Mayor Plans Promotional Trip to Europe; Critics Question Need

With less than four months to go until the end of his fifth and final term, Mayor Tom Bradley and several other city officials plan to embark Friday on a $270,000, four-city tour of Europe to promote tourism and trade with Los Angeles.

Bradley called his tour with seven other officials “vitally important” to counteract negative images of the city from last spring’s riots.

Money for the trip to London, Paris, Frankfurt and Milan will come from four sources--the city’s Department of Airports, the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, American Airlines and a federal government grant. The Department of Airports, in turn, gets its money from airline landing fees, concessions and parking charges, while the convention bureau gets its funds principally from hotel bed taxes.

Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, a frequent critic of airport operations, questioned the value of the trip. She said she has never seen proof that trips by city officials actually bring in business.

“That’s an awful lot of money to spend on hotels and air fare to send people around the world,” Galanter said. “Why can’t we bring (foreigners) here, rather than having commissioners touring Europe, and then (the visitors) could put money in the hands of local hotels and local restaurants and local cab drivers.”

Bradley came to office nearly 20 years ago after criticizing his predecessor, Sam Yorty, for spending too much time traveling outside Los Angeles.

Critics have said that Bradley has the same bad habit. But the mayor has steadfastly defended his travels, saying that increased commerce and tourism for Los Angeles have more than paid for them.

For at least part of the two-week trip, Bradley will be joined by Jack Driscoll, newly appointed head of the city’s Department of Airports; George D. Kirkland, president of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and four airport commissioners--Johnnie Cochran, Jack Tenner, Maria Elena Durazo and Leland Wong.

The mayor’s office describes a busy itinerary that includes interviews with newspaper, radio and television reporters as well as meetings with travel promoters.