CITY OFFICE OF RISK MANAGEMENT SOUGHT.

Byline: KERRY CAVANAUGH Staff Writer

Hoping to prevent expensive and explosive lawsuits, such as the recent case of a black firefighter seeking $2.7 million for discrimination, Councilman Dennis Zine and City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo want a team to identify risks before they become huge liabilities.

Zine will introduce a motion today asking the city administrative officer to determine whether an office of risk management would be able to pick up on patterns of bad behavior and protect the city from future liability.

His motion follows a slew of discrimination and harassment lawsuits filed by Los Angeles Fire Department employees, including one by Tennie Pierce, who sought $2.7 million after colleagues put dog food in his spaghetti. The council originally approved that settlement but later upheld a mayoral veto.

``The inappropriate actions of city employees can lead to millions of dollars in legal judgements against the city,'' Zine wrote in his motion.

Delgadillo has sought a risk management team within his office for five years, but has not gotten Council support.

``There are critical gaps in the liability system that continue to suck out taxpayer dollars,'' Delgadillo said Monday. ``We have asked for a risk management team to do proactive investigations to prevent cases like the Pierce case and other cases pointed out by Controller Laura Chick's audit (of the Fire Department).''

Delgadillo wants seven positions, including one chief administrator, three deputy city attorneys and three administrative coordinators, at a cost of $416,000 for the last six months of the fiscal year.

Several city departments have risk management divisions and the City Administrative Office has a risk management office, which focuses on contracting and insurance.

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