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

Published: Thursday, December 4, 1997

Wednesday, December 3, 1997

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"Some of it is obsolete, clunky, hard to read," Benson said of the constitution.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