LA County CEO William Fujioka to step down

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Outgoing LA County CEO William Fujioka

Los Angeles County CEO William Fujioka says he will retire in November, after more than seven years as the county’s top official and more than 40 years in public service. Fujioka says he planned to leave five years ago, but the Great Recession led him to postpone his leave.

He spoke to KCRW’s Avishay Artsy about whether the County is better off now than it was before his 2007 appointment.

“The person who does get this job must come from a large system, a large county,” Fujioka said. “The county is extremely complex. We have a $26 billion budget. If you look at the county, we touch every single aspect of the community. From public health, health care, public safety, public works, child support, childrens’ services – it’s everything.”

The 61-year-old will step down as two new supervisors and a new sheriff take office.

The current board will have to decide whether to select his replacement before longtime supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Gloria Molina are termed out in December, or wait for their successors to take office.