Job Evaluation

The son watched his father, vowing not to repeat his mistakes. The weekend before George W. Bush defeated Texas Gov. Ann Richards in 1994, he stood in the backyard of his Dallas home hitting tennis balls into the swimming pool for his dog to fetch and ruminating about the future with his media strategist, Don Sipple.

If it seems arbitrary -- even unfair -- to take the measure of a new president after just 100 days in office, you can blame Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1933, with the nation in a financial meltdown, Roosevelt came to the White House and, with an enthusiastic Democratic Congress at his command, enacted a whirlwind of emergency legislation.

After listening to the debate at last week's Los Angeles school board meeting, business leader Carol Schatz said she was appalled. She had attended to support a resolution to speed the firing of teachers accused of serious crimes. But even this proposal -- tiptoeing on the margins of improving teacher quality -- generated heated objections from the teachers union and its supporters. With some last-minute amendments and sniping among board members, the resolution passed by a single vote.

Almost half of Mexican police officers examined this year have failed background and security tests, a figure that rises to nearly nine of 10 officers in the border state of Baja California, the government reported. Nationwide, 49% of officers scored "not recommendable" on the tests, compared with 42% that rated "recommendable." In Baja California, which includes Tijuana, a city riven by drug violence, about 89% failed, and only 4% were judged "recommendable." The tests -- which involved lie detectors, drug tests, psychological profiling and tests of personal wealth -- were intended to root out corrupt, incompetent and unfit officers.

The annual job review is a fact of life, whether welcome or not. But you could get more out of it than you might expect. A study from human resources consulting firm Hewitt Associates found that performance-related bonuses are expected to average more than 12% in 2008 -- a record high -- compared with 3.8% for base salary bumps. And studies show that many firms are in a pitched battle to hold on to their best employees. In its 2008 job forecast, CareerBuilder.

Close to wrapping up an evaluation of Chief William J. Bratton's fourth year in the job, the president and vice president of the Los Angeles Police Commission say that if the matter were up for a vote this week, they would give him a five-year contract extension.

The Los Angeles Police Commission met for three hours Tuesday in a closed-door session with Chief William J. Bratton as part of his annual performance evaluation. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, meanwhile, voiced confidence in the chief but asked the panel to judge Bratton based on whether he continues to reduce crime, increase the police force and comply with a consent decree mandating reforms. Emerging from the meeting, Bratton smiled and told reporters, "I think we did OK."

The Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday completed its annual performance evaluation of Police Chief William J. Bratton, concluding his work "exceeds standards" and giving him the maximum pay raise possible -- 5% -- a decision that bodes well for him getting another five-year term next year. Commission President John Mack said the panel is prohibited by personnel laws from providing details of where the chief has done well and where he might need improvement.

Art Leahy, the Orange County Transportation Authority's chief executive officer, received a favorable job review by the agency's board of directors Monday and was given a 3% salary bonus. Leahy, who will earn $215,167 next year with the bonus, was hired five years ago to run the agency's bus system and oversee the county's transportation planning.

Riverside City Council held a closed session meeting Tuesday to discuss the performance of City Manager George Caravalho, who has had a tense relationship with several council members. Though some in the community believed Caravalho would be fired, he and the city's mayor and mayor pro tem emerged from the 1 1/2-hour review vowing to work on their differences.