Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to expand authority of top administrator

The authority of Sonoma County’s top appointed executive is about to expand under a proposal that would increase the number of department heads the county administrator can directly supervise and appoint.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to vote Tuesday on the changes.

Under the proposal, County Administrator Christina Rivera would be responsible for the day-to-day supervision of 16 department heads and would have appointing and firing abilities for 11 of those 16 positions.

Currently, Rivera directly oversees eight department heads, according to a county staff report. The county has 23 departments and agencies led by either appointed or elected officials.

Rivera also would be responsible for all department head performance evaluations, except for the four elected positions, where that authority rests with voters. Those posts include the sheriff, district attorney, auditor-controller-treasurer tax collector and clerk-recorder-assessor-registrar of voters.

The move comes with title changes for the position of county administrator, which would be officially renamed the county executive. Separately, the board also is updating the top job at the planning and building department, rebranded several years ago as Permit Sonoma.

If passed Tuesday, the changes will return to the board for final approval in April and will take effect 30 days after the April vote.

The board has long toyed with the idea of moving the majority of the department heads under the county administrator. In recent years, several of the board’s five members have expressed interest in such a move, voicing frustration that the board’s ability to make requests of departments is bound by the requirements of open meeting laws. If the board is asking, those requests must be posted on an agenda; not so the county administrator.

“You have five bosses that can’t talk to each other outside of a public hearing for the most part, which is always a little awkward,” said Board of Supervisors Chair David Rabbitt.

Rabbitt said he expects the changes will make the county more efficient.

“We don’t get enough touches but the county administrator can carry out direction much quicker,” Rabbitt said.

The board will retain direct oversight over a few positions including the county counsel, the county’s top civil attorney.

The change will put a greater spotlight on Rivera, a veteran of county government now in her second year as the top administrator.

A primary challenge for her and other county leaders this year is shoring up the county’s strained workforce, which has been hobbled by high vacancy rate coming out of the pandemic, diminishing services for some of the most vulnerable residents.

Rivera said she has monthly meetings with seven of the eight department heads already under her direct supervision — Assistant County Administrator Jennifer Solito handles meetings with Permit Sonoma because of the volume of that department’s work, Rivera said.

She expects her office will be able to work more closely with departments as they develop policy options, and be involved earlier in the process rather than right before or after board meetings.

“All departments will have a place to touch base to get support, to get some advice and to work on (making) stuff more complete,” Rivera said. “It helps us ensure that our resources are being deployed efficiently and maximize opportunity when they are in front of the board.”

The proposal does not include a salary change for Rivera, who makes $345,675 annually, but come budget talks this spring her department will propose an additional assistant county administrator to help manage the extra work. The position’s salary range is $235,072 to $285,726.

The County Administrator’s Office has about 70 employees including supervisors’ district staff, Rivera said. She said her office can take on the greater workload without the additional assistant, but would be able to offer better support with the extra help.

“In order to give the department heads full support we really need to avail ourselves more often than we do right now,” Rivera said.

She added that department heads “shouldn’t expect too much” change until after the board votes on the budget this spring.

“Until we understand whether or not we’re gong to have additional assistant capacity, I cannot articulate as what to expect as different,” Rivera said.

Rabbitt said he was initially reluctant to move forward with the proposal because of the forthcoming request for an additional position. Ultimately, he said, it comes down to the county needing to be more efficient, describing the board as “inconsistent” in how it works with departments.

“We just need to be consistent,” Rabbitt said. “Sometimes we’re more involved than we should be and sometimes were not as involved as we should be.”

You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.