2 Councilmen Clash Over Civic Center

In a debate this week over the building of a civic center in West Hollywood Park, City Councilmen John Heilman and Steve Schulte swapped accusations but it was unclear whether either won any converts.

After listening to what one member described as “the Heilman-Schulte fight,” a sharply divided West Hollywood Democratic Club, which sponsored the public forum, decided Tuesday night against endorsing either of two initiatives on the November ballot aimed at giving West Hollywood voters a say in whether the center is built in the park.

“I would say the civic leaders of this city are split on the issue, and if I had to guess, I’d say the election is going to be too close to call,” said Gary Kramer, the club’s president, who moderated the debate.

Heilman and Mayor Abbe Land are the authors of an initiative that would allow the civic center to be built in the park, while Schulte supports a competing initiative, sponsored by the Save Our Parks Alliance, which would prohibit the center’s being built there.

Construction Delay

Amid uncertainty over the election, city officials, who had hoped to start construction in January of a five-level parking garage in the park to help serve the civic center, now say construction is not expected to begin before next September.

The postponement, first disclosed by project manager John Given before the Public Facilities Board two weeks ago, has fueled criticism from the project’s supporters that delays are costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Heilman sounded that theme Tuesday, blaming Schulte and others for the delays, and saying that “with each passing month, it’s costing us $100,000.”

Schulte and Heilman, whose past differences have often served to enliven City Council debate on a range of issues, exchanged barbs that sometimes bordered on the personal during the debate.

Heilman accused Schulte of “hiding behind the park (issue)” in order “to foster his own political ambitions,” and blamed his council colleague for “stirring up dissatisfaction over the civic center by spreading misinformation about it.”

Schulte, on the other hand, accused Heilman of “playing loose with the figures,” insisting that the project’s proposed $23-million first phase “will, if it is built, end up costing more like $40 million.” He charged that Heilman and other supporters of the project would “turn the park into little more than a well-manicured lawn.”

Both men face reelection next April, and have hinted that they may not seek another four-year term. But neither has discussed his plans publicly, fueling speculation that each is waiting to see how the initiatives fare in November before making a decision.

Divisive Issue

The November election promises to give voters the chance to weigh in on an issue that has been politically divisive since the civic center was proposed three years ago.

By law, the city cannot build anything that reduces the amount of recreational space available in the eight-acre park. City officials have long acknowledged that the park is poorly laid out, and say the construction of a city hall, council chambers, new library, parking garage and other facilities would be accompanied by a park redesign and the removal of an auditorium, library and other structures there now.

By law, if both measures pass, the one with the most votes would prevail.

However, after the city attorney concluded that, as drafted, the park group’s initiative violates state law, Heilman and Councilwoman Helen Albert said that they do not intend to be bound by the initiative, even if it wins.

In a 12-page legal opinion, City Atty. Michael Jenkins concluded that the initiative prohibiting use of the park for the civic center illegally “binds the hands” of present and future city officials to “exercise their inherent right” under state law to govern public property.

Schulte, the only council member to oppose placement of the center in the park, and Councilman Paul Koretz, who supports construction of the center there, have both said they will respect the outcome of the vote.

‘Wait and See’

If the initiative backed by Schulte prevails, it could mean that the decision whether to challenge it in court or scrap the current civic center plans could rest with Mayor Abbe Land.

She has not said what course she might take in such an event. “I think the wait-and-see approach is still where I’m at right now,” the mayor said, in an interview this week.

With the election less than six weeks away, supporters of each initiative are claiming important endorsements.

West Hollywood Individuals for a Stable Environment, whose members are drawn from about a dozen neighborhood associations, has endorsed the initiative supported by Schulte.

Meanwhile, on Monday, an ad hoc group that includes city Commissioners Rachelle Smith and Brad Crowe, and City Treasurer Jonathan Ahearn, announced its support of the pro-civic center initiative and pledged to undertake an extensive get-out-the-vote campaign.

The Heilman-Land initiative also has been endorsed by the Coalition for Economic Survival, the large renters’ rights group that dominates many aspects of West Hollywood politics.

Heilman, Land, and Councilwoman Albert are members of the Coalition’s 21-member steering committee, and Heilman and Land lobbied vigorously for the group’s endorsement.

However, Larry Gross, the coalition’s executive director, said the endorsement did not imply a stand “one way or the other” on the issue of whether a civic center should be built in the park.

“Basically, we’re supportive of the council having the ability to do work in the park, to provide services in the park, and to ensure that the park is better maintained and configured for better public use,” Gross said. The steering committee, he said, “isn’t for or against the civic center at this point.”

Schulte dismissed the endorsement as “wishy-washy.”

“It means the coalition is trying to save face for council members who support the civic center in the park even though there’s obviously a lot of divisiveness in their own camp over the issue. From our standpoint, we’ve got to be encouraged by that.”

In an interview, Heilman said he was “perfectly pleased” with the coalition’s action. “The endorsement is what we wanted all along and they’ve given it to us, and so we’re very pleased with that,” he said.