Davis Expected to Head Children’s Services

The Board of Supervisors is expected to name veteran county administrator Sandra Davis to serve as the interim director of its troubled Department of Children and Family Services, officials said Friday.

Davis, who could not be reached for comment Friday, is a 30-year veteran of county government. She is currently the No. 2 official in the chief administrative office, which draws up the budget for the $14-billion bureaucracy. A former county treasurer and tax collector who has also served as an interim chief administrative officer, Davis has a reputation as an efficient, no-nonsense manager and is trusted by the supervisors. They are expected to approve the appointment next week.

Her appointment would come three weeks after the agency’s controversial director, Peter Digre, abruptly announced his resignation and one week after a 3-year-old boy in foster care was scalded to death, placing the agency back in the spotlight.

On Friday, the head of the caseworker’s union, Paula Gamboa, said she hopes the interim leadership does not create new programs or restructure the department too much before a permanent team comes in.

The county’s child welfare agency is responsible for the care of 75,000 abused and neglected children, making it the largest department of its kind in the nation.