Community Service vs. Self-Preservation
COMMERCE, ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE
TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2005
ROOM 1060, CITY HALL - 8:30 AM
200 NORTH SPRING STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
MEMBERS: COUNCILMEMBER TONY CARDENAS, CHAIR
COUNCILMEMBER JANICE HAHN
COUNCILMEMBER CINDY MISCIKOWSK
Item 5
04-2317
Motion (Cárdenas - Parks) relative to requesting that the DWP respond to accusations made in relation to alleged improper procurement and purchasing practices of its Corporate Purchasing Services Department including acts of harassment and retaliation against vendors and staff.
Fiscal Impact Statement Submitted: No
DISPOSITION
Many DWP employees and vendors turned out in numbers to complain about DWP handling of the Empire contract and employee abuses. The meeting spilled over into the general City Council meeting which was taped and will air on City View channel 35. At the conclusion of a long list of complaining vendors, Cindy Miscikowski announced that Item 5 had been postponed until Tuesday, January 25, 2005 to allow more time for addressing issues.
Thomas Hokinson, Assistant General Manager of DWP, was alleged to have called for labor relations re-enforcements to deal with two complaining civil servants: Sandra Miranda, a petite custodial supervisor and Daniel Shrader, a bespectacled fleet supervisor and CSULA professor of management who both made allegations of management-orchestrated retaliation and intimidation by Hokinson.
Hokinson seemed to prove their point by directing heavy hitters, Peter Lakatos, Director of Labor Relations, Mark Howard and Demarlo Simms, Sr. Labor Relations Representatives, and Thomas Patzlaff, Fleet Services Manager to attend the meeting and keep an intimidating eye on the two public speakers.
Many officials questioned the Assistant General Manager’s priorities and judgment to have directed four high level ($100K per year) city officials to watch the two civil servants exercising their free speech rights on their own personal time. Not to mention all of the other more important business functions going on at DWP, like the lights, rain, floods, and power outages. And of course, Councilman LaBonge was concerned about the DWP handling of Palm fronds.
If anything, seeing the four DWP disciplinarians sitting in the background gave legitimacy to DWP employee complaints of management-orchestrated retaliation at the utility. What makes an Assistant General Manager choose to infringe on personal rights rather than deal with a public emergency, anyway? Empire maybe?
TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2005
ROOM 1060, CITY HALL - 8:30 AM
200 NORTH SPRING STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
MEMBERS: COUNCILMEMBER TONY CARDENAS, CHAIR
COUNCILMEMBER JANICE HAHN
COUNCILMEMBER CINDY MISCIKOWSK
Item 5
04-2317
Motion (Cárdenas - Parks) relative to requesting that the DWP respond to accusations made in relation to alleged improper procurement and purchasing practices of its Corporate Purchasing Services Department including acts of harassment and retaliation against vendors and staff.
Fiscal Impact Statement Submitted: No
DISPOSITION
Many DWP employees and vendors turned out in numbers to complain about DWP handling of the Empire contract and employee abuses. The meeting spilled over into the general City Council meeting which was taped and will air on City View channel 35. At the conclusion of a long list of complaining vendors, Cindy Miscikowski announced that Item 5 had been postponed until Tuesday, January 25, 2005 to allow more time for addressing issues.
Thomas Hokinson, Assistant General Manager of DWP, was alleged to have called for labor relations re-enforcements to deal with two complaining civil servants: Sandra Miranda, a petite custodial supervisor and Daniel Shrader, a bespectacled fleet supervisor and CSULA professor of management who both made allegations of management-orchestrated retaliation and intimidation by Hokinson.
Hokinson seemed to prove their point by directing heavy hitters, Peter Lakatos, Director of Labor Relations, Mark Howard and Demarlo Simms, Sr. Labor Relations Representatives, and Thomas Patzlaff, Fleet Services Manager to attend the meeting and keep an intimidating eye on the two public speakers.
Many officials questioned the Assistant General Manager’s priorities and judgment to have directed four high level ($100K per year) city officials to watch the two civil servants exercising their free speech rights on their own personal time. Not to mention all of the other more important business functions going on at DWP, like the lights, rain, floods, and power outages. And of course, Councilman LaBonge was concerned about the DWP handling of Palm fronds.
If anything, seeing the four DWP disciplinarians sitting in the background gave legitimacy to DWP employee complaints of management-orchestrated retaliation at the utility. What makes an Assistant General Manager choose to infringe on personal rights rather than deal with a public emergency, anyway? Empire maybe?
posted by The Gadfly at 10:34 PM
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