L.A. planning commissioner explains billboard vote in response to Trutanich’s terse letter

The pugnacious tone of City Atty. Carmen Trutanich’s letter to members of the Los Angeles Planning Commission last week has raised eyebrows around City Hall – and a city planning commissioner said today that some of the language in the letter’s last paragraph was “disturbing and frankly a little bit frightening.”

Trutanich skewered commissioners in his missive after they ignored his request Thursday to delay deliberations on a plan for placing 40,000 square feet of billboards and other outdoor signs on the Los Angeles Convention Center so his assistants had more time to study it as part of a broader billboard policy review.

In his July 10 letter, the new city attorney told commissioners “there are limits to the discretion and governmental immunities that you enjoy as public officials. I will not hesitate to act in the future if it appears that you are aiding and abetting unlawful conduct despite my contrary advice.”

Speaking to the City Council this morning during a routine item on his reappointment, Planning Commissioner Sean Burton said the last paragraph of the letter “implied there might be some personal liability for the commissioners,” in part because of the use of the aiding, abetting and unlawful action.

“I will tell you as an individual, we don’t have a staff, we don’t have a legal defense fund. We do this as commissioners because we’re trying to do the right thing for the city,” Burton told council members. Later Burton said although he believed the whole matter was a misunderstanding, he personally viewed the letter’s last paragraph as “inappropriate” and added that it sounded to him “like a threat.”

"I dont' think its necessary to threaten people," Councilwoman Jan Perry said of the Trutanich letter. "They give of their time freely on behalf of the city."

Explaining the panel’s actions to the Council, Burton said the Convention Center matter was expiring in two days, and that the city attorney’s office had not put forward any specific reason for the continuance. A deputy city attorney at the meeting told commissioners the office would be able to weigh in on the case as it moved its way through the legislative process to the Council, which must give final approval.

“Our goal was to move it forward and let the council debate and discuss how they wanted to move forward, so there was clearly no disrespect intended,” Burton said.

Councilman Ed Reyes said he was troubled by the contradiction between Trutanich’s letter and the advice commissioners were given by the deputy city attorney during the meeting. The letter implied “they did something illegal when they didn’t,” he said.

“I think we have to be careful about how we treat our citizenry when they volunteer their time to give us their expertise,” Reyes said. “They don’t need more pressure when they are being threatened by the very same city attorney’s office that is supposed to be protecting and advising them.”

-- Maeve Reston at L.A. City Hall 

Comments

[Very simple]

Love it. I like this guy already.

[jeff]

Trutanich is a blowharding bully and this letter definitely was way out of line, it is downright threatening these volunteer commissioners with threat of prosecution if they don't do exactly what he wants.

Like Burton says, they're volunteers devoting upto 30 hours/ week for free, don't have a legal defense fund unlike the hundreds of lawyers and thousands of staff in the City attorney's office, and since Trutanich just arrived is showing a huge amount of disrespect for no reason. He gave no reason for wanting a stay, except that's what he promised his rightwing listeners on talk radio. He told Kevin James on air just last week that "I won't let you down," to him and those listeners who want him to "flush out the evil of city hall." That is just dangerously scary talk and attitude, to treat everyone in office even at a volunteer level as guilty by assumption and deserving of threats.

For once I have to agree with Reyes: this attitude will keep anyone from volunteering to serve the city, who needs this grief. What an offensive man.

Ron Kaye and Doug McIntyre his strong promoters who helped elect him even agreed on that show this morning that it's very disturbing that Trutanich has focused on two "grandstanding" issues like threatening the CRA and AEG over the Jackson case, instead of keeping his promise to ensure that Wendy as Controller has the right to audit any elected official's office when she pleases -- not just when he "invites" her as it suits him. Even the Daily News which believed all his promises has an editorial wondering if the meant that only about Delgadllo but not about himself in future.

This man's behavior is extremely disturbing and sets a very sour tone: do what I "ask" or I'll get you. Being adversarial and bullying to those wth less power to "show how strong you are" does the opposite, it's the sign of a bullying nature. It may appeal to a certain rightwing demographic that is the most vocal but it shows a total lack of class I'm sad to say.

[Jake]

Of course Reyes would come to the planning commission's defense, rather than uphold the opinion of the city attorney since the bulk of his district is engaged in illegal activities - which he has made clear to the LAPD to ignore - i.e. illegally downloaded dvds/cds, fake ids, and unclean food vendors.

Go get 'em Trutanich!

[Kelvin]

There was absolutely no reason not to delay a decision on the billboard. It could easily have been continued for a month - it's not like Los Angeles needs more billboards is it?

I love the way Trutanich continues to stop the "business as usual" way our city is sold out to developers, and please forgive me if I do not believe for a moment that these commissioners are "trying to do the right thing for the city,” as Burton claims. It rather sounds like Burton was trying to do the right thing for the billboard operators who stand to make millions from this digital billboard that will capture all the rush hour traffic with multiple adverts a minute.

If Burton wanted to do the 'right thing' it would have been to delay the decision as requested.