1992 Vote on Terms for Chief Approved : Council: Committee unanimously OKs plan to limit time in office and eliminate Civil Service protection.

Taking the first step in implementing one of the Christopher Commission’s most dramatic reforms, a key Los Angeles City Council committee on Wednesday unanimously endorsed holding a special election early next year for voters to decide on how the city’s future police chiefs will be hired and fired.

“We’re on our way,” said Councilman Joel Wachs, who has championed the speedy adoption of reforms contained in the Christopher Commission report.

The proposal, which still needs the approval of a divided City Council, would place before voters a measure that would limit the chief of police to two five-year terms, eliminate his Civil Service protection and create a level playing field for candidates from inside and outside the department.

“I think it’s significant that the first committee to consider (the special election) voted unanimously,” said Councilwoman Joy Picus, chairwoman of the Human Resources and Labor Relations Committee.

The vote came just 15 days after the Christopher Commission submitted its 228-page report on police reforms and only two days after Police Chief Daryl F. Gates agreed to retire next April.

Two prospective dates for the election are Jan. 28 and March 2--both early enough to affect the hiring of a successor to Gates, according to city Personnel Department General Manager Jack Driscoll.

The swift vote came as most of the City Council remains splintered on the issue of a special election.

Some council members have expressed opposition to an election because of its estimated $1.8-million cost. Others have objected to splitting up the comprehensive package of Christopher Commission reforms. And some council members have said that holding an election while Gates is still in office would become a divisive referendum on his performance.

Wachs argued on Wednesday that other Christopher Commission recommendations that require voter approval must first be negotiated with the city labor unions. “I’m really concerned with the issue of selecting a new chief having to wait for the other issues,” said Wachs. And he added, “although (a special election) is an extra cost, it’s a small price to pay for peace” in the community.

Separately, the City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Wednesday approved the nominations of Ann Reiss Lane and Jesse Brewer to the Police Commission.

Lane, a longtime member of the the city’s Fire Commission, was nominated by Mayor Tom Bradley to replace outgoing Police Commissioner Melanie Lomax.

Brewer, a retired assistant chief who criticized LAPD management in testimony before the Christopher Commission, is to replace Commissioner Sam Williams.

The nominations now go to the full council.

The Christopher Commission, which found problems of racism, sexism, excessive force and management failures in the Police Department, recommended curbs on the power of the chief, shifts in department philosophy and changes in the training and disciplining of officers. It also called for the transition of power from Gates to a new chief.

Some of the recommendations--including those affecting the tenure and terms for hiring the police chief--require changes in the City Charter that must be approved by the city’s voters.

The City Council is now considering those recommendations, and Wednesday’s vote is the first major step taken by the council to implement the historic reform package.

“It adds to the momentum,” said Picus of the committee’s action. “It’s exciting.”

“We weren’t unanimous coming into this, and that is very significant,” Wachs said, noting that many of his colleagues on the full council are still opposed to the special election.

“I know a lot of council members had initial questions, but as you really begin to think out the options, this really is the way to go. As we go along I think we will get the votes.”

Picus said she also was encouraged by the unanimous vote. “I felt all along that when the arguments were presented . . . the council would go along,” she said.

Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores, who had earlier questioned the timing and nature of the proposals, said she was persuaded by arguments that the reforms be enacted before the selection of a new chief.

Earlier this week, Gates said he will retire in April, 1992, or when his successor is named. Without changes to the City Charter recommended by the Christopher Commission, the new chief would have the same controversial life-tenure as Gates has enjoyed.

“The selection of a new chief is of the utmost urgency,” Flores said after the committee vote. Initially, she said she was concerned about the cost of a special election. “Although it would not be my first choice to have a special election,” she said, “I don’t think we should delay.”

The committee deliberated for two hours, hearing from Christopher Commission staff and city personnel chief Driscoll, before taking its vote.

“The critical concept is to strike an appropriate balance between the concern for isolation of the chief from political pressure on one hand, but on the other hand a recognition of the need for civilian oversight of the chief,” John Spiegel, general counsel of the Christopher Commission told the committee.

“The reasoning of the commission is (that) a system of life tenure for the chief . . . is not the best way to strike that balance,” he said.

Under the proposed ballot measure, the new chief would be selected by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council. He could be fired with agreement of the Police Commission and mayor. The chief could appeal the decision to the City Council, which could overturn the firing by a vote of two-thirds of the council members.

Currently, the Police Commission selects the chief, who can only be fired for significant wrongdoing. With Civil Service protection, the process of firing a chief could take years.

Driscoll told the panel that he endorsed changing the rules for hiring a new chief. Under the existing rules, LAPD officers are awarded extra points in a rating system used for ranking candidates.

Times staff writer Jane Fritsch contributed to this story.