Posted on 07/16/2006 2:02:19 PM PDT by calcowgirl
For the past year, about two dozen of the city's top civic and business leaders have been quietly meeting at the elite 54th floor City Club overlooking downtown Los Angeles to ponder major policy and political issues.
From extending term limits to exploring the effort by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to take over the Los Angeles Unified School District, the group has used an extensive network of contacts to meet with and question policymakers.
"We are definitely not trying to be like the old Committee of 25," attorney George Kieffer said, referring to the group of business leaders who dictated public policy to City Hall in the 1940s and 1950s.
"What we try to be is a sounding board for people who are involved in a variety of aspects of city life so there will be a greater understanding of some of the public policy issues facing the city and county today," said Kieffer, one of the founders of the group.
Calling itself the Civic Alliance, the group brings together some of the most influential leaders in the city - many of whom have been called on to serve on various boards and panels - and represents a broad mix of longtime power brokers and those who represent the changing face of Los Angeles.
Chief among these is former Secretary of State Warren Christopher.
Christopher, of the law firm O'Melveny and Myers, headed up the panel that developed a number of reforms for the Los Angeles Police Department following the Rodney King beatings.
For Christopher, the Civic Alliance provides a chance to meet a new generation of Los Angeles leaders and affect public policy through debate and discussion.
Christopher, who was part of the original Committee of 25, said there is no comparison with the Civic Alliance.
"That was a group of business leaders trying to be constructive in specific areas," Christopher said. "This group has some business leaders, but it is also reaching out to the nonprofit sector. The center of gravity in Los Angeles has changed, and this group reflects it."
Christopher said the group is still is relatively new and reviewing a variety of issues.
"I'm not sure any of us know what is feasible yet with what we can do as a group," Christopher said. "We are nonpartisan in the approach we are taking. We are not being ideological in what we're looking at."
At some point, Christopher said, he expects the group will reach a consensus on a direction it believes the city should take on specific issues and then meet with policymakers to express its views.
"I think if we have something that we can bring to the attention of the mayor or a City Council member, we will," Christopher said. "I think we also have avenues available to communicate our point of view to the public to get them involved."
That first issue could well be term limits. Two of the group's members, representing the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters, last week released a proposal to tie a series of city ethics reforms to giving city officials a third four-year term in office.
Kieffer said the group will want to study the specifics of the plan before making a decision, but he said he expects its members to play a leading role in the debate if it does make its way to voters on the November election ballot.
Raphael Sonenshein, a political science professor who served as executive director of the Appointed Charter Reform Commission, said the Civic Alliance can only help in developing public policy.
"This isn't like the old Committee of 25, which was fairly covert and had its own agenda," Sonenshein said. "This group is made up of people who are involved and called on when needed. It seems like it can only add to the public policy debate."
Kieffer said he is trying to replicate some of what occurred when he chaired the Appointed Charter Reform Commission.
"What I found is that people had a lot of misconceptions that, once they were able to sit down and discuss issues on a face-to-face basis, were able to find they had more in common than they thought," Kieffer said.
"If Los Angeles was a smaller city, we would be running into each other at various events or in the course of daily business. But this city is so big and diverse, it doesn't happen routinely. We are trying to bring together people from all areas of the city to talk about public policy and see if we can have an impact on the debate."
Kieffer said his goal was to try to bring different elements of the city together.
"We live in these little silos in Los Angeles and often make presumptions about how people think that are completely off base," Kieffer said. "One of the things that has been missing in Los Angeles is a chance to have a conversation about where we are going as a city and what we are doing. That's what we're trying to do."
Kieffer said it also is an effort to have more people involved in key policy aspects that affect the region, as well as be a resource for city officials.
"If there is a crisis, we would want to make ourselves available to help in any way we can," Kieffer said. "We can bring together a civic group to help provide a different view to some of the issues facing the city."
Each member brings his or her own interests to the debate. For some, it is the notion of extending term limits at the state and local level. For others, it is education or transportation or the state of the county's health care system.
