Hahn's Parting Gift to the City

Our not so beloved ex Mayor Hahn has managed to place yet another feather in his cap, securing him as one of the most unpopular local pols to still live in the city. In a desperate bid for an endorsement and a get re-elelcted at all costs attitude, he caved and negotiated a deal with labor that reaks of payola that only Hahn is capable of.

The Deal: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power workers would see their pay increase at least 17% and perhaps as much as 34% over the next five years

The stories and reactions:

LA Times:

Villaraigosa does not plan to intercede by pressing the DWP to renegotiate the contract, his spokesman said, noting that the deal was negotiated under the administration of former Mayor James K. Hahn.

"He would not have negotiated the same deal," said Joe Ramallo, a spokesman for Villaraigosa, noting that the mayor has concerns about escalating labor costs. "He knows we cannot fiscally sustain this kind of growth."

But Ramallo explained that Villaraigosa believes the city could be accused of unfair labor practices if it tries to scuttle a deal that has already been approved by the union membership.

Daily News:

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is unhappy with the contract, but city officials have told him that at this point he is powerless to stop it, said Joe Ramallo, the mayor's press secretary.

"He made it clear to the managers that this is not a precedent and is no indication of how he will conduct labor negotiations," Ramallo said. "He would not have negotiated this deal."

DWP General Manager Ron Deaton and the city administrative officer told the mayor in a July 4 briefing that the contract had already been sent to IBEW members and so any new action would be an unfair labor practice, Ramallo said.

While Villaraigosa "did not interfere with this process after it had begun," his spokesman said, "he believes throughout the city that we need to have a new approach to negotiating our labor agreements and that we can't sustain these labor costs in the long term."

Daily Breeze:

Councilman Dennis Zine questioned the terms of the deal, saying it could set a precedent that leads other municipal labor unions to seek similarly generous arrangements.

"Once it happens, everyone else is going to want the same provisions," he said. "That's what we're obligated to do -- provide fair contracts for our employees, not just certain groups."

Joe Ramallo, spokesman for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, described the pay agreement as financially unsustainable but said the mayor cannot undo a pay package crafted by appointees of his predecessor, former Mayor James Hahn.

"There is no action that (Villaraigosa) would take on this. This item will not come back to him," Ramallo said. "This is not something that is ultimately forwarded to the mayor. As far as I understand it, there's no veto power over this action."

The agreement would benefit members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 18, which spent roughly $107,000 on Villaraigosa's mayoral bid. The union's national committee gave $200,000 worth of radio ads to Villaraigosa and $99,476 worth of fliers to Hahn.

And he wonders why he is no longer in office. Hmmmm, let me think...