LOS ANGELES : Proposal Would Put Full Council in Charge of CRA

A panel of City Council members recommended Monday that the full City Council, instead of a commission appointed by Mayor Richard Riordan, be placed in control of the city’s economic development efforts.

If the recommendation is approved, the city’s lawmakers would be placed in charge of the Community Redevelopment Agency or a larger Economic Development Commission that may replace it. The redevelopment agency is currently run by a Riordan-appointed commission.

The debate over who should control the city’s economic development policy has been raised as the City Council and Riordan have presented competing plans for consolidating city departments.

Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas said the City Council should direct economic development efforts because its members represent all the city’s communities and many ethnic groups. Riordan has sought to maintain control of the Community Redevelopment Agency as part of a new Economic Development Department that he will propose when he announces his budget Wednesday.