Los Angeles County's Chief Administrative Officer

Just what does a county Chief Administrative Officer do? The position's list of responsibilities may be changing. The administrator currently acts as an advisor to the County supervisors but does not have decision-making power. Other populous California counties have strong chief executives with broad authority to set policy as well as to hire and fire. L.A.'s current CAO, David Janssen, had hoped to retire by now, but after two top candidates turned down his job, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to temporarily rehire Janssen. At the same time they agreed to consider dramatically expanding the power of his post, making almost all county department heads report to the administrator rather than the board itself. Larry talks with Janssen about his current responsibilities, the changes that are in the offing, and the search for his successor.