L.A. City Treasurer Announces Resignation, Faults Riordan

J. Paul Brownridge said Thursday he will resign as Los Angeles’ city treasurer, four weeks after his salary was cut following a job evaluation that faulted him for lack of leadership and vision.

Brownridge, one of the last of the late Mayor Tom Bradley’s managers, alleged in turn that a lack of direction and leadership by Mayor Richard Riordan has made it difficult for managers in the city. He also called the departure of several top African American managers, such as himself, “disturbing.”

He blamed the mayor’s staff for the high turnover of top city department managers.

“I will suggest to you that many of them have done various things to various people, that have made it very uncomfortable. . . . I find that very, very unacceptable, in light of my contribution to the city,” Brownridge said.

Kelly Martin, the mayor’s chief of staff, denied the mayor’s office has put unreasonable pressure on managers, including African Americans.

Councilwoman Rita Walters called Brownridge a “talented manager” and said the mayor’s staff members have mistreated and pressured former Bradley managers, many of whom were African Americans. But she also said white managers have suffered under Riordan.

“I’m very concerned,” Walters said. “There’s been a large turnover.”

Of the 39 top managers who have left their posts since Riordan took office, 19 are either female or minorities.

“Before Bradley left office there were nine or 10 of us,” said Brownridge, referring to the number of African American department heads. “There are four or five now. When I leave there will be one less.

“I don’t know what it is,” he said, but added: “It’s not coincidence. It’s a little bit disturbing.

“I don’t look at Mayor Riordan . . . deliberately doing any of this. But I say he’s the captain of the team,” Brownridge said.

‘Longstanding Rumblings’

The attrition of African American managers does not concern Joe Hicks, an African American who was appointed during Riordan’s tenure as executive director of the city’s Human Relations Commission.

“I do not buy into the long-standing rumblings that there is a conspiracy against African American general managers in this city,” Hicks said.

Similarly, civil rights attorney Constance Rice, who served under both Bradley and Riordan, said she has seen no evidence that African American managers are being singled out. As with Walters, Rice said she believes their attrition has more to do with Riordan’s office replacing managers from the previous administration with its own players.

“He believes in having his team on the field,” Rice said.

Brownridge, 53, said Riordan and the mayor’s staff members have not provided sufficient leadership and vision, creating an atmosphere, he said, in which it is difficult to manage.

“We haven’t had a meeting of all the top managers in two years. That’s just unacceptable,” Brownridge said. “Mayor Bradley did that several times a year.”

Brownridge also said Riordan is ill-served by a weak staff. Similar criticism was voiced recently by City Administrative Officer Keith Comrie when he announced plans to resign.

As for the complaint on managers not meeting, Martin said, “The mayor is in regular and frequent contact with the general managers.”

She said the criticism from Brownridge and Comrie is not surprising.

“Both men came to the mayor’s office and asked for a buyout and the mayor said ‘no,’ ” Martin said.

Negative Evaluation

Brownridge also said the process by which he was negatively evaluated is flawed and unfair, and threatened to sue the city. The same approach was taken by former Police Chief Willie Williams, who ended up with a $375,000 buyout.

Brownridge said plans to leave his post in the “foreseeable future,” possibly in a few weeks, though he may wait until the new budget is finished in June. The timing depends, in part, on talks he has initiated with Riordan on restoring his pay and providing a possible severance package, including a consulting contract, he said.

“We’re not going to enter into an arrangement with Mr. Brownridge,” Martin said. “He is welcome to stay and do his job or resign. That’s his choice.”

Brownridge’s pay was reduced by 1% to $119,451, which made him ineligible for a 2% cost-of-living increase received by most city employees on Jan. 1. Combined, the pay cut and loss of the cost-of-living increase will cost him about $3,600 annually in pay.

The pay cut was approved by the city’s Executive Employee Relations Committee, which is made up of Riordan and four City Council members. That panel last year approved the recommendation of a job evaluation group that gave Brownridge a rating of 4 on a 1-to-5 scale, with 1 being best and 5 worst.

A rating of 4 means the manager “meets some goals and expectations.” But the detailed evaluation, a copy of which was obtained by The Times, stated, in part, “The treasurer has a problem with communications skills and has demonstrated a lack of creativity, leadership and vision.”