County Supervisors Have $13.2-Billion Budget but Little to Spend

At $13.2 billion, the proposed 1998-99 budget for Los Angeles County seems pretty big. After all, the five supervisors will get to spend four times as much money as the 15 Los Angeles City Council members.

But here’s the catch: All but about $50 million of that money has already been claimed by programs and services mandated by the federal and state governments, as well as by county Chief Administrative Officer David Janssen’s plan to wean the county from its reliance on a surplus in the pension system for operating dollars.

So when the fighting begins, it will be over that small pot--just .03% of the budget. Fighting for the money will be county departments from the libraries to the sheriff, as well as community groups that hope to benefit from one appropriation or another.

County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, whose district ranges from the San Gabriel Valley to the High Desert, has already staked a claim to some of that money. Antonovich has complained that the proposed budget does not fully fund the district attorney’s efforts to combat gangs and hate crime. And he points to sheriff’s stations in Altadena and elsewhere that are understaffed and in need of repair.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, by contrast, said he wants to keep the focus on shoring up the county’s balance sheets, which until this year included a sizable deficit. That means, he said, sticking with Janssen’s plan to gradually reduce reliance on the pension fund and on one-time payments from the federal government.

“In the old days, the county spent like crazy in good times, and in bad times they borrowed like crazy to keep going,” Yaroslavsky said. Eliminating use of the pension fund and federal bailouts “is a very responsible, prudent thing, and failure to do that will have consequences of fiscal instability.”

Ollie Oops

Poor Ollie McCaulley can’t seem to catch a break.

In the past four years, the former Marine from Sun Valley has run for the state Assembly twice and the Los Angeles City Council once. All of those campaigns ended in defeat.

McCaulley, a former South Gate police officer, is now the only Republican candidate for the state Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Herschel Rosenthal (D-Los Angeles), who is forced out by term limits.

So, you would think that by now people in the northeast San Fernando Valley would know at least how to spell his name.

Not so. When he appeared at a candidates’ debate at Mission College in Sylmar on Monday, the news release and the agenda for the forum listed him as “Ollie McColley.”

But this is not the first time McCaulley has been snubbed in the race. In February, candidate Richard Katz, a former assemblyman, invited McCaulley and all of the other candidates to sign a “code of fair campaign practices.”

The letter from Katz to McCaulley not only misspelled the name but referred to him as “Ms. McCauley.”

No Horsing Around

Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs took a break from city issues this week to stand up for horses, calling for support of a California initiative to ban the sale of horse meat for human consumption.

Wachs has championed other animal issues in the past, including a yearly “toys-for-pets” drive at the animal shelters each Christmas. The slaughter issue is likely to play well to Wachs’ constituents, many of whom are horse owners.

Horse slaughter, said Wachs aide Paul Neuman, “is a secret industry. People sell their horses, and are not told that the horse is going to be killed.”

Supporters submitted 740,000 signatures to put the measure on the ballot. They need 470,000 valid signatures to qualify.

Wachs doesn’t own a horse but has been known to ride one, western-style, said Neuman. Mostly, he said, he’s concerned that they lead “happy and hopefully pain-free lives.”

Getting Personal

When San Fernando Mayor Raul Godinez announced in March that he would challenge veteran congressman Howard Berman, he insisted that it was not personal.

He dismissed suggestions that he was running because of the barbs the two have exchanged over the public safety record of the city of San Fernando.

It may have not been personal then, but it is getting to be personal now.

Godinez took a shot at Berman this week, criticizing the powerful eight-term congressman for using taxpayer money to upgrade his flights from Washington to California.

According to a Times report, Berman spent $26,412 for upgrades since 1993. He was one of about 15 members of the California delegation who used taxpayer funds to pay for upgrades.

In a news release, Godinez said that if elected he vows not to use taxpayer money to fly first-class. “I think that it is irresponsible to use taxpayer money for personal comfort, especially when you could use free mileage upgrades from all government travel,” he said.

Berman fired back, saying all of the upgrades were to business class. What’s more, he said, the money came from his office budget, which would otherwise be used for pencils, paper or staplers.

But Berman also criticized Godinez for introducing a measure to spend $200,000 on a image-improvement program for the city of San Fernando.

“Who is this guy to make charges?” said Berman. “He wants to spend $200,000 of taxpayer money for a public relations consultant to improve the city’s image instead of using it on cops on the beat. Give me a break.”

Keeping It Clean

A warning from Assemblyman Bob Hertzberg (D-Sherman Oaks): If you want to advertise outdoors, buy a billboard or wear a sandwich board, because if you post an illegal sign on street lights or telephone poles, you are asking for trouble.

Prompted by a slew of complaints from San Fernando Valley residents, Hertzberg recently introduced legislation that targets individuals and companies that are advertised on illegally posted signs.

Under current law, police could only fine those who are caught nailing the signs on city property--a charge that can include a fine of up to $1,000 and 30 days of community service for each sign.

Often, however, those who post the signs are low-wage workers who are just trying to make a buck and don’t realize they are breaking the law.

That is why Hertzberg is going after the people and companies behind the signs that plaster our streets, advertising everything from “magic diets” and work-at-home opportunities.

“What I’m trying to do is come up with a constitutional way to help the city attorney go after the advertising snipers,” he said.

Under this law, the city attorney’s office could target the people or companies named in the advertisement. The penalty would be a misdemeanor, which could lead to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine.

If you have ever posted a sign on a light pole advertising a yard sale or asking neighbors for help finding your lost tabby, don’t worry, this bill is not aimed at you, Hertzberg said.

“It’s not going after where there is one sign,” he said. “It’s where it’s a pattern and a nuisance.”