LA County Board

3. Improving the Administrative Hearing Process through Creation of the\nCounty Hearing Officer Program\nRecommendation as submitted by Supervisors Horvath and Hahn: Instruct\nCounty Counsel to return to the Board within 30 days with a draft ordinance that\nshould do the following:\nEstablish the County Hearing Officer Program (Program) in the Office of\nthe County Counsel, and include authority to develop administrative rules\nfor operation of the program, hearing procedures and rules, and\nestablish operations which identify and prohibit conflicts of interest for\nassigned hearing officers;\nAlign the minimum requirements and duties of the County Hearing\nOfficer with those set forth in Government Code Section 27720, et seq.,\nto conduct hearings permitted or required by the County Code or State\nlaw, as directed by the Board, and authorize County Counsel to establish\nthe qualification standards to a greater standard than required by State\nlaw, taking into consideration the needs of the County and the goal of\nproviding high quality administrative hearing services;\nProvide the County Hearing Officer with the power to issue subpoenas\nfor records and administer oaths; and\nPermit the County Hearing Officer to provide services to County partners\nor other cities and local agencies, pursuant to a contract and\nreimbursement for such services;\nInstruct County Counsel to continue its review of the County Code to identify\nareas where administrative hearings may be used, or the use of a County\nHearing Officer may be warranted;\nDirect the Chief Executive Officer to report back to the Board during the Fiscal\nYear 2024-25 Supplemental Budget phase with a recommended staffing plan,\nimplementation and training costs, and potential funding options based on the\nfinal Office of County Hearing Officer report; and\nInstruct County Counsel to report back to the Board in writing after an initial\nthree-year pilot of the Program on the effectiveness of the Program , including\ninformation, such as volume, type, and subject matter of the administrative\nhearings handled by the Program, as well as staffing information. (24-1686)