Tuttle Says It’s Excess That Gives Him Heartburn

Just what does Rick Tuttle have against food?

Nothing, the beefy city controller insisted Friday as he sipped a cup of coffee in his basement office at City Hall: It is only extravagant, unnecessary, $40 lunches or $60 dinners at city expense that give him heartburn.

Tuttle, a 49-year-old resident of Venice who opts at lunchtime for broiled fish ($4.75), split pea soup ($1.60 a bowl), or a street vendor’s hot dog ($1.75), has made headlines twice within a month for publicly rejecting meal expense vouchers submitted by city Department of Water and Power officials.

In doing so, the city controller appears to be following in the footsteps of former controller Ira Reiner, now district attorney. A decade ago, Reiner turned the traditionally low-visibility controller’s post into a springboard for higher office by taking emphatic public stands against excessive travel bills submitted by ranking city officials.

Tuttle acknowledged Friday that he is not averse to mounting the soapbox himself. But he insisted that he picks his shots carefully.

“I think I’m regarded as someone who is careful to be involved in matters regarding publicity in areas which I think are solid, in the public interest and of importance,” Tuttle said.

“I happen to regard establishing this kind of deterrent--when we’re talking about a budget of $7 billion and an office which processes annually roughly 400,000 checks--as an example to make it evident to department heads and their financial people that they have to use self-restraint in the expenditure of public funds.”

Since being elected in 1985, Tuttle has also drawn public attention for his efforts to collect delinquent business taxes and to modernize the city’s payroll operation. He also has fought publicly to prevent the city from doing business with firms that operate in South Africa and private clubs that exclude women and minorities.

Both of the latter causes amply befit Tuttle, a one-time civil rights activist who took part in several sit-ins at lunch counters during the early 1960s in the fight for integration.

Tuttle, who eventually became a student affairs officer at UCLA, first took public office in 1977, when he was appointed to the Los Angeles Community College District board. On that occasion, he was unquestionably following in Reiner’s footsteps. His appointment was to take the place of Reiner, who had been elected city controller.

In 1985, Tuttle, supported by Reiner, Mayor Tom Bradley, organized labor and the influential Berman-Waxman Democratic political organization, won election to the nonpartisan controller’s office by a 54%-46% margin against Studio City attorney Dan Shapiro.

Tuttle swept to reelection in last April’s primary, winning 79% of the vote against two political novices--an engineer and a comedy club operator.

Despite the ease of Tuttle’s victory, the campaign was no joke, opponent Ray Bishop said Friday.

“The reason I ran,” said Bishop, owner of the LA Cabaret Comedy Club, “is because (Tuttle) has a tendency to go after some of the small things like dinner bills, but on the large scale, he allows corruption in the city to continue.”

Shapiro, four years after his defeat, calls Tuttle “a very nice guy--I like having dinner with him.”

But Shapiro added Friday that the controller “owes his position to Tom Bradley and he will do nothing, nothing to create any difficulties whatsoever for Tom Bradley.”

Tuttle bristles at such criticism. Citing ongoing audits concerning Bradley’s business affairs, Tuttle said: “Look, I think I’ve certainly maintained the independence of this office. It’s a trust I’m determined to preserve and continue.”