City Leaders Nearing Accord on Charter Plan

One week after the state Senate killed a bill to ease San Fernando Valley secession, Los Angeles city leaders said Tuesday they are close to agreeing on a plan to draft a new city charter that would empower citizens and streamline government.

A Los Angeles City Council panel will meet today to discuss formation of a citizens commission with the authority to rewrite the city’s 71-year-old charter.

The charter reform movement was spurred in part by a bill by Assemblywoman Paula Boland (R-Granada Hills) to make it easier for the Valley to secede from Los Angeles. But the bill fell two votes shy of being adopted last week.

Since the start of the charter reform movement, however, city officials and community leaders have been at odds over whether the citizens panel should be appointed or elected and how much influence the council should have over the process.

But Tuesday, the key players in the reform movement--Mayor Richard Riordan, council President John Ferraro, Councilman Mike Feuer and Valley attorney David Fleming--spoke positively about reaching an agreement to form an appointed citizens panel.

“I think there is a good shot at this,” said Ferraro, who has initiated negotiation meetings with Riordan.

Although some details remain sketchy, Ferraro’s compromise plan would create a 15-member citizens commission appointed by Ferraro based on suggestions from Riordan and the City Council.

Under the plan, council members and other city officials would be able to suggest charter reform ideas but the citizens commission would have final say on any measures that go to voters for final approval.

If the council disagrees with any of the measures drafted by the citizens panel, the council would put its own competing charter reform measures on the ballot.

One of the key legal questions left unanswered is whether an appointed citizens commission would have the power to independently place reform measures on a ballot.

Although Riordan and most council members agree that charter reform is needed, there has been some strong disagreement on how to get that done.

Supporters of reform have suggested rewriting the charter to give local communities the power to make decisions on local public projects or planning issues. Others, such as Fleming, have suggested giving the mayor more executive authority to increase accountability.

In response to Valley secession threats, Feuer teamed with Fleming last month to propose a 24-member appointed citizens panel to draft charter reform ideas. But under that plan, the council would have the power to revise and amend the reform measures before putting them before the voters.

Worried that the council would revise any reform measures that would erode its own power, Fleming broke ranks with Feuer and launched a signature-collecting drive to create an independent citizens panel with the power to put measures directly on the ballot.

Two weeks ago, on the steps of City Hall, Riordan announced that he would bankroll Fleming’s initiative drive--a move that angered many council members and set the stage for a City Hall clash.

City Hall insiders say Riordan is now negotiating a compromise because, in part, he wants to make peace with the council, which has long had an adversarial relationship with the mayor.

Feuer said he hopes all sides will be able to agree on a compromise plan to avoid conflicting proposals.

“I’m optimistic that we can emerge from this with an appointed commission with the power to put its work product on the ballot,” Feuer said.

Although the signature drive began Tuesday, a Riordan aide said he has been negotiating with Ferraro and “is happy with the tenor of the conversation.”

Ferraro said he and Riordan have even begun to discuss possible candidates for the citizens panel.

By appointing a commission, Ferraro said city leaders can identify ethnically and socially diverse candidates with a background in government and law.

But Riordan spokeswoman Noelia Rodriguez said the mayor will continue to support the signature drive in order to keep all options available.

Rick Taylor, a campaign consultant hired to manage the signature drive, said a private firm began Tuesday to collect the signatures of at least 197,000 registered voters by Oct. 30. But he added that reform supporters, including Riordan, will also collect signatures in neighborhoods and supermarkets.

If the signature drive is successful, an April ballot measure would ask voters if they support the creation of an independent citizens charter commission. The ballot would also include names of candidates for the panel. But if a compromise is reached, the ballot drive would be canceled.

Fleming, an influential Valley business leader, said he also would support an appointed panel if the council is not given final say on what reform measures would go before voters.

“I don’t have a problem if it’s elected or appointed,” he said. “We don’t have a problem so long as the commission’s work product goes directly to the voters.”

The entire council is expected to consider the matter on Sept. 4.