The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday endorsed the appointment of a child protection czar to make sweeping changes in the way the county protects abused and neglected children.

The action comes a year after the death of Gabriel Fernandez, an 8-year-old boy who was severely beaten despite repeated calls to the child welfare authorities. The case was first reported by The Times.

The new Office of Child Protection would represent the most significant reorganization of county government in nearly a decade since the supervisors selected William T Fujioka as chief executive and endowed his office with significantly enhanced authority. The child welfare czar would report directly to the supervisors and be responsible for developing a funding and policy strategy for the Department of Children and Family Services and all other county departments responsible for protecting vulnerable children.

The vote on the proposal was 4-1, with Supervisor Don Knabe opposed; he called it an unnecessary new layer of bureaucracy.

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