NEIGHBORHOODS LA-We know quite a bit about our City elected officials since they have been active in various capacities for a long time. Even the appointed officials are, for the most part, recognizable. The first time I heard of Rick Cole, Deputy Mayor, Budget and Innovation, was at the Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates Congress held late last year.
He presented a factual realistic look at the city finances and managed to keep everyone in the over-flow audience awake. Quite frankly most financial experts delivering budget numbers tend to be numbingly boring. When I found myself listening intently, I looked at the program to see who he was and where did he come from? After all a title like Budget and Innovation is really an oxymoron!
The second time I heard Deputy Mayor Rick Cole speak was last week at the Mayor’s Budget Town Hall in Northridge. I was curious since a Mayor asking in person for the public’s input into how the budget be spent -is unusual. Our previous Mayor sent out a survey and who knows what happened to it after the results were in. Currently, Town Halls are being held all over the city and each had a large audience of interested citizens.
Deputy Mayor Cole spoke to the audience about the state of LA’s finances without reading from a speech or notes. It was similar to having a family sit-down budget meeting. One understood what he was saying and it made sense. He used humor to illustrate examples that we could all relate to and, at the same time, managed to impress upon the audience that even though the City’s finances were improving, we are still $242 million dollars in the hole. His presentation was informative and painless enough that you can view it here and get the full flavor.
I was impressed that he did not bash the previous Administration, as politicians are want to do. He said the city has to manage expectations and get its fiscal house in order BEFORE services can be improved.
Mayor Garcetti has used the term “performance based budgeting” as well as accountability in many of his policy speeches and directives to city departments. Deputy Mayor Cole explained that we can no longer put a budget together by using last year’s numbers. A performance-based budget includes specific metrics by which to measure performance.
Our own EmpowerLA, the agency supervising day-to-day operations for the Neighborhood Councils (NC), has to prove its effectiveness and justify expenditures. He explained it by saying, “ The usual way to handle a shortfall is to take last year’s budget and cut. That’s like taking a Lexus and reducing its weight with a blowtorch and shears. But cutting from this Lexus does not make a Camry; it makes a wreck! We have to start with the end in mind. The focus is not on a numeric goal – the focus is on long-term fiscal sustainability and a budget that directs available resources toward the highest priorities. These are the results that matter most to Angelenos.”
He went on to say that everything should be re-evaluated and the City should be more rational and thoughtful in what it does and … if it is done well, it will win back the trust of the citizens.
So how does one align the budget with the anticipated outcome? By focusing on putting resources to work on “what matters most” to Angelenos. These Town Halls should provide answers. Of course the next question is “How do you measure success?”
High-priority activities receive relatively more funding to produce tangible results. Performance budgeting spurs innovation, making government more effective and efficient. Lower-priority activities are reduced or eliminated. He concluded by saying of the budget and it’s process, “It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint. The first year is a transition toward the new approach, focusing on what matters most to Angelenos.”
The second part of the Town Hall was broken down into small groups with a facilitator. Each group had to decide what it thought would make the City of Los Angeles great. A spokesman for each group gave their collective suggestions while the Mayor took notes and read the suggestions back to the audience. The audience was filled with Neighborhood Council people, educators, government employees and interested citizens. Becoming active in the Neighborhood Council was mentioned by several of the groups who specified community involvement as their recommendation.
Next came remarks by District 3 Councilman, Bob Blumenfield; District 4 Councilman, Mitch Englander; and Mayor Eric Garcetti. As I watched these three young men (the audience sang Happy 42nd Birthday to the Mayor) on the stage talking without a teleprompter or notes, relating to their audience, and speaking about real issues and not philosophy … I had the feeling that Los Angeles is in for change. You could feel the optimism in the audience. OK - I’m reverting to my “glass half full” emotions, although I must admit it felt like it was almost three quarters full when I left.
Oh yes, to get back to my original question who is Rick Cole ? I did some digging. He is very accessible but manages to keep a low profile. Previous to his July appointment in Los Angeles he served eight and a half years as City Manager of Ventura, California from 2004-2012. On his resignation, the Ventura County Star editorialized: "The Star hopes at least one thing won't change after Mr. Cole's last day on the job: The high level of professionalism and integrity we've seen in the city under his management and leadership."
Deputy Mayor Cole previously served as City Manager of the City of Azusa, Ca, which was cited by an editorial in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune as the "most improved City in the San Gabriel Valley" during his tenure. He served 12 years in elective office in his hometown of Pasadena, California, including Deputy Mayor of Pasadena from 1990–1992 and Mayor of Pasadena from 1992-1994. He was a co-founder of the newspaper, Pasadena Weekly.
In 2006, he was selected as one of Governing Magazine's "Public Officials of the Year" which observed, "First in Azusa, and now on a larger scale in Ventura, he has offered ample proof that good politics and good management aren’t as different as is sometimes assumed.”
Obviously he is carrying this philosophy over to his new job. Before being appointed, he did not know the Mayor and was not a contributor to his campaign.
Mr. Deputy Mayor... a good start!
As always your comments are welcome.
(Denyse Selesnick is a Board Member, 2014 Election Chair and Vice Chair, Outreach for The Tarzana Neighborhood Council. She is a contributor to CityWatch covering activities and news about Neighborhood Councils. She can be reached at [email protected])
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 12 Issue 12
Pub: Feb 11, 2014