Los Angeles County Municipal Code Art. III B. - County Executive

Article III-B shall become operative on December 4, 2028, or as soon as the County Executive assumes office.

At the general election to be held in 2028, a County Executive shall be elected, whose term shall begin at noon on the first Monday in December after their election and shall end at noon on the first Monday in December four years thereafter. The County Executive shall thereafter be elected at each general election for which the office of President appears on the ballot. The County Executive shall hold office until a successor is elected and qualifies.

A person elected to the Office of County Executive must have been an elector of the County for at least thirty days immediately preceding the filing of their nomination papers and must reside in the County during their incumbency.

The County Executive shall receive as compensation for their services an annual salary payable monthly from the County Treasury and shall have the retirement benefits now or hereafter provided by law for officers and employees of the County. The annual salary of the County Executive shall be set by the Board of Supervisors and be subject to Article XII, Section 52 of this Charter. However, the compensation of the County Executive shall at all times be at least $1.00 more than the compensation of any other County elective officer. A County Executive may not receive any compensation, in addition to that provided by this Section, for services rendered to any public or governmental entity. The County Executive shall devote all of their time during business hours to the faithful service of the public.

The County Executive shall perform all powers and duties provided by State law and the County Code to the county chief administrative officer. The executive and administrative authority of the County is vested in the County Executive except for administrative oversight of the County Legislative Analyst and the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, and the County Executive is responsible for the faithful execution and fair administration of all laws and ordinances relating to the County except insofar as such authority and responsibility is vested by law in other County officers.

The County Executive shall supervise, direct and manage the conduct of all County officers and the operation of all departments and agencies of the County, including all districts for which the Board of Supervisors is the governing board to the extent permitted by State law, except the Board of Supervisors, Sheriff, District Attorney, Assessor, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, County Legislative Analyst, and their departments. All officers, employees, departments and agencies of the County under the supervision of the County Executive will report exclusively to the County Executive and will be bound by their directives and pronouncements.

Except as otherwise provided by local, State or federal law, the County Executive may prescribe, for all County officers, departments, and agencies, including all districts for which the Board of Supervisors is the governing board to the extent permitted by State law, except the Board of Supervisors, Sheriff, District Attorney, Assessor, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, County Legislative Analyst, and their departments, administrative priorities, policies, procedures, and practices

necessary to efficiently and economically carry out the law and the functions of the County officer, employee, department or agency concerned.

The County Executive shall have the power to approve or veto an ordinance or resolution adopted by the Board of Supervisors and to veto or reduce an appropriation item in an ordinance or resolution or in the annual budget or budget adjustment adopted by the Board of Supervisors except as otherwise expressly provided in this Charter.

The County Executive or their designee shall be the sole representative of the public employer and shall have the duty to negotiate as such representative as required by federal or State law or County ordinance.

The County Executive shall appoint the head of each County department and agency, including all districts for which the Board of Supervisors is the governing board to the extent permitted by State law, except elective offices, the County Legislative Analyst, and the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.

Appointments by the County Executive, except to positions within the department of the County Executive, shall not be effective until confirmed by the Board of Supervisors.

The County Executive may remove, at any time, with or without cause, any person whom they are authorized to appoint, except that person may be reinstated by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Supervisors.

The County Executive may formally delegate any of the powers vested in them by this Charter to officers whose appointment is subject to confirmation by the Board of Supervisors, except that the County Executive may not delegate the power to appoint or remove nor the power to veto or approve ordinances or resolutions adopted by the Board of Supervisors.

The County Executive shall develop and submit the County annual budget to the Board of Supervisors for approval or amendment by that body, which shall transmit back any amendments to the budget to the County Executive, in accordance with State law. The County Executive shall also have the power to veto amendments made by the Board of Supervisors to the budget, except that the Board of Supervisors has seven days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) from such veto to restore an amendment by two-third vote of its members, within the time for adopting the County budget specified in State law.

