L.A. commission begins process of reviewing city’s constitution

Wednesday, December 3, 1997

L.A. commission begins process of reviewing city’s
constitution

REFORM:

After hundreds of amendments, time has come for charter’s total
renovationBy Rachel Munoz

Daily Bruin Staff

The rapid approach of the 21st century is forcing Los Angeles to
look at its constitution. At over 70 years of age, with over 400
amendments, the city’s constitution is about to undergo a major
renovation.

The City of Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission, formed last
year by the city council, city attorney and city controller, is
undertaking the exhaustive job of reviewing the city’s
constitution. The commission will eventually make recommendations
for an appropriate constitution which will better suit Los
Angeles.

"It’s time to reflect on how Los Angeles has changed," said
Joseph Mandel, a commissioner for the charter and vice chancellor
of Legal Affairs for UCLA.

Julie Benson, the director of communications for the commission,
compares the current state of the constitution to a house that has
constantly had additions, but hasn’t had its foundation
checked.

"Some of it is obsolete, clunky, hard to read," Benson said of
the constitution.

In beginning the process of reforming the charter, the
commission has been holding public meetings throughout Los Angeles.
About 30 or 40 are planned. In addition, six or seven public
hearings in different neighborhoods of Los Angeles are currently
underway.

Mandel encourages the UCLA community to participate in the
process of reforming the charter.

"Students spend a lot of their time at UCLA," he said. "There
should be no reason they should be less interested … than any
other body of citizens."

In fact, Mandel believes that students should be more concerned
than other residents simply because they have more of their lives
ahead of them.

As far as actually revising or rewriting the constitution,
Mandel feels that there might be some lofty and unreal
expectations, but he gives an analogy of the U.S. Constitution to
best relay the situation.

"(The U.S. Constitution) spells out the basic framework on how
authority … is allocated among official powers," he said.

What it really comes down to is how we can best function, how we
can make the city government more efficient and who will accentuate
what we do have in the constitution, Mandel relayed.

George Kieffer, chair of the commission, sees the new charter
encompassing "the responses of the different elements of how the
government works, rather than the constitution working as an
operating manual."

Kieffer believes that a new constitution should be a shorter,
more principled document, and less of an operating document.

From Kieffer’s experience so far in working on the charter with
the public, he has encountered many Angelenos who agree with such
changes taking place.

"The community has, as a whole, decided that the changes (in the
constitution) should be fundamental," he said.

Even with the general consensus that the constitution should be
changed, the public hearings and public meetings have revealed that
different regions of Los Angeles have expressed varying interests
for the new constitution.

San Pedro is currently concerned with the "absence of having a
voice," Kieffer said. Because they are so far away from downtown
and City Hall, they feel it is difficult for them to feel like a
part of Los Angeles.

"South Central Los Angeles has a significant amount of support
for its officials," Kieffer said.

In East Los Angeles, Kieffer believes the community is still
learning about its problems. However, he sensed that the crowd felt
an optimism about its future.

The Valley is concerned with being treated equally with the rest
of the city in terms of public service, according to Kieffer. "Many
people in the Valley want a voice," he said.

So what can be expected from the Westside?

"(The Westside) is perceived to be relatively more satisfied
with the government than other parts of the city," Kieffer
said.

The idea to change Los Angeles’s constitution first began in
1970 when it was put on the ballot, but the idea was defeated. Over
two decades later, Mayor Richard Riordan again voiced the idea.

"Mayor Riordan came on and said charter reform, charter reform,
charter reform," Benson said. "That bankrolled a campaign
initiative that would elect a charter reform." In July 1996, the
21-member Charter Reform Commission was born.

After these public meetings and public hearings take place,
information and suggestions will be reviewed by the commission
until Jan. 15, 1998.

The second phase will last between February and May, consisting
of decision-making by the commission on where the charter is going.
However, the commission can continue to hear from the public.

In May or June 1998, the commission will publish a draft of the
charter which will give the public a chance to comment
specifically.

There will be more public hearings during the summer, and in
October the final draft of the constitution will be submitted to
the city council.

The city council will review the document, have the opportunity
to amend it and put it on the ballot to be voted on in April
1999.

The 10 key issues

in discussion for the new L.A. Constitution

1. Should the Los Angeles Charter be a broad or detailed
document?

2. Should the role of mayor be changed?

3. Should the city attorney be elected or appointed, and what
should his or her role be?

4. Should the role of the city council be changed?

5. Should city commissions be retained, eliminated or
changed?

6. Should the election system for the Board of Education be
changed?

7. How should the charter deal with neighborhood issues,
including governance, services, land use and planning?

8. Should the charter change how services are delivered and how
city employees are selected and managed?

9. Should the city controller be elected or appointed, and
should the financial management system ­ including accounting,
auditing, contracting and pensions ­ be reorganized?

10. How should all city departments be governed and managed?