s size and urban character make it a challenge to govern. Managing the scattered operations of the county will prove equally daunting.

“The problem with L.A. is not the size so much as the distance,” she said. “If I want to pull all of my department heads together, it’s a real challenge. I can hold a meeting where some employees in the department have never seen each other. The kind of teamwork I’m trying to build is virtually impossible in this kind of environment. I may end up having to adjust my management style, use the telephone a lot more, things like that.”

Much of what she is able to accomplish will depend, she says, on her relationship with the five-member Board of Supervisors.

“I feel lucky and optimistic with the board,” she said. “I’m still feeling my way of how strong a role they want the CAO to play in various areas. But I don’t feel overwhelmed at all. I don’t feel anything I’m facing is insurmountable.”