L.A. Councilwoman Janice Hahn urges city to annex Vernon

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn on Wednesday introduced a motion calling for Los Angeles to annex Vernon, the small industrial city that has come under fire for the salaries and benefits paid to its top officials.

Hahn is the latest in a growing group of city and state officials pressing for drastic action in Vernon. Her motion was referred to the city’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee and will be voted on in the next weeks, her chief of staff said.

The motion comes after a Times story detailing talks of disbanding Vernon among various officials, including Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley, Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles) and state Sen. Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate).

“By virtually any measure, Vernon does not appear to be operating as a city,” Hahn said in the motion. “Recent comments by state legislators show that this is a serious issue that must be addressed.”

Two weeks ago, Cooley’s office brought conflict-of-interest charges against former Vernon city administrator Donal O’Callaghan. Prosecutors allege that O’Callaghan was involved in two contracts the city established with his wife..

The state attorney general’s office is also investigating Vernon. Days after the O’Callaghan indictment, the agency subpoenaed testimony from the city on compensation received by several top officials, including O’Callaghan and Eric T. Fresch, the former city attorney and city administrator who earned as much as $1.6 million in 2008.

Hahn’s motion makes specific note of redevelopment funding Vernon did not spend on affordable housing. Most of the roughly 100 residents in Vernon live in homes owned by the city. Many have close connections to City Hall.

“The time has come for the status of Vernon as a legitimate governmental agency to be reconsidered and its governmental authority to be annexed to the city of Los Angeles,” she said.

For decades, Vernon has been dogged by claims that it is a fiefdom controlled by a group of families and their associates. It shares a small border with Los Angeles, south of the 10 Freeway.

Hahn’s motion specifically instructs the chief legislative analyst to prepare a feasibility report on the annexation, “including a review of the actions necessary to implement this action, an economic impact analysis, and consideration of other relevant actions and impacts.”

sam.allen@latimes.com