Wachs Bills the City for Parking, Car Insurance : Government: Waste-cutting councilman enjoys perks colleagues aren’t aware of, which he says are related to his job.

Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs, who has championed recent efforts to cut government waste, is the only elected official to charge the city for the cost of parking in City Hall and for insurance covering his personal use of a city car.

Over the past five years, Wachs has charged the city $11,778 for insurance coverage that no other official enjoys, and $1,570 for parking at City Hall, which his colleagues must pay for themselves.

The extra perks provide a telling glimpse into the expenses that the head of the council’s Government Efficiency Committee has charged to taxpayers in the name of doing city business.

Wachs’ expense reports show that he is meticulous about keeping track of city-related expenses and ensuring that he is reimbursed for every nickel, including $2.11 for an issue of People magazine and 35 cents for a newspaper.

Wachs defends his practice, saying all his expenses are related to city business and have been approved by the city controller’s office.

“I wouldn’t put it down if I wasn’t willing to stand by it,” he said. “I go by the letter of the law, and that is what I expect everybody else to do.”

But some City Hall workers who pay for City Hall parking--at the rate of $27.50 per month--and insurance to cover the use of city cars for personal business were steamed to learn that Wachs pays nothing.

“The perks for council offices are unbelievably generous and to try to squeeze a little bit more out of the city is really cheap,” said one City Hall staffer, who asked not to be named. “He is supposed to be Mr. Belt Tightener.”

In 1990, Wachs argued to city lawyers that he should be allowed free parking in City Hall because his job requires him to park there. The city attorney agreed and drafted a letter allowing Wachs to receive a monthly reimbursement for the $27.50 deducted from his paycheck for parking.

As for the car insurance, the city is self-insured and is liable when its vehicles are used for city business. City employees who take the cars home at night, however, must pay for a separate insurance policy to cover the car when it is used for personal business on weekends and after work.

Except for Wachs.

In 1978, he asked for an insurance policy on his city car, arguing that it would save the city money in the event he is sued after an accident. Wachs, who does not own an automobile, also argued that the policy should cover the car at all times because he is always on call for city business. Again the city attorney’s office agreed and drafted a letter allowing Wachs to charge the city for the expense.

According to Deputy City Controller Timothy Lynch, Wachs is the only council member to enjoy the insurance and parking perks.

Council President John Ferraro, who said he pays both for an extra insurance policy for his city car and his City Hall parking, declined to comment on Wachs’ extra perks, saying he doesn’t know the circumstances.

Wachs said the insurance costs are a legitimate expense that could save the city money. “I only drive the car in the city and I work every day,” he said. “I work on the weekends. I don’t use the city car for vacations.”

Richard Welch, the city’s risk manager, questioned the councilman’s analysis. If Wachs was liable for damage incurred while driving the city car, taxpayers would still be responsible for everything beyond the limits of the insurance policy, Welch said. By insuring its own operations, the city relies on its own funds to satisfy claims against it.

The city attorney’s office has not publicly announced the decisions that permit Wachs to charge the city for the parking and insurance payments, so other elected officials are unaware that they, too, qualify.

Cars provided to all elected officials and some of their staff are equipped with cellular phones and are maintained by city mechanics at no cost to the drivers.

In addition to an annual salary of about $100,000, each council member is provided an expense account for travel and other city-related costs. All expense reports must be approved by the city controller before a council member can obtain reimbursement.

Since 1989, Wachs has charged his account $548 for magazines, books and newspapers that he said were necessary to keep him informed on city issues, according to expense reports. Wachs, the past head of the council’s Arts, Health and Humanities Committee, has spent most of the money on art magazines and books, according to the reports.

But he has also charged the city for copies of Elle, a fashion magazines; Vanity Fair, a celebrity-oriented periodical, and People, a magazine that profiles popular and interesting personalities, according to expense reports.

On a few reports, he has charged the city 35 cents for a local newspaper, $1.60 for a Sunday edition of The Times and $3.50 for a national edition of the New York Times.

“The materials that I put down are helping me do the job,” Wachs said. “If someone thinks me buying a Time or People doesn’t help me, that’s fine.”