Joseph M. Nicchitta was appointed by the Board of Supervisors on October 16, 2018 to serve as the fourth director in the department’s 42-year history. He had been DCBA’s Interim Director since May.

Nicchitta leads DCBA while retaining his role as the County’s Cannabis Management Officer. In that role, which he has held since 2016, Nicchitta has direct responsibility for the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) within the Chief Executive Office (CEO), and leads the County’s efforts in implementing a regulatory program for commercial cannabis in Los Angeles County. Nicchitta has executive responsibility for the OCM with the functions and staff at CEO.

Nicchitta previously served as a Senior Deputy County Counsel advising the Board, County commissions, and departmental personnel in matters involving land use, zoning, environmental regulations, affordable housing, First Amendment and Establishment Clause issues, public and civic art, museum law, and other matters. Mr. Nichitta has also held the positions of Deputy County Counsel, Senior Associate County Counsel, and Associate County Counsel in the Office of the County Counsel.

Joseph Nicchitta

Joel Ayala is the Chief Deputy Director for the department and has an extensive background serving the workforce, economic, and fund development needs of government, corporate, and nonprofit groups.

Before joining DCBA, Ayala served as the Statewide Liaison for the California Small Business Development Center Leadership Council, serving over 65,000 small businesses a year. He coordinated a comprehensive approach for sustainability and delivery of the nation's largest SBDC network, including legislative affairs, fund development, and stakeholder relations.

Joel served as the inaugural director for the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (Go-Biz and GoED) in a cabinet level post as a single point of contact for all business and economic development programs in California.

He served as President and CEO for the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He has been recognized for his leadership skills by business and community organizations, receiving several awards.

Ayala holds degrees from the University of California, Irvine in Political Science and Social Ecology.

Joel Ayala

BIO COMING SOON

Rafael Carbajal

Maggie Becerra has dedicated her entire professional career to protecting Los Angeles County’s consumers and small business owners here at the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs.

Over the years, her tireless dedication to serving the public has seen her advance through nearly every division at the department to her current role as Acting Deputy Director of Consumer Protection.

Maggie first put her criminal justice education to work at the then-Department of Consumer Affairs as a Small Claims Court advisor. She progressed to earn the titles of a consumer protection investigator, lead investigator, supervising investigator, and Chief.

Among her many accomplishments at DCBA:

She led a 2008 investigation into a payday lender that defrauded more than 500 customers and resulted in a $1.2 million judgment.

She supervised a 2009 investigation into a fraudulent immigration consultant, who received a 10-year prison sentence.

She supervised a 2014 investigation into a fraudulent car title loan company, which resulted in loan-sharking sentences against six individuals.

In recent years, she oversaw the launch of the Wage Enforcement Program at DCBA, which enforces the minimum wage in unincorporated Los Angeles County.

Maggie Becerra

Rigo Reyes joined the department in 1995 when he discovered his passion for consumer protection. He has worked in various capacities to protect vulnerable consumers, including seniors from elder financial abuse, military service members from consumer fraud, homeowners from foreclosures, and foster youth from identity theft.

In January 2017, Reyes was appointed to lead the Office of Immigrant Affairs to protect the rights and advance the interests of all immigrants in the County of Los Angeles.

Reyes also serves as an appointee of the Speaker of the California Assembly to the Board of Directors of the Consumer Motor Vehicle Recovery Corporation, which pays hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to car buyers who are victimized by car dealers during the purchase or lease of a vehicle.

He also volunteers as a board member for Neighborhood Housing Services, a non-profit organization that builds strong communities by developing and maintaining affordable housing, promoting homeownership, and providing financial education.

Rigo is a graduate of the University of Southern California where he received a degree in Political Science.

Rigo Reyes