Supervisors Give Hufford More Authority

In a big victory for interim chief administrator Harry Hufford and a defeat for the county’s entrenched department managers, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution that significantly strengthens Hufford’s control over nearly every aspect of county government’s finances and leadership.

Hufford said the board’s full support shows that the supervisors are serious about turning around a government structure that has fallen into dysfunction in recent years, with department heads bypassing the chief administrative officer to get pet projects approved by supervisors.

“It’s not a power aggrandizement for me, it’s key to the future of this county,” said Hufford, a retired Los Angeles County administrator brought in for a year to fix perceived flaws in Ventura County’s power-sharing structure. “I’m glad to see the board do it.”

Supervisors voted quickly for Hufford’s plan, with almost none of the dissent that was brewing in the days leading up to the vote. Despite grumbling from department heads who are concerned they will lose too much power, none spoke out against the resolution.

And Supervisor John Flynn--who only the day before vowed to challenge some points of the resolution--was easily reassured by Hufford that the changes would not quash elected officials’ ability to freely voice their opinions on policy issues, Flynn’s main concern.

“I want to feel like I still have a political role to play,” the 24-year supervisor said. “I don’t want to be restricted in what I say to the media.”

Hufford said although the resolution makes him the official county spokesman, that doesn’t preclude supervisors from taking individual stands.

“You’re elected officials,” Hufford said. To try to gag supervisors’ speech “would be foolishness,” he said.

Flynn later said he was satisfied with Hufford’s explanation. Supervisor Frank Schillo also told Hufford he wanted it on record that elected officials “need to maintain our independence.”

The resolution gives Hufford the power to hire and fire agency and department heads, to serve as the official spokesman on county policy and closed-door meetings, to be present at all collective bargaining sessions, to be told in advance of all meetings between department heads and supervisors, and to review any issue before it is taken up for a vote by supervisors.

It also creates the position of chief financial officer directly under Hufford, a move that shifts fiscal forecasting and other budgetary duties from county Auditor Tom Mahon to the CAO’s staff.

The chief financial officer may be given a different title in the short term--largely a diplomatic move, because Mahon has worn the chief financial officer title when dealing with credit rating agencies and investors, Hufford said.

In turn, Mahon and his staff will be asked to turn their focus to auditing departments and programs. Hufford wants an emphasis on audits that ensure departments are complying with all state and federal strings attached to money they receive.

Hufford said he hopes stronger audits will prevent another scandal like the county’s decade-long pattern of improper billing to the federal Medicare program for mental health services.

He also hopes demanding better audits will inspire confidence in credit rating agencies and investors as leaders head to New York this week to negotiate a rate on short-term loans and aim to restore their long-term bond rating, which was recently downgraded.

Settled last year, a federal lawsuit stemming from the Medicare billings has cost the county $25 million, contributing to the county’s current financial woes. But supervisors have also tolerated a years-long trend of spending more than the county is taking in, a practice Hufford intends to rein in.

Mike Saliba, president of the Ventura County Taxpayers Assn., said his group favored Hufford’s plan and noted that it included many of the same suggestions Saliba had earlier proposed.

Supervisors brought in Hufford in January to get the county’s finances and leadership back on track. At the time, voter confidence in supervisors was low and a newly hired administrator had quit after four days on the job, saying department heads and supervisors ignored the administrator, argued too much among themselves and built political fiefdoms without concern for the direction of the county.

Supervisors asked Hufford to tell them what additional powers he needed and to help them incorporate changes into a proposed CAO ordinance that will govern his permanent successor. All of the expansions of power approved in the resolution will not necessarily make it into the ordinance, which Hufford said he plans to draft within six months.

Board Chairwoman Kathy Long said passing the resolution was an important step on the road back to stability.

“The first step was bringing in Harry,” she said. “The second step was passing this resolution. The third step is making tough decisions in our budget.”

Talks on the nearly $1-billion budget are set to begin next week. Hufford is calling for about $15 million in spending cuts.