Saladino selected as LA County’s next top lawyer

Mark Saladino was selected Tuesday to be the new Los Angeles County counsel in a 4-1 vote by the Board of Supervisors. 

Saladino has served as the treasurer and tax collector since 1998 and previously served as the principal deputy county counsel. In his new position, he will lead a department with a $91.6-million budget and more than 500 employees.

The only vote against Saladino came from Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas, who said the top lawyer should be selected after the November elections, when two new members of the board will be elected.

Former Congresswoman Hilda Solis is a strong favorite to replace Gloria Molina. Former legislator Sheila Kuehl and Bobby Shriver are locked in a heated battle to replace Zev Yaroslavsky.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Ridley-Thomas' spokeswoman Lisa Richardson said the new board should have the chance to pick its own lawyer, and she also complained that there was no competitive process.

"Saladino may be the best person, but the board didn’t consider ... any other candidates for the position," she said.