Sachi A. Hamai was unanimously appointed Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors as chief executive officer, a position responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations of the nation’s largest county and spearheading board efforts to improve services across a wide array of pressing social issues.
She succeeds William Fujioka, who retired last November after serving as CEO for seven years.
For the past 10 months, Hamai has served as interim CEO. Prior to her interim appointment in December 2014, she served for nearly nine years as executive officer to the Board of Supervisors.
“Sachi has been an outstanding county leader throughout her career and has excelled as our interim CEO, rapidly responding to reforms critically needed inside the county and tackling reforms in service to improving the quality of life for our county residents,” said Supervisor Michael Antonovich.
As CEO, Hamai is responsible for overseeing and directing all aspects of Los Angeles County’s $28 billion budget. The CEO also oversees a wide portfolio of operational responsibilities on behalf of the Board of Supervisors. Those include labor relations, legislative advocacy, capital planning, property portfolio management, communications and services to the county’s unincorporated communities.
In addition, the CEO currently is overseeing far-reaching social and public policy reforms in the areas of criminal justice, homelessness, health care and child welfare.
Hamai first joined the county in 1988. Before her appointment as the board’s executive officer in 2006, Hamai served in senior management positions in the Auditor-Controller’s Office and the Department of Health Services.