HISTORY OF THE CHAIRS
of the
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
CITIZENS' ECONOMY AND EFFICIENCY COMMISSION
FROM 1964 TO PRESENT
Mr. Francis R. Wilcox: (March, 1965 – May, 1965) In March, 1965, Mr. Wilcox, as one of the original members of the Committee, was elected chairman. He had recently retired as Chairman of the Board, Sunkist Growers Association. He resigned in May, 1965, as a result of the demands placed upon him by his other activities.
Mr. A. C. (Cy) Rubel: (June, 1965 – June, 1967) Mr. Rubel served as chairman of the Committee until his death in June, 1967. Mr. Rubel had retired as President and Chairman of the Board of Union Oil Company in April, 1965. He served in the Corps of Engineers in World War I, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest award for heroism. He served on the Board of Directors of the American Petroleum Institute and in 1966 was awarded the Institute’s gold medal for distinguished achievement. He was a member of the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, and Western Regional Chairman of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. On Mr. Rubel’s death the Board of Supervisors ordered the flags flown at half-staff at County buildings until after the funeral.
Mr. Robert Mitchell: (July, 1967 – July, 1973) Mr. Mitchell had retired as Chairman of the Board, Consolidated Rock Products Company in 1967. He had been the past president of the Merchants and Manufacturers Association, the National Sand and Gravel Association, the Los Angeles Veterans Service Center, and the American Gold Star Home.
Mr. Maurice Rene Chez: (August, 1973 – August, 1975) Mr. Chez had retired as the president and general sales manager for the United States and Canada, Max Factor Company. He also served as Chairman, Contract Audit Committee, and as a member of the 1966 Los Angeles County Grand Jury.
Dr. Robert J. Downey: (September, 1975 – April, 1977) Dr. Downey obtained his B.A. from Pepperdine University and an M.S. and PhD from the University of Southern California. As a business executive with interests in real estate and restaurants, he had been President of Owl Companies, President of IMS, Director of Administration for TRW, and Director of Personnel Administration for North American Aviation. Dr. Downey also served as Dean of Students at USC, and as a professor at Long Beach State University and California State University Los Angeles. He was also active in the Chamber of Commerce and the Boy Scouts.
Dr. Warren H. Schmidt: (May, 1977 – May, 1980) Dr. Schmidt received a B.A. from Wayne University, an MDiv. from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and a PhD from Washington University. He was a professor at UCLA, Washington University, the University of Missouri, Springfield College (Mass.), and spent 3 years as Project Coordinator of the Adult Education Association of the USA. He was active in the American Psychological Association, American Board of Professional Psychology, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.
Mr. George E. Bodle, Esq.: (June, 1980 – February, 1982) Mr. Bodle , an attorney and arbitrator, was active in the American Bar Association (former Chairman, Labor Relations Section), the Los Angeles County Bar Association (former Trustee), and the California Bar Association. He was an Overseas Fellow at Churchill College, and was a member of the Faculty of Law at Cambridge University. He also served as a trustee for the United Way, and was co-editor of The Developing Labor Law, (B.N.A. 1972).
Mr. Joe Crail: (April, 1982 – January, 1990) Mr. Crail was CEO and Chairman of the Board of Western Mutual Insurance, Chairman of the Board of Pacific Data Management Corporation, and Founding Director of Columbia National Bank. He served as a member of the Los Angeles County Data Processing Advisory Commission, and as a member and director of Palisair Homeowners’ Committee. He also was a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Fundraising Campaign for Carlthorp School.
Mr. Arthur J. Peever: (February, 1990 – January, 1991) Mr. Peever was President and CEO of Arrowhead Drinking Water, and Executive Vice President, Administration and Development, Coca Cola Bottling Company of Los Angeles. Mr. Peever was also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, a Director, Financial Executives’ Institute, and a member of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees.
Dr. Gunther W. Buerk: (February, 1991 – January, 1997) Dr. Buerk was President of American Consulting Company (a management consulting company) and Chairman and CFO, West Coast Microbreweries, Inc. He was also the former Manager of Corporate Economics & Strategic Planning for Unocal Oil Company and was a founding council member and former mayor of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes.
Mr. David A. Abel: (February, 1997 – January, 2000) Mr. Abel was President/CEO, ABL, Inc. (Abel & Associates); Former Director, Coro Foundation of Southern California. He served on the board of the following: American Jewish Committee - Institute for American Pluralism, Catholic Charities Community Development Corporation, Project Restore, Los Angeles Opportunities Industrialization Center, Skirball Institute for American Values, People for Parks, Los Angeles’ Mega-Cities Project, and SuperShuttle International, Inc. He was the winner of the 1990 Los Angeles League of Women Voters Civic Achievement Award; Former Board President, Los Angeles Lawyers for the Arts; Former Board President, Jewish Television Network; Former Member, L.A. 2000 Goals Committee; Former Member, LEARN; Former Member, Central Cities Association; Former Member, National Committee for Citizens in Education; and Former Member, Pershing Square Management Association board.
Mr. Robert H. Philibosian, Esq: (February, 2000 – January, 2006) Mr. Philibosian is a partner, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton. His experience includes being District Attorney, Los Angeles County from 1983-1984; Chief Assistant Attorney General, State of California from 1979-82; Chair, California Council on Criminal Justice from 1983-1991; Commissioner, California State World Trade Commission from 1990-1999; and being Trustee, Southwestern University Law School. He was elected to the honorary position of Chairman Emeritus by the Commission in February, 2006.
Ms. Jaclyn Tilley Hill: (February, 2006 – January 2007) Ms. Hill is in her eighth year serving as a commissioner with the Los Angeles County Quality and Productivity Commission, with six of those years having been Chair. She continues to serve as Chair Emeritus of that Commission. She also served as Chair of the E&E Commission Grand Jury Task Force, and is a member of the Asset Management, Executive and Sheriff’s Court Transportation Task Forces. Ms. Hill has previously served as a Commissioner on the Economy and Efficiency Commission from 1994 – 1997, and as Foreman of the Los Angeles County Grand Jury. She has also served ten years as the Chair and Commissioner of the Social Services Commission of the City of Whittier. Ms. Hill is recognized as a highly successful fund raiser and event organizer for many Los Angeles charities for over twenty five years. She has served as an executive board member of the Assistance League of Southern California, Board member of the National Charity League, President of the Board of Trustees of the White Memorial Hospital Foundation, the Doheny Eye Institute's Luminaries, American Heart Association, and many other organizations. Ms. Hill continues as an advisory board member for the Los Angeles Children's Hospital "This Little Light" organization, the Whittier Area Literacy Council, and the Long Beach City College Board of Governors. She attended California Western University and the University of Southern California. Mr. Ronald K. Ikejiri, Esq: (February, 2007 – Present) Mr. Ikejiri is a member of the City Council, City of Gardena; Chairman of the Council of Governments-South Bay Cities, Transportation Oversight Committee; Principal, Law Firm, Ronald K. Ikejiri; Former Partner, McGuire Woods Battle and Boothe, Washington, D.C.; Former Advisory Member to Department of Commerce; Department of Labor and Health and Human Services committees, Washington, D.C.; City of Gardena representative to the Southern California Association of Governments and League of California Cities; Alumni member UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research; BA and Masters Degrees from UCLA in Public Service/Public Administration, Juris Doctor from Northrop University; Member State Bar of California, United States Tax Court.
Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 West Temple Street, Suite 163, Los Angeles, CA 90012-2713
(213) 974-1491 • FAX (213) 620-1437 • E-mail: eecomm@co.la.ca.us