Suddenly It’s All Action : Supervisors react to malpractice settlements, lavish spending

In taking two actions this week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors attempted to actually do a little supervising for a change.

The board unanimously agreed to change its ill-advised but long-standing practice of allowing bureaucrats to defend and resolve county medical malpractice cases without any review by the supervisors. That see-no-evil, hear-no-evil policy resulted in the county spending $100 million in the last three years without really knowing what it was paying for or whether there were patterns of problems that needed correction, a Times report revealed; the board had simply delegated its payout authority. Now, settlements of more than $100,000 in malpractice lawsuits must be approved by the board, as is the case for other county litigation. Good.

In reacting to another Times report about lavish spending, this one involving the staff of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, the board approved a motion by Supervisor Mike Antonovich that called for the county auditor to check the financial practices of the agency. Supervisor Gloria Molina and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley both want the audit conducted by a more independent body. Such proposals will be considered by the commission later this month. What’s most important now is that all five supervisors and the mayor--all of whom are on the 11-member LACTC board--are agreeing that someone outside the commission must make certain that spending is under control.

The cost-control question is just one that must be asked in deciding how best to administer and operate Los Angeles County’s mass transit systems. The state Legislature, which is considering a bill to implement a merger between the LACTC and the Southern California Rapid Transit District, should make sure that all such questions are fully answered before proceeding.