County Exploring a Stronger Manager Role

Ventura County leaders have begun exploring former county manager David Baker’s suggestion that they turn the chief administrative post into that of a more powerful county executive, with greater control over department heads and budgetary matters.

Hours after officials received Baker’s resignation letter, a county staff member called the California Assn. of Counties to inquire about a consultant who could study the executive manager concept. But association Director Steve Szalay declined to say what recommendations his agency made.

In his letter to supervisors earlier this week, Baker complained the chief administrative post is “too weak to be effective” in managing the county’s financial troubles as well as shaping the future of the giant bureaucracy. He suggested the county switch to an executive manager position to provide stronger leadership.

Supervisor Judy Mikels said officials are taking Baker’s concern seriously.

“I personally think it’s probably a better way to go, to have a CEO, but I can’t state that categorically,” she said.

At least one other board member favors switching to a county executive’s position.

“I think the person we hire on as a permanent person has to have a very good idea of his powers,” Supervisor Frank Schillo said. “We need to say we’re willing to give up some of our areas of responsibility with hiring and firing to make this work.”

Not all, however, agree.

“I’m not going to surrender any of my political authority, that I was elected to do, to someone who isn’t elected,” Supervisor John Flynn said. “Why have a Board of Supervisors?”

Seven of California’s 58 counties operate under a county executive officer. Orange County converted to the CEO style manager to ensure greater accountability after the county filed for bankruptcy in 1994.

If Ventura County adopts the CEO concept, it would not be heading into uncharted territory. The top administrator actually was a county executive officer from 1957 to 1979.

The Board of Supervisors made the switch after ousting County Executive Monty Lish amid a power struggle. In addition to changing the manager’s job title, the board approved an ordinance that reduced the job’s scope to that of a more subordinate administrator.

In a memo accompanying the ordinance, county staff members laid out the intent behind the change. “For several months now, various board members have expressed concern over the size, scope and perception of the county executive’s office,” the memo said.

By adopting the change, the memo continued, supervisors were making a decision to “reduce the size and scope of the county administrator’s office and to develop a new perception of an organization which is designed to strongly serve the Board of Supervisors . . . and act as a buffer for the Board.”

Regardless of a county manager’s title, however, the power of the position varies from county to county, depending on what job description supervisors set forth, officials said.

For instance, Baker’s previous job in San Joaquin County was that of chief administrator, but one who asserted more control than he believed possible in Ventura County.

Some officials said the test is not whether Ventura County supervisors will once again change the title of the manager’s job, but whether they cede any real power--such as the ability to hire and fire and set policy on budgeting and other matters.

Orange County OKd CEO After Bankruptcy

Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, Santa Clara, San Mateo and Stanislaus counties now have a CEO in place, according to the Washington-based National Assn. of Counties.

“Prior to the bankruptcy, Orange County had a CAO,” said Diane Thomas, a spokeswoman for that county. “The department heads did not report to that individual, and that individual did not make appointments or dismissals at the department head level.

“The bankruptcy occurred and the board was faced with a number of decisions to make to get through that very difficult time,” Thomas said. “One of the things they decided they needed to do was to institute a CEO structure, primarily for the purposes of organization and accountability.

“The board makes policy decisions, adopts a budget, makes long-range planning and then can turn to the CEO and say, ‘Implement that.’ So that there’s a clear-cut line of responsibility and accountability.”

Janice Mittermeier) was hired as Orange County’s CEO in 1995. One of the most important aspects of her powers is an increased role in shaping the county’s budget, Thomas said.

Under a CAO, individual department heads went straight to the Board of Supervisors with their budgetary requests. In Ventura County, department heads already go through the CAO when proposing their budgets.

Under Orange County’s new system, budget requests go through the CEO’s office first, and then that office decides what to present to supervisors--both on an annual basis and as part of the county’s five-year spending plan.

Orange County also created a chief financial officer position. The CFO reports to the chief executive and is in charge of overseeing budgets and departmental expenses. Ventura County has no similar position.

Richard Wittenberg, former Ventura County administrator who is now executive officer of Santa Clara County, said he prefers the increased power he has in his current job.

“Here, it’s a much more direct relationship with folks,” he said. “You appoint just about all your department heads yourself and they report directly to me.”

At the same time, Wittenberg said, “I’d have absolutely no problem working [again] in a CAO format. It’s a matter or working together as a team.”

Changing the Ventura County administrator’s title to CEO could easily be done. It would require support from a majority of the supervisors.

Giving the CEO increased power, however, could prove relatively complex, depending on how much power supervisors want to cede.

Government Code Limits CEO Power

Several department heads are elected, including the sheriff, district attorney, tax collector, treasurer, auditor and assessor. Under the state government code, only supervisors may appoint department heads to fill one of these posts if the incumbent leaves office between terms.

The government code also states only the Board of Supervisors may appoint certain other department heads, including the clerk, agriculture commissioner, social services director and the surveyor of roads.

Authority to hire and fire those officials could not be given over to a CEO unless Ventura County became a charter county, a complex process that would require voters’ approval.

A moderate increase in the CAO’s powers may be a more palatable solution than shifting to a full chief executive, Szalay said. “They’d want to take a careful look at that.”

As far as the National Assn. of Counties is concerned, the defining difference is not what type of manager position a county operates under; it’s whether the administrator is appointed or elected.

About 400 of the 3,066 counties throughout the United States have elected county executives. None are in California.

“It’s essentially a separation of power like the president and Congress,” National Assn. of Counties spokesman Tom Goodman said. “They generally have veto power over legislation passed by the council.

“From our standpoint, it [an elected executive] makes it easier for the public to understand who’s in charge of the government,” Goodman said.