COUNTY — As if ripped out of the pages of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors was rocked by protests and claims of racism regarding the search for its new top executive.
During Tuesday’s meeting, dozens of union workers and organizers caused a 30-minute delay to demand the board hire Santa Clara Supervisor Cindy Chavez as the chief administrative officer. Chavez emerged as the frontrunner last year before a sexual harassment scandal sunk the career of former Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and the board was forced to restart the process.
However, the issue exploded on Tuesday after Chavez notified local unions last week she is no longer being considered for the CAO job, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. La Prensa reported on Friday the supervisors have narrowed down the applicants to two finalists, who will go before a 10-member panel of residents before final interviews with the supervisors later this month.
The CAO is the top non-elected position in the county (akin to a city manager) and oversees the day-to-day operations, the $8 billion budget and manages requests from the supervisors, among other responsibilities. Currently, Sarah Aghassi serves as the interim CAO after Helen Robbins-Meyer retired earlier this year.
Doug Moore, executive director of United Domestic Workers Local 3930, spoke at a rally outside the county chambers and said Chavez did nothing wrong and should be considered. He said it takes courage to vote for Chavez and the county’s “business as usual” approach to the CAO does not work for the unions.
