Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Page 3
Andrea Ordin to Be Sworn In as County Counsel on Friday
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Former federal, state and local prosecutor and former Los Angeles County Bar Association President Andrea S. Ordin is set to be sworn in Friday as Los Angeles county counsel, a county spokesperson said yesterday.
Ordin, who will start work Monday, is scheduled to be sworn in at a 10 a.m. ceremony at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, becoming the 11th person—and the first woman—to hold the position since the office was established in 1913, the spokesperson said.
She replaces Raymond G. Fortner Jr., who retired in March 2009. Robert E. Kalunian, chief deputy of the Public Defender’s Office, has been acting county counsel since Fortner’s retirement.
Ordin was appointed by unanimous vote of the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 10. Her first board meeting will be Feb. 2, the spokesperson said.
Supervisors Michael D. Antonovich and Zev Yaroslavsky cited Ordin’s experience in both the public and private sectors as important factors in prompting the board to appoint her.
“Andrea’s public and private experience and leadership brings vision and knowledge to the County Counsel’s Office,” Antonovich said. “I look forward to working with her.”
Yaroslavsky said Ordin “has the intellect and integrity to succeed in this job,” adding: “Her breadth of experience will be an asset to Los Angeles County government.”
The Office of County Counsel serves as attorney for, and provides legal advice and representation to, the Board of Supervisors, county departments and other public offices and agencies. According to the office, it has grown from a staff of 38 attorneys in 1963 to approximately 270 attorneys and a support staff of approximately 240.
Ordin—who once held the third highest position in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, assistant district attorney—is currently senior counsel in the Los Angeles office of national firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.
She was previously chief assistant attorney general in the Division of Public Rights for the State of California, and served as the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, only the third woman to be appointed to the position.
In 1991 she was part of the Christopher Commission, which investigated the factors that led to the beating of Rodney King and subsequent uprising, and she has served on the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, the civilian oversight board for the Los Angeles Police Department, since 2005.
Ordin attended college and law school at UCLA, and was admitted to the State Bar in 1966.
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