William T. Fujioka

Fujioka attended the University of California, Santa Cruz from 1970 to 1974, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology.[6] Before his appointment as the County's CEO, Fujioka was the City of Los Angeles' City Administrative Officer from August 1999 to February 2007.[6] Fujioka has been a civil servant since 1975, in positions with the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County.[7] On June 28, 1999, Richard Riordan, then the mayor of Los Angeles, appointed Fujioka as the City's Administrative Officer.[8] Less than a year later, on January 21, 2000, Fujioka was fired by Riordan for his perceived ties with the Los Angeles City Council and conflicts with the mayor.[9][10] He successfully fought his dismissal and retired after 7 years at his post, in December 2006.[11]

Less than six months later, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to appoint Fujioka as the County's new chief executive officer.[12] In 2008, Fujioka ended the 15-year-old practice of weekly press briefings, which had been standard practice since 1993.[13] He retired as CEO of Los Angeles County at the end of November 2014.[14]

Fujioka, a third-generation (sansei) Japanese American, was born to parents William and Linda Fujioka and raised in Boyle Heights and Montebello, California.[15][16][8] He is married to Darlene Kuba.[3][17] Throughout his career, Fujioka did not publicize his marriage to Kuba, who is a longtime Los Angeles City Hall lobbyist.[17][18] Fujioka resides in Bradbury, California.[3]