Council Panel Backs Reforms for Fund

In an effort to keep the already tarnished general city purposes fund from degenerating into, in the words of Los Angeles City Councilman Michael Woo, a “slush fund for pet projects,” the council’s Governmental Efficiency Committee voted Thursday to recommend that reforms be adopted.

The committee’s action came in response to a critical report from the city controller finding little oversight of the multimillion-dollar fund that the city uses to support special projects. One of those projects was the Task Force for Africa/Los Angeles relations whose executive director, Juanita St John, has been unable to account for nearly $200,000 in city funds, according to the audit.

The committee, chaired by Woo, is recommending that the full council adopt a new procedure under which the largest of the special contracts will be monitored by individual city agencies rather than the current system that lumps them together under the city clerk’s office.

The committee also recommended that there be a “determination of purpose” that will accompany each contract and serve as a benchmark to measure the project’s compliance and effectiveness.