CHARTER REFORM FUNDING IN DISPUTE.

Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer

The Los Angeles City Council balked Wednesday at funding the newly elected Charter Reform Commission, drawing charges from Councilman Nate Holden that his colleagues are trying to hinder and meddle with the panel's independent work.

The council sent the issue to committee, where members said they will ask the new commission to submit a work plan and budget as well as a report on how they might work together with a separate commission appointed last year by the City Council.

``To appropriate anything right now, without asking for some accounting, I think would be irresponsible,'' said Councilman Richard Alatorre, chairman of the council's Budget and Finance Committee, which will review the issue.

Mayor Richard Riordan said earlier this week that he would privately raise the money to fund the work of the 15-member elected commission, created by an initiative bankrolled by the mayor. The panel may need as much as $2 million to hire consultants and do studies of the 72-year-old charter.

Holden, however, brought in a motion calling for the city to finance the elected commission's work so that it would remain independent from Riordan and his supporters.

``You owe the people of this city the right to have an independent commission funded by them, the taxpayers,'' he said.

Addressing his fellow council members, Holden charged that delaying the city funding proposal is an effort to set back the work of the elected commission. He said he believes the motive of the delay was to benefit the panel appointed by council members.

``You are being politically cute, but it's not going to work,'' Holden said. ``You know darn well this is nothing more than a stalling tactic. This commission should be hitting the ground running.''

If the council hinders the work of the elected commission, Holden said he would support an effort to abolish the 21-member appointed panel.

Riordan sought the creation of the elected panel with power to submit reforms directly to the voters as an alternative to the appointed panel, whose recommendations can be revised or vetoed by the council.

The council already has allocated more than $1 million to the appointed commission, which has used the funds to hire staffers and researchers, and to order studies.

Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg submitted a motion to give the two commissions 45 days to submit reports on whether they can work together, because sharing researchers and other resources could affect the money needed by the elected panel.

``We're having a very interesting debate about what they ought to do,'' Goldberg said. ``I think we should just ask them.''

She said some commissioners want both panels to work closely together while others do not want city funding because they fear it will raise questions about the panel's independence from city officials.

Council members Laura Chick, Hal Bernson and Mike Feuer also said they would encourage the panels to cooperate.

Bernson said he hopes the panels can quickly reach consensus on some charter changes so they can be put on the ballot.