COUNCIL MEMBERS SKIP TRIBUTE, CANCEL MEETING.Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer For the second time in a month, a protest by Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. members Friday played a role in shutting down the council meeting - this time when women members decided to skip a ceremony honoring retiring City Clerk In the United States, a City Clerk is an elected or appointed official who is responsible as the official keeper of the municipal records. In some places, the Clerk may be known as the "Village Clerk" or "Town Clerk". Lee Martinez. The council was scheduled to give Martinez a resolution saluting him for 36 years of service. Instead, with only eight council members present, the council adjourned for lack of a quorum, delaying the whole agenda of business until Tuesday. ``It's a shame some council members decided not to attend,'' said City Councilman Mike Hernandez. ``He (Martinez) put in service to the city, and he deserves to be recognized like everyone else.'' Martinez was fired in 1993 by then-Mayor Tom Bradley Noun 1. Tom Bradley - United States politician who was elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles (1917-1998) Bradley, Thomas Bradley with the concurrence CONCURRENCE, French law. The equality of rights, or privilege which several persons-have over the same thing; as, for example, the right which two judgment creditors, Whose judgments were rendered at the same time, have to be paid out of the proceeds of real estate bound by them. Dict. de Jur. h.t. of the City Council for allegedly engaging in sexual touching of one female employee and making sexual comments to others. The clerk appealed the firing and the Civil Service Commission reinstated Martinez in 1994, finding there was insufficient evidence insufficient evidence n. a finding (decision) by a trial judge or an appeals court that the prosecution in a criminal case or a plaintiff in a lawsuit has not proved the case because the attorney did not present enough convincing evidence. to support the firing. Some women in City Hall remained critical of Martinez, but the council could not muster the two-thirds majority to overturn the commission action. On Friday, Councilwomen Jackie Goldberg Jackie Goldberg (born June 16, 1937) is an American politician and teacher, and a member of the Democratic Party. She is a former member of the California State Assembly. , Laura Chick and Ruth Galanter Ruth Galanter was a city councilwoman from Los Angeles. She served as President Pro-Tempore and President of the city council. had asked that the Martinez ceremony be scheduled as the first order of business at 10 a.m. so they could come in afterward, officials said. The fourth woman on the City Council, Rita Walters Rita Walters (1930-) is currently the commissioner of the Los Angeles Public Library. Prior to this position, she served on the Los Angeles City Council representing the 9th district. During that time, she chaired the Arts, Health & Humanities Committee. , had an excused absence and was on vacation Friday, an aide said. ``I was not present for the presentations purposely,'' Chick said. ``I didn't want to participate in a ceremony honoring a city employee who had unresolved controversy swirling around him.'' Galanter said she had voted to dismiss Martinez two years ago and still does not believe the Civil Service Commission was right to overturn his firing. ``I don't wish Mr. Martinez any ill-will,'' Galanter said. ``I just felt I would not be comfortable in participating in a ceremony where people would say a lot of things I didn't believe in.'' Chick and Galanter said it was not their intent to prevent the council from achieving a quorum, and blamed the situation on miscommunication. Martinez said he was surprised to arrive in the council chambers on his last day on the job to find the council had adjourned, and hopes to still get his resolution from Councilman Richard Alatorre at a future meeting. Alatorre arrived early for the ceremony but Martinez wasn't there because he had not expected Alatorre until 11 a.m. Goldberg and Galanter waited in the hallway just outside the council chambers while Laura Chick stayed in her office. By 10:39 a.m., with Martinez, Chick and Galanter still not present, Goldberg entered the chamber. But there were only eight council members and the council voted to adjourn adjourn v. the final closing of a meeting, such as a convention, a meeting of the board of directors, or any official gathering. It should not be confused with a recess, meaning the meeting will break and then continue at a later time. (See: recess, session) for lack of a 10-person quorum. Last month, Chick had sharply criticized colleagues for a walkout that broke a quorum and delayed action on sewer fee changes that will benefit many San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. homeowners. Chick said Friday that she was supposed to be on call to enter the council chambers if her presence was needed to keep a quorum to conduct the other business on the agenda. ``I get really upset when we have a situation where a quorum is broken because of unexcused absences,'' Chick said. ``I try not to contribute to that. This pains me greatly.'' However, she also said it would have been ``inconsistent'' of her to attend the ceremony honoring Martinez after she had joined other council members in refusing to sign the resolution honoring the retiring clerk. Galanter, who was still in the hallway at the time of the adjournment A putting off or postponing of proceedings; an ending or dismissal of further business by a court, legislature, or public official—either temporarily or permanently. , said she had made it clear that she should be called in if a quorum was needed for the regular agenda. Goldberg declined to discuss the adjournment. |
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