Vote Giving Council Greater Say on LAX Finances Falls Short : City Hall: Bradley lobbies against Galanter’s bid to permit greater scrutiny of airport’s budget. The proposal is three votes shy of approval.

Los Angeles City Council members seeking a greater say in how the Department of Airports spends its money failed Tuesday in their bid to launch an unprecedented review of the semi-independent department’s $448-million budget.

The council could only muster seven votes in favor of the review, three short of the two-thirds majority needed. Before the vote, Mayor Tom Bradley launched a lobbying campaign against the proposed review, calling several council members.

The proposal for closer budget scrutiny of the department--which operates Los Angeles International Airport--originated with Councilwoman Ruth Galanter. She said elected officials need to know more about airport finances, particularly in light of a recent study that concluded that $200 million a year in airport revenue could be used to enhance city services.

Galanter said she was particularly interested in scrutinizing airport salaries, travel expenses and public relations costs. The action would have given the council power to override the budget on those and other items.

Such council oversight was approved by the voters last year as part of Proposition 5. But invoking the power requires a two-thirds vote of the council, which has not undertaken a review of the budgets of any semi-independent department--Airport, Harbor, Community Redevelopment and Water and Power.

Tuesday’s vote was the latest in a series of attempts by the council to take greater control of those departments. Last month, the council approved an unprecedented diversion of $25 million from the Community Redevelopment Agency to shore up city services.

The mayor’s office refused to comment on its opposition to the review of the airport budget. Bradley has been leery of council attempts to control operations of the semi-independent departments, which he supervises through his handpicked commissions.

Galanter criticized the Airport Commission for approving the budget last week without discussion.

“No one has reviewed it or looked into this thing,” Galanter said. “No one knows if this is the best-run airport in the country or the worst.”

Galanter said city officials need more information heading into negotiations this year to increase airline landing fees, which have been the lowest of any major airport in the country.

Higher landing fees will be critical if the city is to get the most out of the revenue it draws from Los Angeles International Airport, a consultant reported last week.

“I am concerned and I think the public ought to be concerned,” Galanter said, “because, for whatever reason, the council was not willing to review this.”

She said she is concerned that the council will not push aggressively for higher landing fees.

Airport Commission President Robert Chick defended the budget, calling airport operations “very cost effective.” The commission supports reasonable plans to use airport funds to finance other city services, he said.

City Council President John Ferraro, one of four council members who voted against the review, said Galanter should have asked for information about the airport budget earlier.

“Now it’s too late in the game,” Ferraro said. Council members Michael Woo, Hal Bernson and Mark Ridley-Thomas joined in blocking the review. Four council members were absent.