Council OKs Last-Ditch Quake Aid Compromise : Recovery: Plan for seniors averts a battle between Valley and South-Central lawmakers.

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a last-minute compromise to distribute quake funding for senior citizens, narrowly averting a turf battle that had been brewing between lawmakers from the San Fernando Valley and those from South-Central Los Angeles.

But Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, who represents Hollywood and surrounding areas, still harshly criticized her colleagues for two recent instances of divisive arguments over earthquake funds.

“I’m increasingly disturbed by the notion that there has to be a ‘we’ and ‘they’ in our disaster recovery plan,” she said. “I think that shows a real failure of leadership.”

A clash over the allocation of $2.2 million in federal grants had loomed since last week, when three Valley council members, acting as the council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Earthquake Recovery, recommended increasing funding for Valley senior citizens and slashing funds for South-Central Los Angeles communities.

The move angered South-Central Los Angeles lawmakers, who said senior citizens in those communities need help recovering from the quake even though their neighborhoods did not suffer the heaviest damage.

On the recommendation of Councilman Joel Wachs, the council voted 11 to 1 for a compromise plan that boosts the funding for the Valley and South-Central Los Angeles with surplus money intended for use during the second year of the grant program.

“I am really hopeful that this will balance the recognition that the Valley has great needs and the recognition that there are seniors in need throughout the city,” said Wachs, who represents parts of the northeast Valley.

The grants will be used to help relocate senior citizens from damaged homes, pay for repairs and provide legal assistance and transportation, among other services.

The council’s compromise was good news for Evelyn Knight, the executive director of the People-Coordinated Multipurpose Senior Center in the Crenshaw district. Under the compromise motion, her center gets $140,000 instead of the $75,000 that was proposed by the earthquake recovery panel.

She said some of the money will pay staff to help senior citizens apply for federal and state emergency assistance. “We have a lot of people who are frail and unable to get through the various bureaucracies,” she said after the meeting.

Although a full-blown turf war was avoided at Wednesday’s council meeting, there was some bickering, making it the second time in as many months that Valley and South-Central Los Angeles council members have clashed over quake funds.

Councilman Hal Bernson, whose Northridge-based district was hit hardest in the quake, cast the sole dissenting vote, arguing that the money should be distributed based on severity of damage.

The previous squabble over quake funding was ignited last month when Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who represents parts of South-Central Los Angeles, led a move to cut the Valley’s share of $47 million in housing funds. Instead, he recommended that funding should be increased for low-income housing citywide.

Ridley-Thomas angered Valley lawmakers when he engineered the switch while three Valley council members were absent. At a subsequent meeting, and in the presence of the Valley members, the council reversed itself and restored the full Valley allocation.

Supporters of the compromise said it is fair because it disburses the money more evenly and they lauded it for derailing a major funding feud.

Councilman Mike Hernandez, who represents part of East Los Angeles, said seniors in his district have not received their fair share of city services for more than 20 years and should get a portion of the funding even though quake damage was not extensive there.

“I’m still looking forward to the day when every Angeleno is treated the same,” he said.