COUNTY AGENCIES GET NEW BOSS.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Staff Writer

VENTURA - The head of Ventura County's General Services Agency was named Tuesday as county chief administrative officer, overseeing 7,700 employees and a billion-dollar budget.

John Johnston, who helped oversee the design and construction of the Government Center in Ventura, was unanimously chosen by the Board of Supervisors from among six semifinalists to replace interim CAO Harry Hufford, who will retire at the end of this month.

``I'm honored by your confidence and humbled by the task,'' Johnston said shortly after the announcement. ``I'm looking forward to the challenge and pleased to serve the citizens of Ventura County.''

Johnston, 58, will take the helm at a critical time for the county. Hufford already has projected a multimillion-dollar deficit for fiscal 2001 unless deep budget cuts are made, including reductions in public safety funding.

County officials also are struggling to build a relationship with supporters of private Community Memorial Hospital in the wake of a bruising election last fall over control of $250 million in tobacco settlement money.

Johnston said his immediate priorities will be to establish credibility with the community and to encourage a customer-service focus by county workers. He said he also plans to concentrate on the energy crisis, labor issues and construction of a juvenile justice center.

Each of the supervisors spoke fondly of Johnston during the noontime announcement after an executive session.

``It's never an easy decision,'' said Supervisor Judy Mikels. ``It's best when we can hire from within.''

Johnston has a master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California. He served as assistant city manager at Compton and Paramount and as city manager at Artesia and Ojai before going to work in county support services in 1974.

Johnston left Ventura County government service in 1985 and worked with an Arizona company that was building affordable housing in the Los Angeles area. After the housing industry slowed in the 1990s, he went to work for seven years as deputy executive officer for the Superior Court system in Los Angeles County.

Johnston was eventually recruited back to Ventura County, where he served as deputy director of the General Services Agency for one year and then was director.

During his years in county government, Johnston said, he had applied three times for the chief administrative officer job.

``It's been a long tortuous road,'' said Johnston, who will earn about $167,000 a year. ``But the board needed to be careful.''

Johnston will be the third CAO since Lin Koester retired two years ago. David L. Baker, appointed to replace Koester, quit after only four days on the job. He said Ventura County government's administrative structure prevents a chief administrative officer from managing effectively.

Hufford accepted an interim-service contract while the county supervisors looked for a long-term chief administrator.

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