LA County CEO given $2 million settlement after she says Measure G caused "emotional and mental distress"
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $2 million settlement for the county's CEO due to what she called distress caused by Measure G, which turned the selection process for her position into an election.
Fesia Davenport was appointed as the LA County CEO in January 2021, but come 2028, voters will now decide who assumes the job, versus what has always been an appointment from the other supervisors. Davenport said in a letter obtained by the Los Angeles Times that the change, which would require her to re-run for her position and went into effect when Measure G was passed by voters in 2024, has caused her "physical, emotional and mental distress."
"People seem to think that a county job is a Supreme Court appointment. A life-long term," said Sara Sadhwani, a professor of politics at Pomona College who is also on the Measure G task force. "That's not the case. ... This idea that her job was being harmed was not very clear to me, and seems like somewhat of a frivolous claim."
Davenport accepted her settlement during a meeting where supervisors addressed a barrage of financial woes, stemming from the January wildfires, tumultuous economic conditions, the unpredictable support from the federal government and $4 billion in payouts to victims of sexual abuse crimes that occurred in county juvenile facilities stretching back decades.
"When taxpayer money is used to enrich a public official, it erodes public trust and undermines the very foundation of our democracy," said a statement from Morgan Miller, with the Yes on Measure G campaign. "Under Fesia Davenport's leadership, the county told its workers there was sparse money for fair pay — and then she turned around and demanded a multimillion-dollar payout for herself. That's hypocrisy at its worst."
cbsnews.com
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