Council Members Accuse Padilla of Bias in Shaking Up Committees

In a shake-up that sparked allegations of favoritism and bias, Los Angeles City Council President Alex Padilla on Wednesday announced committee assignments that put his allies--most of them newly elected council members--in control of key panels while excluding some opponents from coveted jobs.

Padilla said he considered the strengths and backgrounds of his colleagues in matching them with their new committee assignments. Mayor James K. Hahn, an ally of Padilla, issued a statement praising the appointments, saying that it and the council’s new organization “will pave the way for meaningful changes in how city government operates.”

But the city’s three African American council members--Mark Ridley-Thomas, Nate Holden and Jan Perry, all of whom backed Councilwoman Ruth Galanter in her unsuccessful presidency bid against Padilla--sharply criticized Padilla for leaving them off the two committees that help decide where anti-poverty, housing and social service programs are targeted.

“It’s a mistake to ignore our districts when it comes to economic development and housing issues,” said Holden, who represents parts of Koreatown and South-Central Los Angeles. “It’s a slap in the face to the black community.”

Padilla, who was elected to the presidency on a 9-5 vote in July, bristled at the suggestion that the committee assignments were racially biased.

“Absolutely not. That is complete nonsense,” said Padilla, who defeated the more experienced Galanter in the presidency contest. “When I went about making the committee assignments I balanced people’s requests with their interests and expertise. I stand by the assignments I made.”

The ability to name council committees and their leaders is one of the most concrete powers given to the group’s president. During his long tenure as council president, John Ferraro routinely used that power to reward allies and punish those he saw as contesting his authority.

Some sources familiar with the selection process said Padilla wielded his power in his first committee appointments to do the same, basing some decisions on who supported him for the presidency, not on race. It just so happened that the five lawmakers who voted against him in his presidency quest last month included the black council members.

“It’s a reflection of how they voted, not who they are,” said one city official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Asked whether he engaged in political payback, Padilla said: “I believe I was fair to everybody. The politics of the presidency election are behind us.”

The committees whose memberships Padilla created Thursday will help set the council’s agenda in the coming year, controlling everything from city budget matters to cable franchising issues.

Padilla’s committee assignments will take effect on Sept. 1.

Among the changes, newly elected Councilman Ed Reyes will take over from veteran Hal Bernson as chairman of the Planning and Land Use Management Committee, also known as PLUM because of its ability to generate campaign contributions. Bernson, who will take over as chairman of the Transportation Committee, also backed Galanter over Padilla for the presidency.

Councilman Nick Pacheco was given the chairmanship of the powerful Budget and Finance Committee, and Janice Hahn will head a potentially high-profile panel, the newly created Committee on Education and Neighborhoods.

Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, who bowed out of the campaign for council president to support Padilla, was left in charge of the Public Safety Committee, which was expanded from three to five members to signal its importance. That panel handles matters relating to the Los Angeles Police Department, ensuring that it invariably is one of the council’s most controversial, closely watched groups.

Councilman Jack Weiss, who also was elected this year, was named to head a committee overseeing parks, libraries and the zoo, but also is vice chairman of the budget panel and a member of the Public Safety Committee.

As one of eight council members who joined Padilla at the news conference for the announcements, Weiss said the assignments signal a sea change for city government.

“It’s a new day in City Hall,” Weiss said. “I think you can feel in this room the new energy, the new vision, the new shared purpose in this city.”

However, others did not share his enthusiasm.

Councilwoman Perry--who did not attend Padilla’s news conference--said she was disappointed that Padilla did not honor her request for appointments to the Economic Development and Employment Committee and the Housing and Community Development Committee.

“Those are the two committees that move a significant amount of money to social problems, which we are facing,” said Perry, whose district, which stretches from downtown to Watts, includes some of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. “We need to generate housing. So to not be on that committee is of grave concern.”

She also questioned the lack of racial balance on the two social service-oriented committees.

“He [Padilla] had expressed a concern about having a racial balance on the Public Safety Committee, which is why he placed me there,” Perry said. “I felt if that was the thinking, then perhaps that logic should have been carried throughout the appointments.”

Perry and others were especially frustrated that Padilla assigned Joel Wachs, who leaves office Oct. 1, to the two social service-oriented committees. She said it appears Padilla might be anticipating that his close political ally, Tony Cardenas, will be elected to Wachs’ seat. But Padilla denied that allegation.

“That is unfounded,” he said. “When I put Wachs on those committees, it was prior to Tony jumping into the race.”

He noted that the 2000 Census showed that Wachs’ 2nd Council District in the east San Fernando Valley was the fastest-growing council district in the city.