Head of First 5 LA resigns following critical audit
first5la.orgEvelyn Martinez
Evelyn Martinez, chief executive officer of First 5 LA, resigned late yesterday, less than three weeks after the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors started the legal process to take over the independent agency that uses tobacco taxes to fund early childhood development programs.
The Board of Supervisors' 4-1 vote Oct. 25 asking the county counsel to initiate the process followed an independent audit of First 5 LA that found the agency lacked oversight of its expenditures, was overstaffed and failed to adequately monitor its contracts.
The agency's board of commissioners, which is chaired by county Supervisor Michael Antonovich and includes five members appointed by the Board of Supervisors, met in a closed session yesterday and "decided that it was
