Two workers fired from LAHSA had accused top executive of improper behavior

Two fired employees who received a combined $800,000 in legal settlements from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority had accused the agency’s chief executive of hiring cronies for top jobs, attempting to destroy records and being “extremely inebriated” at an out-of-state conference, according to records released Wednesday.

Emily Vaughn Henry, a deputy chief information officer, said in a May 2024 settlement demand letter that she was fired after voicing multiple complaints about Va Lecia Adams Kellum, the top executive at the homeless agency, also known as LAHSA.

Kristina Dixon, formerly the agency’s chief financial officer, characterized her termination last year as part of a “witch hunt.” In her demand letter, sent to LAHSA in June 2024, her lawyer accused Adams Kellum of “hiring inexperienced key staff in critical positions simply because she worked with them before at her prior job.”

LAHSA officials “strenuously denied the allegations” contained in the two demand letters, saying in a statement that the agency “made a business decision to resolve these matters with advice of outside counsel.”

Adams Kellum, in an interview Wednesday, defended the staffers who were hired during her tenure, describing them as “highly qualified.” She declined to provide specifics on the two termination cases, instead offering a broader assessment of her management decisions.

“I came to LAHSA to try to make it better, and not to make excuses, and to put it on a path to improvement,” she said. “Hard decisions had to be made. Changes had to be pursued.”

Vaughn Henry’s lawyer made an opening request last year for a $3.5 million settlement, saying a financial resolution would help the agency avoid “long, costly litigation.” That same attorney made an initial offer for Dixon to receive $1.5 million.

“There is already a high level of public and media interest in the recent terminations at LAHSA, and a public lawsuit will undoubtedly have far-reaching repercussions for many City and County officials,” the two letters state.

LAHSA’s board resolved the claims in March, agreeing to pay $450,000 to Dixon and $350,000 to Vaughn Henry. LAHSA paid $200,000 of the settlement, with insurance covering the remainder.

The settlement demand letters, and the settlement amounts, were first reported on by LAist, but with key details redacted. Under continued pressure from the public radio outlet, LAHSA released more complete versions of the demand letters on Wednesday with far fewer redactions.

Among the newly unredacted claims, Vaughn Henry alleged that Adams Kellum tried without success to delete two emails sent to her by Mayor Karen Bass. Vaughn Henry also alleged that Adams Kellum, while attending a conference in Washington, D.C., became “extremely inebriated and got a ‘lap dance’ from a female consultant that she had just hired to do work for LAHSA.”

LAHSA, in a statement, said that no complaint was filed related to the issue of improper behavior in Washington, D.C. Adams Kellum, during her interview, said the claims were not true.

“I did not do that,” she said. “And that’s not the way I carry myself as a professional.”

The release of the letters comes at a tumultuous time for LAHSA. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted last month to pull more than $300 million from the agency, following damaging audits of its financial oversight. Days later, Adams Kellum announced she would resign from her post, offering to remain for 120 days.

Now, with her departure imminent, Adams Kellum has had to contend with allegations from staffers who were fired from the agency more than a year ago.

Vaughn Henry, the former LAHSA data management expert, accused Adams Kellum of asking her in October 2023 to delete two emails that Bass had sent to her from her personal email account. Vaughn Henry said she refused and told Adams Kellum that the agency had a seven-year retention policy on all emails.

“Vaughn Henry believes [Adams] Kellum ultimately terminated her in retaliation for refusing to violate the retention policy and delete Mayor Bass’ email,” the claim states.

Dixon, in her demand letter, said Adams Kellum hired unqualified “cronies” to high-level positions, including seven staffers from St. Joseph Center, the Venice-based homeless services agency Adams Kellum led until 2022. The salaries for the new hires ranged from $180,000 to $220,000, creating “budget deficits for an already tight agency budget,” the letter states.

Dixon said her decision to challenge Adams Kellum’s hiring practices made her a target for “adverse treatment and retaliation” — and ultimately her termination, the letter said.

Adams Kellum said that she asked for four of her colleagues from St. Joseph to come with her to LAHSA when she was recruited by the agency in 2022. That agreement was approved by LAHSA’s board, she said.

“I knew when I was coming to LAHSA that we had a big job ahead,” she said. “And I did not believe I had enough time to do it alone without a team that could help us be successful.”

Adams Kellum also said she did not request the deletion of any messages from the mayor.

Clara Karger, a Bass spokesperson, said in an email that the mayor has “no knowledge” of the LAHSA staffer’s deletion allegation.