Riordan’s End-of-Term Transfers of Money

Re “Riordan Ran Rings Around the City Charter,” by Erwin Chemerinsky, Commentary, Sept. 6:

If there is a negative to be found, leave it to a professor to find it. In going over the transfers of money from savings produced by a surplus in his office, Mayor Richard Riordan, in his last days, used part of these funds for special projects and bonuses. Not everyone might agree with this, but they were generally good causes (after-school programs, Central Library). In the case of the staff members, they probably won’t get the “special consulting fees” that seem to be offered to politicians who have to leave office because of term limits.

Also not mentioned was the annual salary of $1 per year that the mayor took, leaving the rest for Los Angeles. Add that up over eight years and see how much Los Angeles gained during his leadership. Jumping on Riordan for his last budget transfers is much ado about nothing. This kind of act generally can only happen once, at the end of a term of a mayor. It just might be a good way to get a few things done that wouldn’t happen any other way.

Michael Sandford

Thousand Oaks

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I was happy to read that Mayor Riordan distributed surplus funds to deserving individuals and agencies. How I wish that some of that money had been earmarked to plant trees on our city streets and in our aging neighborhoods.

Toby M. Horn

Los Angeles

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Chemerinsky’s commentary was right on target, but it left out one element: the corrupt mentality of the former mayor. The Mafia and drug cartels do the exact same thing that Riordan did with laundered money: distribute it to children’s programs, parks and athletic programs; they, too, put their names on buildings, as the former mayor did with the L.A. Central Library. It’s all about vanity and buying loyalty.

Martin Ostrye

South Pasadena