Los Angeles Mayor’s Powers

* Re “Casualties in the Mayor’s Brawl With the Council,” Opinion, Jan. 30: Xandra Kayden’s article was laden with sweeping, inaccurate characterizations and demonstrated a lack of understanding of the mayor’s authority under both the current and new city charters.

The current charter requires that the mayor “exercise a close supervision over all its affairs.” The new charter brings more accountability to city government by designating the mayor as the chief executive officer of the city. It vests the mayor with the city’s management authority and the responsibility for evaluating the performance of general managers. Kayden says that I am behaving as if I have “absolute power over city government” because I request general managers to submit proposals to my office for review before forwarding them to the City Council. How else is a mayor supposed to supervise the work of employees, provide input into policy debates and justify the conduct of the executive branch? A true checks-and-balances system includes executive oversight independent of the legislative branch.

One of the tragic symptoms of an entrenched bureaucracy is an inability to recognize its failings. Unfortunately, Kayden is caught in that trap. Fortunately, Angelenos are not and overwhelmingly adopted a new city charter. As the city emerges onto the world stage, this charter will help build a better Los Angeles for the new century. It will support accountability for elected leaders, insist on a true balance of powers and encourage leadership and vision. Defenders of the status quo will seek to characterize legitimate exercise of authority as overstepping bounds. These characterizations are as inaccurate as they are transparent. We owe it to Angelenos to embrace the new charter and take advantage of the opportunities it provides to create an accountable, more responsive city government.

RICHARD J. RIORDAN

Mayor of Los Angeles