Council Panel to Study Vote Fraud Charges

A Los Angeles City Council committee directed city officials Monday to look into allegations of irregularities in the fractious balloting earlier this year to elect members to the citizens advisory panel of the North Hollywood redevelopment project.

Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, as acting chairman of the council’s Community Redevelopment and Housing Committee, ordered the investigation. Councilman John Ferraro, who represents the area, concurred in the action, a Ferraro aide said.

The probe will focus on the election activities of the Project Area Committee of the North Hollywood redevelopment project. The committee, which advises the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, will have a say, for example, in a pending plan to extend the life and taxing authority of the North Hollywood project.

During testimony before the Yaroslavsky committee, Norton Halper, a CRA critic, alleged that the election last February of PAC members was rigged. Halper, who was involved in a shoving match with committee officials during the election, produced ballots that he said indicated the committee failed to adequately screen the qualifications of candidates.

Halper also alleged that committee last week adopted improper rules for filling nine of its 25 seats. The rules circumvent community input by allowing sitting committee members to select their colleagues, Halper charged. All people who live or own property within the 750-acre redevelopment project should be eligible to vote, he said.

Don Spivack, CRA director of operations, said after the hearing that the rules for filling the vacancies are legal and denied that the committee rigged the previous election.