Top Candidate for County Post Withdraws
The city of Los Angeles’ chief legislative analyst, Ron Deaton, has withdrawn from consideration for the top administrative job in Los Angeles County government.
The decision leaves a narrow field of finalists to replace county Chief Administrative Officer Sally Reed, who resigned last month to become director of the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
Deaton, one of the most important officials at City Hall, said Wednesday he preferred to stay with the city, where he has spent 31 years. “I’ve worked hard to get to where I am,” he said.
While the county chief administrative officer’s post was “very intriguing,” Deaton said that in the end it was not what he wanted to do. “I have the knowledge and ability to get things done . . . where I am now,” he said.
When word spread last month that Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky was pushing Deaton to take on the task of overseeing Los Angeles County government, the City Council responded by giving Deaton an $18,000 pay raise, to $175,000 a year.
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