CHAIRMAN OF CHARTER PANEL CALLS FOR DELAY.Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer Fearing efforts for a charter reform compromise would be scuttled, the chairman of Los Angeles' elected Charter Reform Commission called on Wednesday for his panel to delay reconsideration of its proposal to give more power to the mayor. Commission Chairman Erwin Chemerinsky Erwin Chemerinsky (born 1953) is a well-known professor of Constitutional law and federal civil procedure, has recently accepted a position at the University of California, Irvine, in the new Donald Bren School of Law, beginning in 2009. proposed tabling the issue indefinitely even as he and George Kieffer, chairman of the City Council-appointed Charter Reform Commission, detailed their tentative compromise agreement on several relatively minor proposals. The chairmen plan to submit their recommendations - involving finance issues, the Public Works Department Many governments worldwide have had departments or ministries referred to as the Public Works Department either formally or informally. In Australia: - New South Wales -
However, in a sign that the two panels remain far apart on some issues, Chemerinsky said voting again now on the mayor's power to fire managers could jeopardize any hope of coming up with one charter proposal. ``I have strong reason to believe that a reaffirmation of our prior decision will cause the appointed commission to conclude that a single charter is impossible,'' he wrote. ``I would very much prefer that we continue to work for as long as possible to a single charter proposal.'' The appointed commission has recommended maintaining the status quo [Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending controversy. , requiring the City Council to concur before the mayor can remove a general manager. However, with the mayor, City Council members and labor leaders all lobbying the elected commissioners, some of them say they have changed their minds about giving the mayor sole power to fire department managers. Chemerinsky said he and other commissioners have been subjected to ``intense pressure'' from both sides on the issue, with Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. supporting the recommendation and City Council President John Ferraro John Ferraro (May 14 1924—April 17 2001) served as a Los Angeles City Councilman from 1966 until his death. Early life Ferraro was born in the working class suburb of Cudahy, California, just south of Los Angeles. and city union leaders opposing it. ``If such a choice is to be made, I would prefer it come as late as possible in the process,'' Chemerinsky wrote. ``If we decide the issue now, we seriously risk permanently alienating al·ien·ate tr.v. al·ien·at·ed, al·ien·at·ing, al·ien·ates 1. To cause to become unfriendly or hostile; estrange: alienate a friend; alienate potential supporters by taking extreme positions. an important constituency and lessening their willingness to work with us on other issues.'' The chairmen have found some common ground. Kieffer said he has agreed to recommend to the appointed panel that it adopt the elected commission's proposal to create a position of general manager for the Public Works Department, in addition to keeping the full-time Public Works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. Board. To strengthen the mayor's role in finances, Kieffer and Chemerinsky agreed to support allowing the mayor to approve intra- and interdepartmental in·ter·de·part·men·tal adj. Involving or representing different departments, as of a business, an academic institution, or a government: "the petty interdepartmental squabbling that surrounds the making of . . . transfers of funds - a power that now rests with the city administrative officer. Kieffer also agreed to support the elected panel's proposals to have the city controller do performance audits, monitor debt and sign off on expenditures. They also agreed to support the appointed commission's proposal that City Council redistricting be given to an independent commission that would make recommendations to the council, with the council retaining the power to make the final decision. |
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