The County Executive shall appoint a Director of Budget and Management, subject to confirmation by the Board of Supervisors. It shall be the duty of the Director of Budget and Management, under the direction of the County Executive, to advise and provide recommendations to the County Executive on the fiscal condition, financial status, and future needs of the County, to prepare the County's annual budget and administer the budget upon adoption, to promote productivity, economic development, and efficiency in the conduct of County government, and to coordinate and perform additional administrative functions as directed by the County Executive.

The County Executive shall, from time to time, but not less often than once each year, make in person a report to the Board of Supervisors concerning the state of the County and recommend to the Board of Supervisors, for its consideration, such measures as the County Executive believes to be necessary and expedient.

The County Executive shall submit a proposed budget to the Board of Supervisors within the time required by law.

If the Board of Supervisors determines by a two-thirds vote of its members that the County Executive is temporarily disabled, the Chair of the Board shall become the Acting County Executive for the period of such temporary disability or until a vacancy in the office of County Executive is declared. A temporary disability is terminated when the County Executive files a declaration with the Board of Supervisors stating that the temporary disability has ended. Such declaration shall be based upon the sworn written testimony of three competent physicians licensed to practice medicine in the State of California that the County Executive's temporary disability has ended and that the County Executive is physically and mentally competent and able to carry out the duties of Office. For the purposes of this action, the Acting County Executive shall have the full powers of the County Executive except they shall not have the power to remove any person subject to the appointment authority of the County Executive. If the Chair of the Board is disabled or there is no Chair, the Chair Pro Tempore shall become the Acting County Executive. If the Chair Pro Tempore is disabled or there is no Chair Pro Tempore, the most senior Supervisor in years of service shall become the Acting County Executive.

A vacancy exists in the Office of County Executive upon the death, removal or resignation of the County Executive or when the County Executive is continuously disabled from performing the duties of the office for a period of 180 days or more, and the Board of Supervisors, by Board order approved by a unanimous vote of its members, finds that it is probable that this disability will substantially impair the County Executive's ability to perform their duties over the balance of the term. When there is such a vacancy in the Office of County Executive, the Chair of the Board shall become the Acting County Executive with the full powers of the County Executive provided in this Charter until an elected successor qualifies, or until a County Executive is appointed or the Chair of the Board shall become County Executive as hereinafter provided, whichever first occurs.

When a vacancy occurs in the Office of County Executive, the vacancy shall be filled by election if the Board of Supervisors adopts an ordinance calling a special election for such purpose on or before the thirtieth day after the vacancy occurs. In such case, a successor shall be elected to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term. In the event that the Board of Supervisors fails to call such an election, the vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the Governor made not earlier than the thirty-first day nor later than the ninetieth day after the vacancy occurs. In the event the Governor fails to appoint a successor within such period, the Chair of the Board or the Supervisor who is the Acting County Executive pursuant to Section 11.34 shall become the County Executive.

Whenever a County Executive is appointed or the Chair of the Board becomes County Executive because the Governor failed to appoint a County Executive as herein provided, the appointee shall hold office until the election and qualification of their successor. In such case, a successor shall be elected at the next general election, to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term, unless such term expires on the first Monday of December succeeding said election.

Subject to State law, the County Executive shall be responsible for initiating, coordinating, and directing the County's activities and operations relating to emergency and disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, and shall be the designated operational area coordinator and the chair of the County's Emergency Management Council. Any ordinance adopted by the Board of Supervisors relating to the County's emergency and disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, and the exercise of the County's emergency powers shall be consistent with this Section.

The County Executive shall, in coordination with the Board of Supervisors, limit implementation costs necessary to expand the membership of the Board of Supervisors from five to nine, to establish the positions of elected County Executive, Director of Budget and Management, County Legislative Analyst, and Ethics Compliance Officer, and to establish the Los Angeles

County Ethics Commission, the Office of Ethics Compliance, the Governance Reform Task Force, and the Charter Review Commission, so that such implementation costs are funded with existing County funding sources and result in no additional costs to, or taxes imposed on taxpayers, with any implementation costs to be offset by cost savings, as determined through the annual County budgeting process.

The County Executive shall have such additional powers and duties as may be prescribed by law or ordinance.