Supervisor candidates mixed on proposed L.A. city health commission

Candidates vying to replace Zev Yaroslavsky and Gloria Molina on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors offered mixed views on a group’s push for a new city watchdog commission that would issue an annual report card on how well the county is meeting the health needs of city residents.

Former state lawmaker Sheila Kuehl said there is already a commission that represents all 88 cities in Los Angeles County. It’s unnecessary to create another layer of review, she said.

That position is shared by Bobby Shriver, one of Kuehl’s seven rivals in the June 3 primary for Yaroslavsky’s Westside and San Fernando Valley seat. Shriver wants to “streamline funding and maximize health services for everyone in the city and county,’’ said Bill Carrick, a Shriver strategist.

“But this measure looks like it just puts an additional layer on an already layered system.”

West Hollywood Councilman John Duran, also seeking Yaroslavsky’ seat, disagreed with his rivals. Like the activists behind the ballot measure, Duran thinks the county -- responsible for more than 10 million residents -- does a poor job of responding to outbreaks of meningitis, tuberculosis and syphilis and other health risks.

“There’s nothing wrong with having a citizen’s overview committee to see how the county is living up to its services,’’ Duran said. “As long as it doesn’t create another level of bureaucracy that requires approvals for health contracts, I’m OK with it.”

Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, considered a shoo-in for Molina’s Eastside seat against two opponents, shared concerns that the health panel would duplicate what is already in place.

But Solis thinks the county’s relationship with the city of Los Angeles “can be improved,’’ said Steve Barkan, a campaign consultant. She’d also work to mitigate concerns about the quality of healthcare provided by the county, he said.

The ballot measure, titled “The City of Los Angeles Health Protection Act,” was certified earlier this week for the ballot, possibly for the November election. The City Council has 20 days to decide whether to adopt it outright or to put the measure before voters.

The council’s Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee will hold a hearing May 16 to consider the issue and make a recommendation to the full council, said Ed Johnson, assistant chief deputy to council President Herb Wesson.

The level of public notice about recent outbreaks of meningitis and tuberculosis has not been adequate, said Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the group behind the ballot measure. Many in the city only became aware of them after news reports, he said.

Rates of syphillis infection are up tenfold and could be better controlled by a health department that is more actively engaged in communities, neighborhood by neighborhood, he said.

“My opinion is, the more input the better,’’ he said. “If each City Council member sends someone to this commission, it will cover from Chatsworth to San Pedro.”

Under the measure, a 15-member citizen’s review panel, appointed from each of the council district, would produce a health services report and plan each year. It would also recommend needed changes, but would not have the authority to implement them.

The new proposal emerged after a court struck down an earlier push by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation to create a city health department, which was strongly opposed by city and county officials as costly and unnecessary.