A Fiscal-Fitness Trainer for City Hall : Wachs’ efficiency campaigns are not always pretty--but usually on the mark

We’ve seen it before, The- Joel- Wachs- Makes- City- Hall- More- Efficient Show. Here’s the drill: Find a glaring example of waste, round up the press and bring lots of visual aids.

It’s not glamorous work for a Los Angeles city councilman, but it’s useful. Most recently, the Wachs waste tour led to the bowels of the Civic Center and a fact-finding mission on boilers. Don’t laugh.

In the spring of ‘94, Wachs held a news conference, surrounded by stacks of office supplies, to illustrate how the city could save on basic items. The concept: Buy in bulk, save a bundle. Sure enough, the City Council has now approved comprehensive procurement system reforms that a consultant estimated could save millions of dollars annually.

In February, Wachs admonished the city to cut paperwork and the printing of forms. To illustrate, he had staff members display dusty, yellowed forms, some warehoused because they were obsolete. Wachs said the city could save money by replacing the paper trail with a more efficient electronic one.

Now, Wachs has pointed out antiquated heating and cooling units that are potentially unsafe and churn out more bills than climate control. By modernizing, Wachs said, the city can cut its annual $37-million energy bill by $5.5 million or perhaps even by $9.2 million.

All of which might be taken more seriously if Wachs had not been the only council member to charge the city for the cost of parking at City Hall and for insurance covering his personal use of a city car. Wachs has defended this practice, saying his expenses are related to city business and have been approved by the city controller’s office.

Still, such things detract from Wachs’ goal of making Los Angeles more fiscally responsible. That’s unfortunate at a time when we need to know where we pay too much and get too little. In these lean times, we can’t afford not to sweat the small stuff.