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Measure HH seeks accountability reform, local representation in LA City Council

(Tyler Cho/Assistant design director)

By Dylan Winward

Oct. 24, 2024 6:39 p.m.

This post was updated Oct. 24 at 11:47 p.m.

When Bruins head to the polls this November, they will vote on reforms for city accountability.

Measure HH lets voters choose to amend the city charter to give more investigative powers to city officials. The changes include new conflict-of-interest declaration policies for commissioners, subpoena powers for the city attorney and audit powers for the city controller, as well as changes to the composition of the Harbor commission to ensure comprehensive local representation.

The measure will also change city charter language to refer to the mayor using gender-neutral pronouns. The charter currently uses “he” to refer to the mayor.

The measure came out of an ad hoc committee created to reform city government in the wake of an integrity scandal chaired by Paul Krekorian, who represents district two on the Los Angeles City Council. Krekorian said Measure HH contains some of the simpler proposals that did not need a longer period of analysis and review.

“We asked all of our city departments – top to bottom, every department of the city – to go through the city charter with a fine tooth comb and make recommendations for how we can change the charter, update the charter to make the city work better and more effectively,” said Krekorian, a former chair of the city council.

Measure HH will also require the city council to consider conflict-of-interest statements from commissioner applicants before their nomination is voted on, Krekorian said. He added that currently, some commissioners do not file their statements until after they take office, especially when an appointment is rushed.

Ruth Galanter, who sat on the city council from 1987 to 2003, said conflicts of interest have long been a problem for city officials, adding that while she was in office, people’s financial interests frequently impacted real estate planning decisions in particular.

While the city attorney already has subpoena powers in criminal cases, Measure HH clarifies that the attorney will also be able to file subpoenas in civil cases, Krekorian said. He added that the measure gives the city controller the power to audit city contractors after current incumbent Kenneth Mejia complained that third-party vendors sometimes do not respond to his requests.

“This would give the city attorney the opportunity to do investigation using subpoena power before cases are filed,” said Krekorian, who authored the official arguments in favor of the measure alongside Tim McOsker, who represents district 15. “It would give the city controller broader authority to review financial records of city contractors and people who do business with the city.”

Mejia and City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto declined to comment on the measures.

Galanter said although she thinks there are existing problems with corruption in the city administration – including when it comes to real estate planning – she does not think the changes are necessary. She added that she thinks the changes are largely cosmetic and council members should instead focus on fixing problems to benefit Angelenos – like improving roads or public safety.

“Instead of figuring out, ‘How can we make the existing city operations better,’ they’re busy designing institutional or organizational structures,” Galanter said. “I have never found a way that you can design a system that needs every possible contingency because conditions change. … Trying to design the perfect system is a waste of time.”

Politicians are often able to find ways around accountability systems, particularly when it comes to noncriminal cases, Galanter said. She added that she thinks there are already existing state bodies to ensure that there is accountability in public governance – like the Fair Political Practices Commission – making the additional powers unnecessary.

Although Measure HH would not require any specific funding, it could end up requiring resources through the increase of workload for the city attorney, according to a financial impact statement written by Matthew Szabo, the city administrative officer. Szabo also said in the statement that there is not enough evidence to calculate those costs.

A Los Angeles city ballot listing Measure HH is pictured. The measure includes various reforms for city accountability and works to create more representation within the city council. (Mia Tavares/Daily Bruin senior staff)

However, no official arguments were submitted against the measure.

Measure HH would also establish a new rule that would require the LA Harbor Commission – which governs the Port of LA and ensures public access to the waterfront – to have two members who live in the Harbor area, including one in San Pedro and one in Wilmington.

San Pedro and Wilmington are the two communities that most closely border the port.

Gina Martinez, the chair of the Wilmington Neighborhood Council, said although the harbor has positive impacts on employment in her community, it has also led to problems with illegal container yards, pavement damage and significant pollution. She added that existing regulations against carcinogens are not tough enough on ships, oil refineries or trucks.

“Within the last five years, almost every member who’s grown up or lived in Wilmington has had family members who suffered from cancer,” Martinez said. “We have our former chair. Her son lost his leg to cancer when he was just a teenager. My daughter lost an ovary and one of her tubes. My mother had two different types of cancer. A former board member had neck cancer.”

Wilmington also has suffered from a lack of grocery stores, shops or restaurants because of the recent industrialization of the port area, Martinez said.

Wilmington has historically been underrepresented on the commission, meaning that the commission often does not take enforcement action against businesses harming the Wilmington community, Martinez said. She added that since Wilmington residents live with the consequences of decisions the commission makes, they should get a voice in them.

“If all you do is take the 110 freeway to the port building twice a week, you’re not in the community,” she said. “You’re not seeing the effects. You’re not seeing these illegal container yards popping up. You’re not seeing the dust flying in the air from projects that are there or that sort of thing.”

Los Angeles residents can vote in person Nov. 5 at the Ackerman Union, the Hammer Museum or De Neve Plaza, among other locations across the county. Voters can also submit a vote-by-mail ballot as long as it is postmarked by Election Day.

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Dylan Winward | News editor
Winward is the 2024-2025 News editor and an Arts, Copy, Photo, PRIME and Sports contributor. He was previously the 2023-2024 features and student life editor. Winward is a third-year English and statistics student from London in the United Kingdom.
Winward is the 2024-2025 News editor and an Arts, Copy, Photo, PRIME and Sports contributor. He was previously the 2023-2024 features and student life editor. Winward is a third-year English and statistics student from London in the United Kingdom.
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