Los Angeles County CEO Sachi A. Hamai announced Tuesday she will retire early next year.
Hamai has been the county’s top executive since 2015. An exact departure date was not immediately set, with officials saying she is allowing time for the Board of Supervisors to choose her replacement.
“It’s been the greatest honor of my life to serve Los Angeles County and its residents,” Hamai said in a statement. “The county confronts some of society’s toughest issues every day, often on behalf of people who have nowhere else to turn. I believe I am leaving the county in better shape than when I started. Our fistcal foundation is strong and our departments have broken out of their silos and are working together in ways no one could have imagined in years past.”
She noted that there is much work ahead, particularly in the area of homelessness, but said “I am proud to have moved the county forward and positioned it to meet current and future challenges.”
Hamai is the first Asian-American woman to serve as the county’s CEO.
She has worked with the county since 1988, serving in various departments before becoming the executive officer for the Board of Supervisors in 2006, interim CEO in 2014 and CEO in 2015.