Riordan OKs Raises for Top Officials

Exercising the new powers awarded to him by charter reform, Mayor Richard Riordan has handed out handsome raises over the last month to many of his department heads, according to figures released Monday.

Police Chief Bernard C. Parks became the highest-paid official in the city when the mayor boosted his annual salary to $257,116. Even before the raise, Parks earned tens of thousands of more than the police chiefs in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.

Eighteen of the city’s 36 top executives have received raises this month, all of them averaging 4% to 5%. That boosted the median salary to nearly $164,000.

David Freeman, head of the Department of Water and Power, received a $16,000-a-year raise--bringing his salary to $241,227. Larry A. Keller, head of the harbor department, saw his salary increase from $206,466 to $233,063.

Riordan is expected to finish up his reviews of the city’s general mangers by the end of the month. Meanwhile, it is up to the City Council to decide whether to give an increase to Chief Legislative Analyst Ronald Deaton, who earns about $245,000.

A study released earlier this month showed that Los Angeles executives ranked among the most richly compensated public officials in the country.

Riordan and other city leaders have defended the large salaries, saying money is needed to lure top managers away from private companies.

“The mayor believes in hiring good people and holding them accountable,” said Deputy Mayor Ben Austin, Riordan’s spokesman. “If that means paying top dollar, then that’s what we’ll do.

“If you think it’s expensive to hire talented people, try hiring untalented people. It’s penny wise and pound foolish,” Austin said.

But government critics have called the salaries an outrageous waste of taxpayer money.

“The raises come on the heels of the city’s own study indicating that upper management exceeded that of other jurisdictions,” said Jon Coupal, who heads the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. “It seems to me the city needs a dose of reality.”

Councilman Joel Wachs, meanwhile, said he questioned whether Parks deserved the maximum raise available under the charter at a time when the city is muddling through the biggest police scandal in its history.

“I don’t think the department’s performance merits that kind of an increase,” said Wachs, who is running for mayor. “To get a top rating is like telling someone that this is the best they can do. No one can tell me that is the best the chief and the department can do.”

Wachs said he would seek a public review of the raises; he is calling for colleagues on the City Council to review the matter in open session.

Before charter reform, executive raises were decided by a committee of city officials and ratified by the council. As of July 1, the mayor has the power to award raises up to 5%.

Other city officials have suggested that the council take steps to change the new system. Perhaps a system in which the mayor would be allowed to give bonuses to top performers instead of pay increases would be more practical, one official said.

Either way, Wachs said he wants the public to have a say.

“The public can and should play a meaningful role in evaluating the performance of our city’s general managers,” Wachs said. “Without question, people in the harbor area have strong feelings regarding the impact and performance of the harbor department and its general manager in relation to the surrounding community.

“And most certainly, people throughout Los Angeles have strong feelings regarding the quality of service and performance of the . . . chief of police.”

Some council members, however, said they believe the increases were justified.

“A number of the people in question have performed admirably,” said Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who heads the council’s Personnel Committee. “They should be compensated accordingly.”

For example, he noted that Freeman has been effective at the city’s Department of Water and Power, which has been largely untouched by the power crisis plaguing most of the state.

Meanwhile, Freeman’s counterpart at troubled Southern California Edison makes $593,000 a year, plus bonuses.

Ridley-Thomas also said that he believes Parks’ pay increase is justified.

“You would be hard pressed to find a city employee who works harder than Bernard Parks,” Ridley-Thomas said. “No matter what his shortcomings are, you would be hard pressed to find a better chief of police.”