Dramatic county CAO search heats up

A Santa Clara supervisor and former labor leader was leaked as the frontrunner, with support from county Dems, but has since been removed from consideration to lead the county

Santa Clara Supervisor Cindy Chavez was a candidate for the chief administrative officer for San Diego County, but at least one supervisor pulled her name from consideration after news leaked of her candidacy. Courtesy photo

COUNTY — The search for a new Chief Administrative Officer to manage the day-to-day operations has taken a wild turn over the past seven days.

The CAO is hired by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, implements the policy directives of the supervisors and oversees the county’s $8 billion annual budget, according to the county’s website. Currently, Sarah Aghassi serves as the interim CAO after Helen Robbins-Meyer retired earlier this year.

The board is expected to announce a new CAO on June 4, according to the county.

Since Aghassi is the interim CAO, a recent action by the supervisors prevents her from applying or being appointed as the permanent CAO, sources said. The sources, who asked for anonymity, said the board can waive their previous action.

Supervisor Jim Desmond declined to comment citing legal requirements on closed session items.

Sarah Aghassi serves as the interim CAO for San Diego County. Courtesy photo

However, La Prensa reported, and sources confirmed, the emergence of an elected official and former labor leader as being pushed by the San Diego County Democratic Party to be hired as CAO.  

The SDCDP announced on April 16 a resolution in support of Santa Clara Supervisor Cindy Chavez for the CAO position. Chavez’s name surfaced last year when La Prensa San Diego reported Chavez as a finalist.

Sources inside the county, though, said it was a surprise to hear of Chavez’s support from the Democratic Party as they were unaware of her application or if she is a viable candidate. She also served on the San Jose City Council from 1998-2006 and was the executive director of Working Partnerships USA, a progressive policy think tank, according to her bio.

Chavez also was the executive officer of the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council from 2009-12. She has never worked in county government or in a leadership position with a local government, according to her bio.

On April 20, though, La Prensa reported the supervisors will not consider Chavez as a candidate. The newspaper reported her candidacy was being driven by the Service Employees International Union Local 221 union and the United Domestic Workers, Local 3930, and the SDCDP never interviewed her or “weighed in on admin hiring.”