Los Angeles County Board Of Supervisors

Squirreled away on the top floor of the drab, eight-story Hall of Administration downtown, Los Angeles County's five supervisors work in a building suggestive of the government they were elected to run: sprawling, confusing to navigate and somewhat dysfunctional. In office together for nearly 11 years, the supervisors -- three Democrats and two Republicans in the officially nonpartisan posts, one a black woman, one a Latina -- wield enormous power.

The county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday tentatively approved a proposed ordinance to expand the authority of the county's chief administrator after amending it somewhat. Under the proposed ordinance, the chief administrator would have hiring and firing power over most appointed county department heads. A few such department heads, including county counsel, auditor-controller and the board's executive officer, would continue to report directly to the board, however.

The Board of Supervisors gave final approval to an ordinance that will expand the powers of the county's top administrator, granting him hiring and firing authority over most non-elected department heads. The controversial government restructuring passed 3 to 1. The county's chief executive would not have jurisdiction over the county executive officer, the auditor-controller, the county counsel and the fire chief.

Los Angeles County supervisors voiced approval Tuesday of a federal offer to extend certification of the long-troubled Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital through Aug. 15, although the deal provides funding for only a month more, forcing the county to pay up to $38 million to keep the hospital open.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, long criticized for conducting public business behind closed doors, violated the state's open meetings law earlier this week when members privately selected a headhunting firm to find a new top manager, according to several open-government experts. The board unanimously voted during a closed meeting on Tuesday to negotiate a recruitment contract with Ralph Andersen & Associates. Legal experts said the state's Ralph M.

When the city of Santa Clarita was formed two decades ago, community leaders decided there was strength in numbers. They drew the city boundaries to include four of the largest Santa Clarita Valley communities: Newhall, Saugus, Canyon Country and Santa Clarita. The cityhood effort came during a period of major development in north Los Angeles County amid concerns that the voices of residents were not being heard downtown.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed to pay $750,000 to the family of a county inmate whose bruised and battered body was found hanging from a noose in his cell, officials confirmed Friday. Ramon Gavira's death July 11, 2002, was ruled a suicide by the coroner, but attorneys for the man's family argued that jail personnel with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were to blame.

Even though they returned last month with no immediate tangible rewards from their annual trip to Capitol Hill, Los Angeles County supervisors think the warm reception they got from a new congressional majority will pay future dividends. The five supervisors found a predominantly Democratic California delegation slowly beginning to flex new power. Similar to past efforts, the supervisors lobbied for more federal money for hospitals, emergency communications and jails.

The dramatic reorganization that will grant Los Angeles County's appointed administrator sweeping new executive authority is expected to cost $1.7 million a year and create five executive positions, according to a report released Monday. The reorganization, which was approved by four of the five elected supervisors earlier this year, was designed to consolidate executive power to improve accountability and streamline government.

It has been more than a decade since any of Los Angeles County's five supervisors faced a serious election contest, but that hasn't curbed their appetite for campaign cash. A Times analysis of political donations shows that supervisors have raised more than $8 million since 1998, tapping businesses, labor unions and individuals who have stakes in decisions made by the nation's largest county government.