A day after gutting the Charter amendment to create a Rate Payer Advocate as a watchdog on the DWP, City Council President Eric Garcetti flip-flopped Wednesday and agreed to restore two of the provisions that he gutted.
Garcetti acknowledged he faced sharp criticism for his virtuoso performance Tuesday in stripping out of the March 8 ballot measure funding for the Office of Public Accountability, much of the language spelling its powers and even the job title of the Rate Payer Advocate. He prevailed on an 8-7 vote.
After meeting Wednesday morning with Jan Perry and Greig Smith, supporters of a strong Rate Payer Advocate, and Neighborhood Council leaders on DWP reform, Chuck Ray and Jack Humphreville, the Council President announced he was backtracking and would support reinstating the job of Rate Payer Advocate title and minimum funding for the office of $1 million a year but not the detailed elaboration of the office’s authority.
The Council then voted unanimously to put the revised measure on the ballot.
Anonymous 
Sylvester 
Was it because of criticism or because he was convinced it was right?
Do not sell Eric short, He is thoughtful and somewhat deliberate. This is not easy.
Ron’s blog is recording history for a period that will be remembered as the darkest in LA, when shallow and corrupt men with the abetting of the major newspaper ran a great city into the ground.
It is truly a pity that jack Humphreville isn’t running for CD 4.
Jack has done so much in exposing the corrupt DWP. Wish he’d realize that he is 80% into what it takes to win. Why can’t he take the next step that will help in ending corruption in the city. Only Jack can answer that. Time is fleeting.
I threatened Humphreville with violence to get him to run, but it didn’t work.
“Was it because of criticism or because he was convinced it was right?”
It was because of criticism and fear. NOT because he was convinced of anything, because he knew as much as all the activists who were protesting against it.
City Hall generally ALWAYS knows they are screwing you. They just try to get away with as much as possible until they feel the political repercussion outweighs the corruption.
I say the mere fact that this is a waste of tax payer money to put on the ballot, they should have implemented by themselves and we all know the hard work Jack has done for years, he should have been appointed. I say NO to this ballot measure.
The rate payer advocate or OPA or whatever the hell they want to call it will be nothing more than a tool for the Council to justify raiding the proprietary funds. You guys really want to effect positive change on the DWP and every other city department, focus on unpoliticizing the GM position. Work on changing the charter.
Meanwhile, the Council also put a provision on the ballot that would guarantee diversion of DWP money into the General Fund. With all the criticism that used to exist on this blog about DWP being used by the Council as a cash cow, I’m surprised you guys no longer care.
The defeat of Measure B was an amazing underdog success story. The current City Council is ram-rodding several very bad ballot measures through to cover up their own ineffectiveness to deal with the core problems.
For example, as November 18, 2010 3:23 PM stated, there is a ballot measure to make DWP tranfers to the City permanent. This reminds me of the Utility tax fiasco which was passed.
Its time to focus a campaign to “just say no” except to the DWP reform.
Then ask each City Council member why they won’t listen to the average Citizen when putting measures on the ballot.
TO November 17, 2010 1:28 PM, Garcetti is very smart and knows what he is doing. Therefore he tried to pull a fast one for his Union buddies and the Mayor who do not want to surrender control of this cash cow.
I am simply amazed by those that think Garcetti is a saint and don’t see through his phoniness especially when he pulls these 180s.
Now when he runs into real trouble, he does a reverse and thinks by doing so, all is forgiven.