A quiet storm is brewing inside Los Angeles County’s top ranks after County CEO Fesia Davenport reportedly received a confidential $2 million settlement just weeks before announcing a months-long leave of absence.
News about the alleged settlement has stirred questions about transparency, accountability, and leadership at the heart of the nation’s most populous county.
According to documents obtained by LAist, the payout was approved in July 2025 to compensate Davenport for alleged “harm to reputation, embarrassment, and emotional distress.”
The nature of the allegations and the internal dynamics that led to such an unusually large settlement remain largely undisclosed, with county officials citing confidentiality agreements.
A Secret Settlement and a Sudden Exit
Davenport, who has served as Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles County since 2020, reportedly informed her staff of her sudden leave in an email sent the night before her departure, giving little explanation other than that it was a medical leave.
Her office has maintained that the leave and the settlement are unrelated. Still, the timing — coming just two months after a multimillion-dollar payout — has sparked intense speculation among insiders and county observers.
The settlement itself was not publicly debated or detailed during any Board of Supervisors meeting, raising questions about how such a large taxpayer-funded agreement could be approved without broader public disclosure. LAist reports that the Board approved the deal in a closed session, citing personnel privacy protections.
The Leadership Void
As the county’s top executive, Davenport oversees a sprawling bureaucracy of nearly 100,000 employees and a budget exceeding $45 billion, covering everything from public health and homelessness services to law enforcement and emergency response.
Her unexpected departure comes as the county continues to grapple with complex issues — including homelessness, healthcare equity, and fiscal transparency — making the leadership vacuum even more concerning.
Political analysts and good-governance advocates have pointed out that confidential settlements involving senior public officials — particularly those tied to claims of reputational or emotional harm — can erode public trust if not properly explained.
“Taxpayer dollars should never disappear behind closed doors,” said one local governance expert. “When a top official receives a payout of this magnitude, the public deserves to understand why.”
A Career of Quiet Influence
Before becoming CEO, Davenport was known as a behind-the-scenes powerhouse, serving as Chief Operating Officer and later Chief Deputy CEO under former CEO Sachi Hamai. She has been credited with helping navigate the county through the COVID-19 pandemic, overseeing major social programs, and advocating for racial equity initiatives.
But her tenure has not been without friction. Multiple reports over the years have described internal tensions between the CEO’s office and the Board of Supervisors, especially over policy priorities and administrative control. Whether those tensions played any role in the settlement remains unclear.
Calls for Transparency
While Davenport is expected to return early next year, the Board of Supervisors now faces mounting pressure to explain the circumstances behind the confidential payout and ensure stronger oversight of executive compensation decisions.
For residents already skeptical of government accountability, the situation underscores a familiar tension in Los Angeles County politics — where the lines between public service, political loyalty, and institutional secrecy often blur.
Until more details emerge, the $2 million question lingers: What really happened behind closed doors at the Hall of Administration?
