A city expense of a different color.

Should Carson employees get paid to go to the movies?

The City Council wrestled with that last week after Doreen Robinson, a youth services worker, asked to get reimbursed for the $6 she shelled out to see the movie “Colors” on May 6.

To be sure, she had clearance to see it.

Community Safety Director Joe Medina told her that the movie would help her understand gangs, which are a major problem in the city.

Still, the idea of paying an employee to see a movie caused ripples at City Hall.

“I’ve had several employes say they’d like to see ‘9 to 5,’ ” Mayor Kay Calas said at Tuesday’s council meeting. “Some in finance want to see ‘Wall Street.’ ”

Medina raised another point to mollify the mayor. “Part of it was filmed in Carson,” he pointed out.

“Then everybody should go see it,” Calas declared.

Councilwoman Sylvia Muise defended the expense, saying the movie contained a lot of useful information about Los Angeles-area gangs. “Psychologists have seen it,” she said.

Councilman Michael Mitoma objected that the movie was entertainment, not a documentary, but voted for the reimbursement anyway, saying he was doing so because Medina had approved it.

The motion failed, with Calas and council members Vera Robles DeWitt and John Anderson abstaining. At least three votes are needed to approve spending money.

Calas said she would take up a collection among the council members so Robinson would not have to eat the expense. “I’ll pay for half,” she said. Mitoma said he would, too.

After the vote, Medina said the council understands the importance of the film “but they wanted to have fun.” He said he rejected their efforts to pay for the movie ticket out of their pockets. “They tried to. I refused to take it.”

So Robinson had to bear the cost of the movie. She could not be reached for comment to see if she liked it.