Star Bureaucrat Finds His Services in Demand

It’s just three blocks from City Hall to the county Hall of Administration, but a quiet and potentially costly behind-the-scenes tug of war is brewing between the city and county over a bureaucrat largely unknown to the public.

The city’s chief legislative analyst, Ron Deaton, is valued by the Los Angeles City Council, but is much sought after by at least one member of the powerful county Board of Supervisors.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, a former councilman, wants Deaton to fill the critical role of county chief administrative officer, which was left vacant when Sally Reed resigned to join Gov. Pete Wilson’s administration.

Although 228 applications have been received from across the nation, Deaton’s name is often mentioned for the job of running the nation’s biggest county government, and he is considered one of the leading contenders.

As word spread that Deaton was being courted by the county, the City Council fought back.

Moving swiftly, the council voted Tuesday to give Deaton, one of its closest and most trusted advisors, an $18,000 pay raise to stay just where he is.

The two-stage pay boost was artfully crafted to keep Deaton from jumping ship, because the second $9,000 of the pay raise doesn’t take effect until January--after the county job should be filled.

The council’s action increasing Deaton’s salary to $173,283--the same as that of the city’s four other top managers--could raise the stakes in the tug of war. And it could force the supervisors to counter with a substantial pay raise, much as they did last fall to attract Health Services Director Mark Finucane, who is paid $210,000 a year.

“The county lost their [key] person and we certainly don’t want to lose ours,” said council President John Ferraro.

“Ron is very valuable to the council and to the city. He is able to work with every council member; he does lots of legwork, he runs our Sacramento and Washington [lobbying] offices; he’s involved for us on very important issues,” Ferraro said.

For instance, Deaton just spent a day and a half at the state Capitol lobbying against the hotly debated bill by Assemblywoman Paula Boland (R-Granada Hills) to make it easier for the San Fernando Valley to secede from the city of Los Angeles.

“He’s very, very valuable,” Ferraro said.

So much so that Yaroslavsky, who worked closely with Deaton on budget issues at City Hall, is an unabashed fan.

“It’s no secret about my views about Ron Deaton,” Yaroslavsky said. “I worked with him for about 20 years at the city. He’s very talented. I would consider him one of the most serious candidates for the job, no question about it.”

Yaroslavsky, who submitted Deaton’s name for consideration, said he hopes the board will have the chance to interview Deaton, who works backstage and likes it that way. He acknowledged that Deaton has to compete for the job.

In a brief interview, the city’s top budget analyst and lobbyist said he initially did not apply for the job, but has since provided some background information and completed an application.

After spending 31 years working for the city, the politically savvy Deaton is being very careful answering questions about whether he would accept the job of overseeing a troubled county government with a $12-billion budget and 80,000 employees.

“I don’t think I know the answer to that right now,” he said.

Deaton, 53, said he needs to consider “what’s best for Ron Deaton and Ron Deaton’s family and his employers.”

He said he was “very pleased and appreciative of the City Council’s action” that would increase his salary to the same level as that of the city’s chief administrative officer, Keith Comrie, by Jan. 1.

Although there was no opposition to the pay raise when the council voted, one of Deaton’s few critics, Councilman Nate Holden, stepped outside to avoid voting on the salary hike.

Holden said he doubts that Deaton would leave City Hall for the county job.

“He’d be in over his head up there. He’d be like a fish out of water,” said Holden, who worked for then-Supervisor Kenneth Hahn for more than a dozen years and has more than a passing acquaintance with how things work at the Hall of Administration.

“Those department heads and the supervisors would chew him up. I’d give him nine months, tops. He’d be so frustrated he’d get the hell out,” Holden said.

“I know Deaton and I know the Board of Supervisors, and I know it wouldn’t work. Deaton is autocratic. He doesn’t work well with people. He’s an outsider, just like the woman [Reed].”

But others said Deaton is far more politically savvy than the fiscally tough Reed, who often told the supervisors what they didn’t want to hear.

“Everyone on the council gets along with Deaton and needs and uses his good counsel and backup,” Councilwoman Laura Chick said. She believes they have a good chance of talking Deaton into staying, if it came to that.

“My sense is that Deaton loves his work,” she said. “My sales pitch to him would be to urge him to look at the exciting opportunities lying out there for us [the council], and that he plays a key role in that.”

Deaton’s office has been called upon to temporarily take over the business of a council district when the council member leaves office. “We get to be the caretaker of the district,” Deaton said. Such was the case when Yaroslavsky made his move to the county.

Ultimately, the decision on who will be the county’s next chief administrative officer rests with the entire Board of Supervisors.

Board Chairman Mike Antonovich said he has worked with Deaton and has the highest admiration for his abilities.

“He has a wealth of experience that will put him in the top tier,” Antonovich said. “You have a number of people with extensive experience, some top-quality people.

Antonovich said it is premature to handicap the field, which includes few county officials and many from the business and banking worlds and other government agencies.

He said much will depend on face-to-face interviews in mid- to late July with the finalists.

“He definitely would be someone I’d seriously consider,” Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke said. “He definitely has the experience in Sacramento and Washington.” But Burke said she doubts Deaton has worked on health issues vital to the county.

Supervisor Gloria Molina, who also worked with Deaton while a member of the City Council before moving on the county, declined to comment.

And Supervisor Deane Dana said it is far too early in the process to be deciding on any candidate. “I am open-minded on Deaton,” Dana said.

But he added: “We’ve got to be sure we get the right person. Someone who can live with the difficulties that L.A. County has. . . . We can’t afford to make a mistake.”