Los Angeles Fire Department Independent Assessor, Proposition A, March 2009
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Proposition A asked, "Shall the Charter be amended to empower the Board of Fire Commissioners to appoint and remove an Independent Assessor, exempt from Civil Service, who shall be responsible for auditing, assessing and reviewing the Fire Department's handling of complaints against sworn and civilian employees?"
Background
The Fire Department, according to the current Los Angeles charter, is under the control of the Fire Commission. The Fire Commission is a five-person board whose members are chosen by the Mayor and approved by the City Council. The Fire Commission did not have an independent assessor whose job it would be to review the activities of the Fire Department, including complaints against firefighters and civilian employees.
Specifics of proposal
As a result of Measure A being approved:
- The position of Fire Department Independent Assessor will be established.
- The assessor will be responsible for auditing and reviewing the activities of the Fire Department, including complaints of misconduct.
- The Assessor will be a civilian employee reporting directly to the Fire Commission, which would have the authority to appoint and remove the Assessor.
Costs
The approval of Measure A will result in an additional cost to Los Angeles of about $500,000 per year for the Assessor and administrative support.
Reasons to support
Supporters of Measure A, including Mayor Villaraigoa, said:
- In recent years, juries have awarded multi-million dollar verdicts to plaintiffs in lawsuits against the Fire Department.
- Audits and recommendations following those lawsuits say that professionalization and ways of enforcing high standards are needed.
- A similar position in the Police Department has helped ensure high professional standards of conduct.
- People close to the situation support this idea, including the Fire Chief, Fire Commission, firefighters and elected City leaders.
Newspaper endorsements
- The Los Angeles Times endorsed a "yes" vote on Measure A, saying, "The job should not be necessary...but interviews with firefighters, commission members and others in the City Hall personnel system have convinced us that both the position and the charter amendment are prudent steps."[2]
Reasons to oppose
Those who signed the ballot argument against Measure A included Walter Moore, David Berger,
- It will add an expensive layer of bureacracy with no added benefit.
- Taxpayers pay $2.8 million/year for a similar position in the Police Department, but the city continues to get sued, and it continues to lose those lawsuits, for professional misconduct in the Police Department.
- This suggests that having this type of oversight will not result in reduced litigation.
See also
External links
- Vote No on A, opposition website.
- City of Los Angeles election department
- Sample ballot (scroll to page 11)
- League of Women Voters Pros/Cons of Measures A-E
References
- ↑ "City Of Los Angeles Election Results", May 3, 2009
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Changing the charter, For the March 3 ballot, The Times supports Charter Amendments A, C and D, but opposes E", February 22, 2009
