L.A.'s controller calls for special review of bond sales: failure to set up programs stalls sale of $1 billion in bonds.The Los Angeles City Controller The Los Angeles City Controller is an official in the government of the city of Los Angeles, California. The City Controller is the auditor and chief accounting officer of the city. is "urgently" calling for a special outside review of the failure of the Public Works Department Many governments worldwide have had departments or ministries referred to as the Public Works Department either formally or informally. In Australia: - New South Wales -
City Controller Rick Tuttle Rick Tuttle (born 1940) was Los Angeles City Controller from 1985 to 2001. He stressed the importance of creating a strong democratic influence at UCLA, which was in his words "the best large public university in a major city. , in a letter to Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. , complained that while the city faces a financial crisis, several needed programs for which funds are available have yet to be launched due to a "multitude of delays and excuses." "Obviously this program is not on time. A greater concern is whether these programs will be on budget," Tuttle wrote. Tuttle complained about this problem two years ago, back when the city was sitting on about $500 million in voter-approved bonds for infrastructure improvements, including $53 million to renovate 15 public library branches to meet earthquake building code standards and build three new libraries in the 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. . The library bond measure was approved by voters in 1989, along with $176 million in police facilities bonds (for a new police academy, driver training facility and enlarged station) and fire life safety improvement bonds. In 1990, voters approved the sale of more bonds for seismic improvements. And since the issue of the unsold bonds was raised two years ago, voters have approved another bond sale - Proposition M, to fund improvements to the emergency-call 911 system. In 1992, the city adopted its Bond Acceleration Program. Since then, little has been done and the situation has gotten worse instead of better, said Administrative Deputy City Controller Tim Lynch. The City Administrative Officer is in charge of selling the bonds, but Lynch pointed out that the bonds can't be sold until there is a specific plan to spend the money. That's because if the bonds are sold and the money isn't spent within two-and-a-half years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time city has to pay arbitrage arbitrage: see foreign exchange. arbitrage Business operation involving the purchase of foreign currency, gold, financial securities, or commodities in one market and their almost simultaneous sale in another market, in order to profit from price penalties. Tuttle noted in his letter than only 15 percent, or $145 million of the $1 billion allocated, has been spent. About half of the library improvement projects are now under construction. "A few years ago, we thought the magic answer was to sit around a table and work something out," said Lynch. "The fact that it still hasn't come forward means there's something more fundamental wrong." Over the past two years, such things as riots This is a chronological list of riots: 17th century and earlier
"What we have here is a combination of factors. You pick a time frame, and I'll tell you what reason they gave us (for the delays)," said Lynch. "We can't keep things on schedule when anything else goes wrong. "This is probably the largest set of public works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. projects being directed by one entity, the City of Los Angeles
Charles Dickerson, president of the Board of Public Works, disagreed with the need for an outside study and with the notion that his department can't handle the magnitude of the job. He noted that the current board only took office last fall. "I have full confidence that this board will take the reins reins pl.n. The kidneys, loins, or lower back. and achieve results as efficiently and effectively as possible," said Dickerson. Mayor Riordan, for his part, recommended in his budget proposal submitted last month that the five paid, full-time Board of Public Works members be replaced with a general manager and a board of part-time commissioners. The City Council, about two months ago, ordered the City Administrative Office to conduct a management audit of the Public Works Department's Bureau of Engineering. But Lynch said the audit isn't enough. "They are going to find that the program is in disarray dis·ar·ray n. 1. A state of disorder; confusion. 2. Disorderly dress. tr.v. dis·ar·rayed, dis·ar·ray·ing, dis·ar·rays 1. To throw into confusion; upset. 2. To undress. , but that audit doesn't deal with what is the leadership or management of the program," said Lynch. "What we concluded is we need to have someone from outside the city look at it, someone who doesn't work for the city." One possibility, said Lynch, would be contracting out the work of scheduling and organizing bond-financed public works projects. Dickerson said he's looking forward to seeing the results of the audit, "to reviewing it and seeing where they think we can shore up." "I'm not afraid of it all," said Lynch. |
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