Extra Duties Make Bernson Council’s Stipend King

When Mayor James K. Hahn reappointed Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson to the MTA board last week, he awarded Bernson not just another turn in a plum political assignment, but also a continued opportunity to supplement the councilman’s $133,000 annual salary.

Although Los Angeles council members are the highest paid in the nation, they still enjoy many opportunities to pad their incomes at taxpayer expense.

The key is to get appointed to the many regional commissions that pay stipends on top of council salaries, a legal and time-honored practice. Bernson has managed to land the most spots on the panels.

Last year, the Granada Hills resident pocketed $6,450 in stipends for his service on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, whose appointees receive $150 per meeting.

Bernson also received $2,400 last year for attending 16 meetings of the Local Agency Formation Commission, which oversees boundary changes for government jurisdictions.

Then there was the $1,440 Bernson made attending all 12 meetings of the Southern California Assn. of Governments, a regional planning agency.

Add to that the $1,900 he received as a member of the governing board of the Southern California Rail Authority, which runs the Metrolink commuter train system.

Bernson also took in $1,700 for 17 board meetings for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

His total take last year on top of his council salary: $13,890.

The councilman says his time is worth every cent.

“I put in an awful lot of extra effort in those things I’m involved in. I put in a lot of extra study,” Bernson said.

But some taxpayer advocates say the stipends allow elected officials to milk the system.

“They receive a salary that is four times what the average worker makes. That should be enough,” said Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn.

“I attend night meetings and I don’t get extra money for that. It comes as part of my job.”

Some of Bernson’s constituents agree with Vosburgh that the stipends are excessive, especially when added to other perks, such as a city car.

“An elected official is already being paid, so they should not get extra money,” said Walter Prince, a director of the Northridge Chamber of Commerce.

Greig Smith, Bernson’s chief of staff, said one argument he has heard is that if Los Angeles officials did not accept stipends, fewer would attend the meetings of regional boards. Those boards would then tend to be dominated by representatives from smaller cities.

But no other council member’s stipend income comes close to Bernson’s.

All members are entitled to serve on the SCAG board, but only a few attend its sessions, each of which pays $120.

Last year, then-Councilman Mike Hernandez received $1,320 for attending 11 of the SCAG meetings. Former Councilman Rudy Svorinich Jr. collected $1,300 for attending 13 meetings of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority board.

Although many of the meetings that council members attend are outside City Hall, Bernson has on occasion received stipends without even leaving his office.

Expense claims he filed include payments for meetings in his city office with air quality management district officials.

On May 16, he was paid $100 for meeting in his office with the district’s executive officer, Barry Wallerstein. Bernson also was paid six times for teleconferencing into AQMD committee meetings from City Hall.

On many occasions, he has skipped council meetings to attend board sessions.

The councilman said he has taken on the outside assignments because he enjoys representing the city on important issues.

“Frankly, it’s something you do because you think you can do something positive, not for the stipends,” Bernson said.