CRA Employees Want Right to Respond

* I am writing to you as the business representative for the 195 employees of the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees to address issues raised in recent articles and the Nov. 30 editorial regarding the CRA.

The employees of the L.A. Community Redevelopment Agency are committed, professional employees who have continually toiled to carry out the mission of the agency under ever-growing adverse conditions. These conditions include a dwindling staff, decreasing financial resources and a leadership that understands neither the process of redevelopment nor the differences in approach between public-sector and private-sector management.

These employees believe that the hiring of a private investigative firm by the agency administrator is indicative of the difficult work environment in which they find themselves. This same climate and zeal to take credit for [uncovering] alleged improprieties have resulted in the agency leadership’s acceptance of an audit that is based on allegations of unnamed persons from an improperly commissioned private report, which none of the agency employees has been even given an opportunity to respond to. This investigation by innuendo we believe resulted in gross violations of civil liberties and surveillance of agency employees without any kind of demonstrated probable cause.

While we are as concerned as any other citizens about potential financial irregularities, we demand that the City Council take the necessary steps to ensure that the private lives of public employees be protected from inappropriate intrusions by government administrative leadership, and we demand the right for employees to respond fully and fairly, prior to these public pronouncements of guilt. We look forward to working with the city controller’s office to correct any errors and misinterpretations and to strengthen this important agency so that the employees can continue their service to the communities.

DAVID COCHRAN, Business Rep.

AFSCME Council 36, Los Angeles