Interim County Counsel Watson Gets Job Permanently

The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday filled the long vacant post of county counsel with Laurence “Lon” M. Watson, a veteran county attorney who has held the job on an interim basis for the last year.

Watson, 57, replaces Terry C. Andrus, who resigned last year amid criticism over his handling of events leading up to the county’s December 1994 bankruptcy.

The board unanimously appointed Watson to the $126,000-a-year job. He will oversee 44 lawyers who prosecute and defend civil actions involving Orange County and the Board of Supervisors.

The county began accepting applications for the post earlier this year and eventually narrowed the field to about a dozen serious candidates. Watson and an attorney who works for the San Diego County government were the two finalists.

“Under scrutiny and a lot of competition, Lon came up head and shoulders above everyone else,” Supervisor Marian Bergeson said. “I think the consensus was that Lon was superior in his ability to do the job.”

Supervisor Jim Silva agreed, adding that Watson has always been responsive to questions and concerns brought up by board members.

“When I have a question, he doesn’t bother responding with a memo,” Silva said. “He comes up to my office to discuss it personally.”

Watson has served as a county attorney for 29 years, holding a variety of positions including head of the litigation division. He became acting county counsel last July after Andrus stepped down.

Andrus came under fire for not informing supervisors about an April 1994 meeting he attended with Securities and Exchange Commission officials examining the county’s investment practices in the months before the bankruptcy.

The risky investment practices of longtime Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron resulted in a $1.64-billion loss to an investment pool, forcing the county to file for bankruptcy.

Despite the criticism, Andrus remained well respected within the county and was retained on an as-needed basis after joining the law firm of Rourke, Woodruff and Spradlin.

Many attorneys and workers from the county counsel’s office filed into the board meeting room Tuesday to cheer Watson’s appointment.

“We obviously have to continue looking for ways to make services more efficient and cost effective,” Watson said. “But I don’t see any radical changes. It’s worked for the 29 years I’ve been around here.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Profile: Laurence M. Watson

New position: County counsel

Background: County attorney for 29 years, specializing in litigation; was head of litigation division and for last year served as acting county counsel

Age: 57

Education: Bachelor’s degree in English from USC; graduate of USC School of Law

Residence: Mission Viejo

Family: Wife Harriette and three children

Source: County of Orange; Researched by SHELBY GRAD / For The Times