Jewish Coalition Backs LAPD Overhaul : Police: Eight groups endorse the June 2 ballot measure to give City Hall greater authority over the department and its chief.

Described by its leaders as the broadest coalition of its kind to come together over a local political issue in more than 30 years, eight prominent Jewish organizations announced their support Wednesday for the June 2 ballot measure that would change the way the Los Angeles Police Department is run.

The coalition joins an alliance of civil rights groups, and business and religious leaders who are supporting the ballot measure, originally endorsed by the Christopher Commission after its investigation of the police beating of Rodney G. King.

The ballot measure would amend the City Charter to grant City Hall greater authority over the Police Department. This would be done primarily by giving the mayor and City Council power to fire the police chief. The proposed changes also would limit a police chief’s tenure to two five-year terms. Currently, there are no limits.

Speaking on behalf of the American Jewish Committee, real estate developer Ira Yellen described the coalition as “the broadest ever of Los Angeles Jewish organizations to organize around something that does not involve anti-Semitism or Israel.”

Rabbi Gary Greenebaum, western regional director of the American Jewish Committee, said such unity was possible because “the issue of charter reform is clearly a Jewish issue.”

“Although we as a community may not have suffered as others have (from police abuse) we have learned from our history that when there is unequal treatment of another community, we are in jeopardy.”

The creation of the coalition reflects the effort of the ballot measure’s backers to build support by appealing to individual concerns of various groups throughout the city.

Greenebaum, who is also a member of the steering committee for charter change, said efforts are under way to form a similar coalition among Christian churches.

Besides the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish coalition includes the American Jewish Congress, B’nai B’rith, the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, the Jewish Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations-Pacific Southwest Council and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations.

Howard Ekerling, co-chairman of the group opposed to the charter changes, said the coalition members “were all hoodwinked by Warren Christopher,” who headed the Christopher Commission investigation.

Ekerling said he was confident that when some people who belong to the groups in the coalition fully understand the implications of the proposed charter changes, they will withdraw their support.

“I’m certain that at least some of them don’t know that the chief of police could be fired for any reason,” said Ekerling. “That’s politics, not the accountability promised by Warren Christopher.”