L.A. City Council tells Delgadillo, Chick to simmer down
The board wants the city attorney and controller to 'cease' their court battle over an administrative audit.
The Los Angeles City Council today asked City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo and Controller Laura Chick to "cease" their escalating court battle that was triggered when Chick launched an audit of Delgadillo's workers' compensation unit.
On Monday, Delgadillo filed a lawsuit against Chick, asking a judge to block her attempt to conduct the performance audit.
Delgadillo argued that Chick overstepped her authority under the city charter, the city's governing document, and argued that the controller does not have authority to perform an administrative audit on the offices of the city's elected officials, including the mayor and city attorney.
Chick disagreed and insinuated that Delgadillo was trying to block the audit because he fears auditors may find that the workers' compensation division, including the hiring of outside attorneys, is inefficient and wasting taxpayer dollars. The division has been criticized for using outside attorneys.
The City Council approved a motion 12 to zero asking the two city officials to set aside the legal fight, calling it a waste of taxpayer dollars. The motion also requested that Delgadillo and Chick brief the council on the dispute in a closed session on Sept. 3.
Councilman Dennis Zine said the fight between Delgadillo and Chick "generates headlines" while giving the city government a look of dysfunction. "It's fodder for talk shows, but does it accomplish anything?" Zine said. "I don't think it accomplishes anything."
Zine, who served as a charter reform commissioner a decade ago, said he believed that his panel wanted to give the city controller the power to audit individual programs, not elected officials, a stance that supports Delgadillo's objection to the audit.
Delgadillo's spokesman, Nick Velasquez, said Monday that the city attorney would welcome a performance audit of the division by an independent audit, but not a "politician."
"Frankly, the controller has a track record of political mischief," Velasquez said.
Chick insists that she is only interested in ensuring that the program is accountable and transparent to the people of Los Angeles and vowed to fight Delgadillo's legal action: "I am a tigress," Chick said.
City Council President Eric Garcetti said officials would work on a ballot measure that would ask voters to clarify the issue in the city charter.
phil.willon@latimes.com
