Fesia Davenport, Los Angeles County\u2019s chief executive officer, received a $2-million settlement this summer due to professional fallout from Measure G, a voter-approved ballot measure that will soon make her job obsolete, according to a letter she wrote to the county\u2019s top lawyer.<\/p>\n
Davenport wrote in the July 8 letter, which was released by the county counsel through a public record request Tuesday, that she had been seeking $2 million in damages for \u201creputational harm, embarrassment, and physical, emotional and mental distress caused by the Measure G.\u201d <\/p>\n
Under Measure G, which voters approved last November, the county chief executive, who manages the county government and oversees its budget, will be elected by voters instead of appointed by the board. The elected county executive will be in place by 2028.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeasure G is an unprecedented event, and has had, and will continue to have, an unprecedented impact on my professional reputation, health, career, income, and retirement,\u201d Davenport wrote to county counsel Dawyn Harrison. \u201cMy hope is that after setting aside the amount of my ask, that there can be a true focus on what the real issues are here – measure G has irrevocably changed my life, my professional career, economic outlook, and plans for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
The existence of the $2-million settlement, finalized in mid-August, was first reported<\/a> Tuesday by LAist. It was unclear then what the settlement was for. <\/p>\n Davenport, a longtime county employee, was appointed chief executive in 2021. <\/p>\n Under the terms of the settlement, Davenport cannot sue the county, including for \u201cany claims arising out of the facts and circumstances surrounding the enactment of the ballot proposition known as \u2018Measure G.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Davenport began a medical leave last week and told staff she expects to be back early next year. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the settlement. <\/p>\n Davenport\u2019s Aug. 12 letter stated that other department heads had received significant payments upon departure. She noted the prior chief executive officer, Sachi Hamai, had received $1.5 million. The letter also makes an apparent reference to Mary Wickham and Rodrigo Castro-Silva, mentioning the former county attorneys by their last names.<\/p>\n Wickham received about $449,000 in severance pay and Castro-Silva received $213,000, according to records obtained by The Times. <\/p>\n \u201cMy circumstance is different in that I am not seeking to leave, and I have suffered damages, through no fault of my own,\u201d she wrote. <\/p>\n