While the Council’s Away, Who Runs L.A.?

Critics might argue that the Los Angeles City Council does not always have its act together, but the council is taking it on the road anyway.

This month council members have fanned out across the United States, Europe and Asia on various city business and personal trips. And on Wednesday their wanderlust came home to roost: only four of the 15 members showed up for the regularly scheduled meeting, leaving the council six short of a quorum.

The press of travel is already responsible for the cancellation of five of the next seven meetings. And officials with the city clerk’s office said they fear that at least two more meetings in the first week of October are also in danger of being canceled for lack of a quorum.

The short roster means some City Council business is being delayed. By not meeting Wednesday, the council lost jurisdiction over a controversial lease being made by the Department of Airports.

But some city business has actually been speeded up. The city clerk loaded the Tuesday agenda with 125 separate motions--more than three times the norm--in anticipation of future problems in getting a quorum.

And with all the comings and goings, some city officials are left wondering just who’s in charge. In the last two weeks the mayor and three consecutive acting mayors have all left town.

Mayor Tom Bradley is in Europe on an 19-day day trip to promote tourism. He was joined by City Council President John Ferraro in Berlin last week.

City Council President Pro Tem Marvin Braude is in Japan on business for the city’s Department of Water and Power. With his exit, the reins of power were passed to acting President Pro Tem Joan Milke Flores, who then left town to pursue her campaign for secretary of state. The current acting mayor, Councilman Ernani Bernardi, said he has no plans to leave town.