December 11, 2007
David Janssen Fountain Dedication Ceremony
Photography by Henry Salazar, L.A. County Chief Executive Office

On Tuesday, December 11, 2007, L.A. County Sup. Gloria Molina and her colleagues on the Board of Supervisors joined the county’s former Chief Administrative Officer David Janssen and his wife Jeannie to officially dedicate the iconic Music Center fountain in his honor. It was a fitting Christmas treat given Janssen’s stellar management of the county for well over a decade. Indeed, the county’s fiscal situation when Janssen retired this summer stands in marked contrast to the situation he first encountered in 1996 when the county was still reeling from the effects of its massive budget deficit the year before. By helping to bring L.A. County to a state of fiscal solvency and by improving interdepartmental communication and effectiveness, Janssen’s influence will be felt for generations to come. The Board of Supervisors wished to express its gratitude to him in a way that could be enjoyed publicly and that would last permanently. Consequently, they opted to name the Music Center fountain after Janssen—a fitting tribute to a man whose positive work emanated directly from the heart of downtown L.A.’s Civic Center. Back to gallery