Controller Criticizes Mayor Hahn’s Leadership

Months after endorsing Mayor James K. Hahn for reelection, Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick accused him Thursday of a failure of leadership and questioned whether he was fulfilling his City Charter responsibilities to evaluate the heads of city departments annually.

Chick said she is concerned that the mayor-appointed Harbor Commission has not yet completed a job performance evaluation of Larry Keller, executive director of the port.

She sent a letter to Hahn on Thursday to remind him of his responsibility under the charter and told reporters, whom she had called to her office, that she had some concerns about the mayor.

“We don’t have the kind of strong, visionary leadership that this city needs at this particular time,” Chick said.

Deputy Mayor Doane Liu said Chick is mistaken. He said every general manager is evaluated annually by a deputy in the mayor’s office who submits the report to the mayor and his chief of staff.

In addition, Liu said, general managers are called in each month to explain how their department is performing as part of a computer-aided tracking system called L.A. Stat.

Liu bristled at Chick’s criticism of the mayor’s leadership.

“I hate it when I go to a baseball game and sit down next to some loud, obnoxious fan yelling at the players on the field,” Liu said. “Mayor Hahn is a player on the field.”

Chick countered that having a deputy in the mayor’s office evaluate general managers is not the kind of high-level review that the mayor should be conducting.

The controller, whose office waiting room features a large photo of her and mayoral candidate Bob Hertzberg, said Hahn is running out of time to convince her that he deserves to keep her endorsement.

She also announced that she is launching new audits of contracting in the Public Works Department, as well as the financing of the Building and Safety, and Parks and Recreation departments.