Afriat, Braude Fellow Travelers on the Not-So-Subtle Shuttle

What appeared to be an innocuous debate over a shuttle bus contract at City Hall this week turned into an eyebrow-raising lesson in ethics, or the lack of same.

Mayflower Laidlaw Transit Inc. has for years operated shuttle bus services in Van Nuys, Studio City, the Crenshaw and Fairfax districts and South Los Angeles for the city.

Hoping to get a better contract, the city’s Department of Transportation recommended seeking bids from companies that may be interested in taking over the shuttles. Until a new contract is signed, the department proposed a month-to-month contract with Laidlaw until July 1.

But Laidlaw’s representative, Steve Afriat, urged the council to instead extend the contract for an entire year.

That’s when Councilman Marvin Braude stepped in, urging his colleagues to approve the one-year extension.

What made all of this ethically questionable is that Afriat, in addition to being Laidlaw’s consultant, is Braude’s campaign consultant. While city ethics officials said Braude’s involvement raises questions, they said there is no law prohibiting elected officials from taking action on a contract that’s being boosted by a campaign employee.

Asked about the situation, Afriat said he saw no reason for concern because he has not yet been hired by Braude as a campaign consultant.

But in fact, Braude’s latest reelection campaign report lists Afriat as accepting payment for “professional management and consulting services.”

Glen Barr, Braude’s media aide, said Afriat is indeed Braude’s consultant but there is no conflict of interest because “we make a very strong effort to separate” Afriat’s work with Laidlaw and his work with Braude.

In the end, the council rejected Braude’s proposal for the one-year extension and instead voted to extend a month-to-month contract with Laidlaw until a new contract is signed.

Close Lines

At year’s end, retiring Reps. Anthony C. Beilenson and Carlos J. Moorhead may be tempted to grab a few boxes and run. But a study distributed to outgoing lawmakers cautions them to plan in advance for their departures to avoid last-minute headaches.

“Closing a congressional office can be a ‘nightmare,’ ” the report by the Congressional Management Foundation says. “Or it can be a relatively smooth transition for the member and staff.”

Among the tips for outgoing legislators:

--”Your employees may respond to the prospect of closing the office in a number of negative ways. Although there is a sense on the Hill that all is transitory, the shock of facing the end of a relationship with a particular team may be traumatic. . . . To maintain morale and productivity, you should support employees, keep communication open, and maintain an active involvement in addressing their concerns.”

--Help the staff obtain new jobs but do not “promise what you can’t deliver.”

--Use various colored stickers to separate items that will go to the member’s home, the archives or other places. One staffer recalled his boss promising to give the same photograph of the home state Capitol to three different people.

--”Remind staffers that they can’t wander off to their new office carrying their Rolodex and their stapler. Those items belong to the office.”

--Return library books. One lawmaker was once left holding a $700 bill for Library of Congress books borrowed by staffers on his behalf but never returned.

For Pete’s Sake

Although she’s a Jewish professional woman from the Valley at a meeting of same, Gov. Pete Wilson’s advisor Rosalie Zalis expected to be in the minority Wednesday night.

Zalis was the lone Republican voice on a panel at the annual dinner meeting of Jewish Business & Professional Women. The panel discussion centered on how the changing political scene will affect professional women, a topic that by its very nature includes affirmative action.

That can be a touchy subject any time, but especially with the Wilson-backed California Civil Rights Initiative on the ballot in November.

The panel did not disappoint, with Zalis and former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Joy Picus, an affirmative action supporter, providing the cross-fire.

“The Jewish way and the women’s way is individual performance,” said Zalis, whose duties include advising the governor on both constituencies. “It wasn’t affirmative action that got us here. It was the changes in society.”

Picus said the initiative would gut women’s rights, then lambasted Wilson for good measure. “[It] was created as a political ploy by a governor who thrives on the politics of fear and divisiveness, to play on the anxiety and anger of a hostile electorate.”

Zalis cried foul at what she called a “cheap shot” directed at a man she admires. “I came here tonight in the spirit of bipartisanship,” said Zalis, extolling her boss’ record on women’s issues.

Water Gate

That simmering Valley-versus-the-rest-of-Los-Angeles feud boiled up again this week, when the City Council voted to allow residents to install meters that measure sewage discharge.

At the heart of the debate are the long-running complaints by Valley residents who feel the city charges them too much in sewer fees, which are based on the assumption that 60% of water used at a home goes into the sewer.

Valley residents have argued that they have big lots and therefore most of the water actually goes into landscaping and gardens.

In hopes of addressing the problem, Councilman Richard Alarcon suggested the city allow residents to install meters in their homes to measure how much water goes into kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms, therefore measuring how much will go into the sewers. The cost is about $200, installed.

Under the proposal, if the meter shows that a resident is paying too much under the city’s formula, the fee would be lowered. But if the meter shows that the fee is too low, the resident would pay more.

But Councilman Nate Holden, who represents parts of South Los Angeles, protested, saying if the meters force the city to lower rates in the Valley, rates will go up elsewhere in the city.

He accused Valley representatives of trying to get better water and sewer rates for their constituents at the expense of residents elsewhere.

That was when Councilman Hal Bernson, who represents parts of the northwest Valley, challenged Holden.

“It’s that kind of talk that has people pushing for an independent Valley,” he said, referring to a bill by Assemblywoman Paula Boland (R-Granada Hills) to make it easier for the Valley to secede from the city.

Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, who represents Hollywood and surrounding areas, opposed the proposal, saying it is unfair that only people who can afford the $200 for the meter can find out if their sewer fees are fair. She suggested having the city pay for a meter for every household that wants one.

“If we do it for one, we should do it for everyone,” she argued.

But with 638,242 homes and apartment buildings paying the sewer fee, a meter for each would cost the city $128 million.

Goldberg’s proposal was sent to the council’s Budget Committee for more study.

Bucking Smut

Smut is not a matter of national security--or maybe it is.

The House National Security Committee this week voted to ban adult magazines and videos on military bases. The measure was included in the 1997 defense budget, which still faces a vote by the full House.

Among those supporting the ban was Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita).

“It’s pretty hard to defend these magazines,” McKeon said. “It would be nice if they all went away. But it’s probably not going to happen.”

Pushing the measure was Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett (R-Md.), who argued that it is not proper for Playboy, Penthouse and other sex-oriented material to be sold on government property at subsidized rates. There is no violation of the 1st Amendment, supporters of the ban said, because military personnel can buy the material off the base if they wish or they can subscribe.

Critics, however, said the proposal’s loose wording could ban the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and lingerie catalogues. They objected that such a ban has no place in a piece of legislation focused on paying for bombers, tanks and missiles.

Martin and Hill-Holtzman reported from Los Angeles, Lacey from Washington, D.C.