Los Angeles County Executive Fesia Davenport, who has been on sick leave since October, has announced she will resign next month.
In a LinkedIn post, Davenport said he was leaving county service to “focus on my life and health.”
A notice to the Board of Directors provided to The Times on Saturday said that he decided to withdraw on April 16 “primarily due to genetic and ongoing health problems disclosed late last year, the risks of which are very clear based on recent medical tests and consultation with my doctors.”
He said the “enormous amount of time and energy” required of the chief executive played a role in his decision.
“Although at first I thought I would be able to return to my job, now I know that I will not be able to do the job the way it should be done while putting my health first,” he told the management.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger released a statement Saturday saying, “I am disappointed by Fesia Davenport’s decision to step down. Her dedication and accomplishments over nearly three decades have left a lasting impact on Los Angeles County.”
Davenport, who was up for the district’s top office in 2021, received an undisclosed $2-million payment last summer to compensate for his “professional reputation” from Measure G, the voter-approved ballot measure that would soon end his tenure.
In a July 8 letter, released by the district attorney in October through a public records request, Davenport said he is seeking $2 million in damages for “damage to reputation, embarrassment, and physical, emotional and psychological distress caused by Measure G.”
Under Measure G, approved by voters in 2024, the county executive, who runs county government and oversees its budget, would be elected by voters instead of appointed by the board. The elected chief executive will take office in 2028.
Measure G “has had an unprecedented impact on my professional dignity, health, career, income, and retirement,” Davenport wrote to District Attorney Dawyn Harrison. He said it “irrevocably changed my life, my professional career, economic outlook and plans for the future.”
At the time the payout was revealed, Davenport had begun sick leave, and said at the time that he expected to return to work early this year.
A lengthy email to his staff, published in LAist, which first revealed his resignation, said an unspecified “health problem” had affected his three siblings and posed a risk to him that “became clearer based on recent medical tests and consultation with my doctors.”
Her brother Raymond died in 2018 after “having a sudden health problem,” she said. Last year, two other sisters survived the same health crisis, but one will need 24-hour care for the rest of her life, she said.
“Although I’m not out of the woods yet, I thank the Board for giving me the opportunity to focus on my life and equip myself with the information I needed to make sound decisions,” he wrote.
The CEO’s office released a statement on Saturday saying CEO Joe Nicchitta will continue to serve as acting CEO while Davenport is on sick leave.
“We appreciate Fesia’s nearly three decades of service to Los Angeles County and all that she has done on behalf of citizens and communities,” the statement said.
Davenport listed many of his accomplishments in his letter to the board, including establishing five new departments that kept the county’s debt ratio in check when other areas were downgraded and “balancing the budget while creating a financial program to compensate victims of sexual assault – the largest settlement in American history.”
That payment is now under scrutiny after a Times investigation found that other plaintiffs were paid to join the class-action lawsuit.