"What we do is discuss areas we want to explore and then we ask some experts to meet with us to explain what they're doing," Kieffer said.
Edward Avila, a member of the Civic Alliance who also is head of a group called Alliance for a Better Community, said the Civic Alliance will offer a different view of issues facing the city.
"When we explore an issue we are looking for the best solution, not necessarily the politically expedient answer," Avila said.
Anything Warren Christopher is involved in, stinks from the head.
Warren Christopher - Tool of Jimmy "Yum-Yum" Carter's far, far left wing. An old shriveled prune of a man whose face would crack if he tried to smile.
George Kieffer is another one to watch. He's an attorney with the lawfirm of Manatt Phelps (Charles Manatt, prior chairman of the DNC) and also just happens to be Maria Shriver's attorney.
Mexico at the Crossroads: An Evaluation of the Fox Administration
Dr. Sergio Aguayo, president & founder, The Civic Alliance & The Mexican Academy of Human Rights
******
Voters May Be Asked to Ease L.A. Term Limits
Two civic groups, citing City Hall power shifts, hope to get a measure on the November ballot.
Armed with a privately commissioned poll suggesting that voters might be open to their idea, the groups plan to ask the City Council to place a referendum on the November ballot. A third group, the Los Angeles Civic Alliance, may also join the partnership. With members who include former Secretary of State Warren M. Christopher and Elise Buik, president and chief executive of United Way of Greater Los Angeles, the alliance would add heft to the effort.
http://tinyurl.com/olf36
The Aguayo organization can't be the same one, can it?
Sergio Aguayo is a Professor at El Colegio de México. An expert in electoral affairs, he was a founder of and a key figure in Mexico's premier electoral watchdog organization, Civic Alliance (Alianza Civica). Mr. Aguayo is active in the intellectual life of Mexico; he has published widely and contributes weekly columns to Mexico’s leading newspapers. In addition, he was president of the Mexican Academy of Human Rights from 1990-1996.
Professor Sergio Aguayo
Graduate Seminar: "Mexico's Transition to Democracy: The Role of Human Rights and Security"
Sergio Aguayo is a leading scholar and commentator on human rights in Mexico. He has been actively involved in the promotion of democracy and human rights through such organizations as Civic Alliance and the Mexican Academy of Human Rights. Professor Aguayo teaches at El Colegio de México's Center for International Relations. He will be in residence at UC Berkeley for the month of April. In addition to giving a public lecture, he will be offering a graduate seminar at the Center for Latin American Studies.
I'm thinking The Civic Alliance, in Los Angeles, is either a new title for the old Los Angeles Business Advisors (of which Christopher became a part in 1998) or a new (related?) group established to bring in the non-profits.
From the articles I've found, these are the names in this The Civic Alliance.
• Warren Christopher
• George Kieffer
• Edward Avila, head of Alliance for a Better Community
• Name ?, Chamber of Commerce
• Name ?, League of Women Voters
• Elise Buik, president and chief executive of United Way of Greater Los Angeles
I'm also finding stuff on a "Ventura County Civic Alliance".
Secretary of State - Business Search:
(The Olympic Blvd address is that of the Manatt, Phelps office building)
Corporation
CIVIC ALLIANCE
Number: C2757988 Date Filed: 7/20/2005 Status: active
Jurisdiction: California
Address 11355 W OLYMPIC BLVD LOS ANGELES, CA 90064-1614
Agent for Service of Process
EDWARD AVILA 200 N MAIN ST ROOM 1633 LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
Corporation
ALLIANCE FOR A BETTER COMMUNITY
Number: C2199709 Date Filed: 10/5/2000 Status: active
Jurisdiction: California
Address 634 S SPRING ST STE 917 LOS ANGELES, CA 90014
Agent for Service of Process
EDWARD AVILA 200 N SPRING ST RM 1633 LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
Thanks for the tip on Kiefer. It's a shame Shriver had to go and soil herself with the likes of this.
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