Local News in Brief : Public Works Board Won’t Get the Ax
The Los Angeles City Council voted down an attempt Tuesday to abolish the powerful Board of Public Works, which oversees the awarding of contracts and the expansion of the Hyperion sewage treatment plant.
Councilman Ernani Bernardi sought to eliminate the board, contending that replacing the board’s five full-time paid commissioners would save the city $3 million a year.
“Since 1951, there have been seven or eight different recommendations to eliminate the Board of Public Works . . . but somehow the City Council wants to hang on to this $3-million bag of surplus that exists in City Hall,” Bernardi said.
Despite Bernardi’s claims that the city could easily operate without the board, a majority of council members voted against his plan. Council President John Ferraro and Councilman Marvin Braude voted with Bernardi.
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