WHO WILL END THE CORRUPTION IN LA CITY GOVERNMENT?

WHO WILL END THE CORRUPTION IN LA CITY GOVERNMENT?

    It has taken 19 years to grow the current mess at LA City Hall. It was created by a succession of three Mayors, with the active cooperation of the Personnel Department and at least one crooked Councilman. 

   Acting without legal authority and without a vote of the electorate, that power-grabbing gang trampled the City Charter, degraded the Board of Civil Service Commissioners, usurped the Board's powers, and made individual department heads more powerful, but less accountable to the public.

   Now, the City's shameful secret has been exposed. The corruption must end. Moreover, some City Watchers agree that the next Mayor of Los Angeles will be expected to restore the Board of Civil Service Commissioners—to clean up the mess the departing gang leaves behind. However, other Watchers are not convinced any of the declared Mayoral candidates they have heard about can be expected to put the public interest ahead of their own.

   Well, according to a local newspaper, there are now only four declared candidates for the Mayor's office: Wendy Greuel, Eric Garcetti, Jan Perry and Kevin James. Nevertheless, that paper forgot to mention that YJ Draiman also wants to be Mayor of Los Angeles.

   The fact is YJ Draiman is an “outsider.” He was the first Mayoral candidate to file with the City Ethics Commission on March 5, 2011. Nevertheless, to date, he is the only candidate who has responded to an offer I made

in a previous column: to share with my readers any information the would-be Mayors sent me. I repeat that offer now: in the public interest, I will write about whatever each candidate gives me to write about the mayoral race. Moreover, Los Angeles needs a Mayor who will clean up the mess in City government. Therefore, I encourage the candidates to explain how they would do that.    

   YJ Draiman appears to be keenly aware of the problems facing City government. He recognizes that money can have a corrupting influence in government, and has made it clear he will not accept campaign contributions over $100.

   Draiman has observed that Southern California gets more sunshine than most other places in America. He thinks Los Angeles could be the solar energy capital of the region.

To that end, he is working on a Doctorate in Energy. Moreover, as a second term Neighborhood Council official, he is working with the Los Angeles City Department of Water and Power.

   Candidate Draiman seems committed to the principle that government exists to serve the people. He is not likely to make major changes without first explaining his proposals and getting public support for them.

   YJ Draiman honors the Rule of Law. If certain regulations were not working, he would try changing them.  He would not pretend the regulations do not exist, or are not important.

   Based on his submissions, I get the impression that Draiman has serious reservations about the City's civil service system. Moreover, about the impact employee unions have had on the way City departments operate. However, I also get the impression that he is in touch with the HRM revolution, which has swept across the world—that he wonders why the City   seems to resist modern personnel practices.

   While this column does not make any endorsements in the March 5, 2013 elections. It does urge voters to check out all the official candidates in those races. Nevertheless, this column repeats the offer to share with the readers what other candidate give me to share.

samuelmsperling@yahoo.com         (626) 576-8396                        06-10-12

“Voter apathy was, and will remain the greatest threat to democracy.”

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