City Reform Panel Begins Work

A new panel, created to reform Los Angeles city government, Tuesday began drafting a mission statement and selecting candidates for the crucial position of executive director.

Although the 21-member citizens panel did not hire a director, several prominent figures are already being considered, including Raphael Sonenshein, a political science professor at Cal State Fullerton, and Roger Furman, the former deputy counsel for a charter reform panel in New York City.

Former county Supervisor Ed Edelman, a commission member who will head the search for candidates, called the executive director’s position “critical to the work of this commission.”

The panel tentatively decided to offer an annual salary of $85,000 to $110,000 and drew up a list of qualifications, including strong analytical skills, knowledge of the city government and experience in directing research staff members.

Several board members suggested that the director be hired by the end of January or early February.

The panel also considered a draft mission statement outlining its goals and the process by which the group would work. After some discussion, the commission decided to continue to work on the statement at a later meeting.

The reform panel was appointed by the City Council, the controller and the city attorney in response to threats of a San Fernando Valley secession and complaints that City Hall is inaccessible. It met for the first time last month and selected as interim chairwoman Linda Griego, the director of Rebuild LA, the post-riot recovery program.

The group will meet monthly over approximately the next 18 months to propose changes to the 71-year-old city charter, which has been criticized as being outdated.

Already, the panel has been pulled into the center of a political struggle between the City Council and Mayor Richard Riordan, who has criticized the panel as being too closely tied to the council, which will have the final say in putting its reform measures on the ballot.

Instead, Riordan financed a campaign that collected 303,000 signatures for a ballot measure that would ask voters to create an elected reform panel with the power to put reform measures directly on the ballot, without the council’s approval.

Election officials are now working to verify the 197,000 signatures needed to qualify the measure for the ballot.

Because of the criticism from Riordan and others, the appointed panel will be under pressure to select an executive director who is widely known and respected. Some City Hall insiders have said the panel needs a director with the type of reputation that outgoing Secretary of State Warren Christopher had when he became executive director of a panel that studied police reform after the riots.

Sonenshein, who has written several newspaper opinion articles advocating a united city reform effort, said in an interview that he submitted his resume to the panel because he is “interested in exploring” the post. He declined to elaborate.

Furman, who is the founder of Furman Usher Inc., a law and business consulting firm in Los Angeles, served as deputy counsel for the New York City Charter Revision Commission from 1988 to 1989.

In an interview, Furman said he submitted his resume to the panel but would like to know more about the commission and the positions that are available before making a commitment.