City Council Gets New Committee Assignments

Los Angeles City Council President Alex Padilla doled out new committee assignments Wednesday, handing key positions to allies who backed his recent bid to hold onto his leadership post.

Councilman Bernard C. Parks secured the chairmanship of the powerful Budget and Finance Committee, arguably the most influential panel because it oversees the city’s finances. Parks, the former police chief, also was assigned a seat on the Public Safety Committee and on four other panels.

“It’s going to be a workload,” he said with a laugh.

Parks emerged as a supporter of Padilla shortly after Councilwoman Wendy Greuel dropped her short-lived challenge for the presidency in June.

With the backing of Parks and Councilman Martin Ludlow, Padilla appeared to have enough votes to win a contested election. In the end, no one challenged him and the council voted unanimously July 1 to give him a second term as president.

Padilla said Wednesday that politics did not play a role in his committee assignments.

“I really tried to achieve the greatest balance of peoples’ interests, passions and experiences,” he said.

Ludlow received the chairmanship of a new committee that will handle matters related to conventions, tourism and the entertainment industry; and Councilman Tony Cardenas, a longtime Padilla friend and ally, will run the committee that oversees Los Angeles International Airport, the Department of Water and Power and the Port of Los Angeles.

Cardenas, who as a state legislator was chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, was also assigned a seat on the Budget Committee and put in charge of the Ad Hoc Committee on Business Tax Reform.

Meanwhile, Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski kept her post as the chair of the Public Safety Committee, and Councilman Ed Reyes retained his leadership of the Planning and Land Use Management Committee. Councilman Eric Garcetti will head a newly consolidated panel that deals with housing and economic development. All backed Padilla.

Council members who supported Greuel’s presidential bid did not fare as well. Councilman Jack Weiss lost his seat on the Budget Committee, and Councilwoman Jan Perry will have to exchange her post as chair of the Public Works Committee for the chair of Environmental Quality and Waste Management.

Greuel was assigned to be chairwoman of the Audits and Governmental Efficiency Committee, having been dropped from her seat as chairwoman of the Housing Committee.

Greuelalso lost her seat as chairwoman of the Ad Hoc Committee of Business Tax Reform, although she will still be on the panel.

But the councilwoman said she doesn’t have any complaints. Although the Audits Committee is traditionally viewed as one of the less influential panels, Greuel said she wanted to run the committee.

“Reform and good government have been a priority for me,” she said, adding that committee assignments do not determine the issues that council members can work on.

“No matter what your passion is, you’re able to speak out,” she said.

Padilla’s first committee assignments two years ago stirred protest when he kept the three African American council members who opposed his presidency off key panels related to housing and economic development. Black community leaders packed the council chambers to complain, and the new president was forced to alter the assignments.

This year, there were a few criticisms.

Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who will remain as chairwoman of the Education and Neighborhood Committee, said she is happy with her assignments but expressed concern that no female council members were assigned to the five-member panel that deals with housing and economic development.

“I think that’s an oversight on the part of the president,” said Hahn, who plans to discuss the matter with Padilla. “So many of the economic and housing issues deal with families.... At least one woman would bring a better perspective.”

The new assignments will take effect Monday.