COMMISSIONS DIMINISHING; CITIZENS PANELS SAY THEY ARE BEING CUT OUT OF CITY DECISIONS.

Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer

In a simmering dispute that foreshadows the debate over charter reform, some Los Angeles city commissioners are objecting to what they believe is the diminishing role of the citizen panels in city government.

One proposal under consideration by charter reform groups is to do away with, or lessen the power of citizen commissions in advising and, in some cases, running city agencies.

A Charter Reform Commission appointed by the City Council has scheduled a public hearing for Oct. 29 to discuss the role of citizen commissions and whether it should be diminished.

However, some city commissioners say they already are seeing a reduction in the role of the commissions, citing cases where proposals by commissioners are ignored by the mayor, City Council or bureaucrats, where commission staffs are cut and meetings are called less frequently.

``We have felt our role has become to take the heat from the public when things go wrong and nothing else,'' said one member of the Board of Animal Regulation Commissioners, who spoke on condition of anonymity. ``We have conveyed that (concern) to the mayor's staff.''

Another member of the same commission, Mimi Robins, complained openly that the panel's work was ignored by Mayor Richard Riordan on one major issue recently.

The commission wrote to Riordan on Sept. 9 recommending that Jerry Greenwalt, the assistant general manager of the Animal Services Department, be named interim general manager.

``Unlike any other city commission, the Board of Animal Regulation Commissioners has been intimately involved in the management of this department,'' the board wrote. ``We hope you will appreciate and seriously consider our input as you make this decision.''

On Thursday, Riordan announced that he is appointing Deputy Mayor Sharon Morris as the interim general manager.

``I feel very betrayed,'' Robins said. ``That the mayor bothers to appoint commissioners and doesn't bother to listen to them. Why have a commission?''

Mayoral spokeswoman Noelia Rodriguez said Riordan made his decision based on who was in the best position to change the beleaguered department.

``Sharon has the skills and background needed to make the changes,'' Rodriguez said.

She denied that the mayor is downgrading the role of citizen commissions in his administration.

``Commissioners are still a key part of city government,'' Rodriguez said.

Planning Commission Vice President Robert Scott said he feels the same disappointment with how his commission's actions have often been disregarded by the City Council.

Scott is still angry over the council's recent decision to kill the Red Tail Hawk golf course proposed for the Tujunga Wash after the Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the project following months of hearings and study.

``Certainly with the Red Tail Hawk project, the council made the commission moot in terms of what it had done,'' Scott said.

He accused the council of killing the project to punish one of its participants, not based on the merits of the project.

``That's probably the best example of how dysfunctional city government is,'' said Scott, who has become active in the charter reform movement.

Scott and other commissioners say their panels' support staffs have been cut significantly, which can hinder the operation of commissions.

Building and Safety Commission Vice President Lee Alpert recently complained to his agency's managers that the panel was being left out of major decisions, including a proposal that eliminated two support staff members for the commission.

``I told them candidly that any time there's a reduction in staff like this it's a concern,'' Alpert said, adding that the smaller the support staff, the less accessible a commission can be to the public.

At the same recent meeting, Alpert complained that the commission had not been told about broad-based staff cuts in the Building and Safety Department and that one inspector had been arrested for accepting bribes.

``I asked them to clarify the role of the commission,'' Alpert said, adding he and other commissioners were surprised to be told that the panel is strictly advisory.