Los Angeles County Appoints Its First Black CEO Syndicated Local – CBS Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) Fesia Davenport was formally confirmed Tuesday as Los Angeles County’s first Black chief executive officer, one of a host of diverse senior appointments made by the Board of Supervisors.
Supervisor Hilda Solis, who currently chairs the board, welcomed the new executives in a series of statements.
“I am proud to welcome a history-making, diverse, and highly accomplished group of new department heads,” Solis said. “Ensuring equity and representation at the executive level is of paramount importance as we continue to serve and guide the nation’s most populous county through the most challenging period in our recent history.”
Fesia Davenport was formally confirmed today as Los Angeles County's first Black chief executive officer, one of a host of diverse senior appointments made by the Board of Supervisors.
LA county is “moving away from a system of punishment to one of prevention, mental health resources, and youth development,” the philanthropic leaders wrote. This ongoing transformation “now comes to a critical juncture the selection of the next Los Angeles County Chief Probation Officer.”
With all this in mind, on the surface it was a surprise that the board chose someone with Gonzales’ background that, other than his five year stint at San Diego Probation, has been primarily focused on the world of policing. After starting in the police reserves, he became a full time officer for San Diego Police Department in 1979, rising through the department ranks to the rank of assistant chief of police in 2001. In 2004, Gonzales became the Chief of Police for National City, then was the appointed as the Chief Investigator for the San Diego District Attorney’s Office in 2013.