CHARTER GROUPS LOOK AT CRAFTING ONE PLAN.Byline: David R. Baker Daily News Staff Writer Formed separately to do the same job, the two groups trying to rewrite re·write v. re·wrote , re·writ·ten , re·writ·ing, re·writes v.tr. 1. To write again, especially in a different or improved form; revise. 2. Los Angeles' City Charter are now discussing ways to join efforts and produce a single, unified blueprint blueprint, white-on-blue photographic print, commonly of a working drawing used during building or manufacturing. The plan is first drawn to scale on a special paper or tracing cloth through which light can penetrate. for the city's government. At stake, leaders of both groups say, could be the future of charter reform and the hope for sweeping change in the way Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. operates. If the two commissions - an advisory one appointed by the City Council, the other elected by voters - cannot agree on a single set of proposed changes to the charter, they risk splitting support for reform. ``There is a much greater chance of a new charter passing if there's just one proposal on the ballot,'' said 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. , chairman of the elected commission. Members of Chemerinsky's group have proposed forming, together with their appointed counterparts, a conference committee that could iron out any differences that pop up as the two groups draft their proposals. The appointed commission's recommendations must go to the City Council, which can amend them or even kill them altogether. The elected commission can take its recommendations directly to voters. George David George David is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of United Technologies Corporation. David was elected UTC’s President in 1992 and Chief Executive Officer in 1994. He joined UTC’s Otis Elevator subsidiary in 1975 and became its President in 1986. Kieffer, chairman of the appointed Charter Reform Commission, said his group would study the idea of joining forces. ``It would not be helpful to go down two different tracks or try to have two different charter reform proposals,'' he said. ``It would just confuse con·fuse v. con·fused, con·fus·ing, con·fus·es v.tr. 1. a. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off. b. the public.'' Collaboration won't be easy, if for no other reason than timing. The appointed Charter Reform Commission will finish its first round of public hearings, soliciting residents' suggestions on how to change the 1925 charter, Wednesday night in North Hills. The elected group, however, won't start similar hearings until Feb. 9. The two commissions also have different procedures to follow on their recommendations as well as different deadlines to meet. The elected group wants to go to the voters in June 1999 - the appointed group prefers April of the same year. Both organizations have long recognized the need to work together. Their chairmen meet regularly, and each group has designated liaison committees The Liaison Committee is a topical committee of the British House of Commons, the lower house of the United Kingdom Parliament. It includes the Chairmen of the 30 Select Committees. to stay in touch with each other. The proposed conference committee would take that working relationship several steps further. Committee members would hash out Verb 1. hash out - speak with others about (something); talk (something) over in detail; have a discussion; "We discussed our household budget" talk over, discuss potential differences between the groups - perhaps over such questions as the role of the mayor and the City Council, for example - as they arose, giving each commission time to consult the other before finishing its work. The committee could not only create a kind of united front between the two groups, it could put pressure on the Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. to
accept the proposed reforms without changing them, Chemerinsky said.
If both appointed and elected commissions agreed on the same proposed changes to the charter, the elected commission could then take those changes to the voters, whether or not council members approved. At the very least, the council would have a hard time rejecting any proposal backed by both groups, said elected Commissioner William Weinberger. ``If both commissions come up with the same reform proposal, it would be very difficult not to let that go to a vote of the people,'' he said. Kieffer, chairman of the appointed committee, said any collaboration between the two groups should not be viewed as a way to eliminate anyone from the reform process, including the City Council. ``I don't think it's wise to cut out any of the major groups affected by charter reform,'' Kieffer said. ``We as a commission are very comfortable with our charge that what we're going to recommend will be recommended to the council, and they can have their input.'' PUBLIC MEETING The appointed commission studying changes to Los Angeles' City Charter - the blueprint for the city's government - will hold a public forum Wednesday in North Hills to solicit residents' suggestions. The three-hour meeting will start at 6 p.m. at James Monroe High School James Monroe High School may refer to:
AVE Average AVE Alta Velocidad Espanola (train between Madrid and Seville) AVE Alta Velocidad Española (Spanish: High Speed Train) AVE Audio Video Entertainment AVE Advertising Value Equivalent . CAPTION(S): box |
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