Representatives of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger have yet to respond to inquires on whether officials of the state's Department of Parks defied their chief executive when they denied a request from the Garment & Citizen for details on plans to buy a parking lot at 9th and Hill streets.
The question turns on an executive that Schwarzenegger issued in 2006 — a directive that requires officials to obtain approval from the governor's office before citing Section 6255 of the state's Government Code as a basis for turning down requests for public records.
Schwarzenegger's office of media relations on May 6 confirmed receipt of the Garment & Citizen's inquiry on whether or not officials in the state's Department of Parks had obtained approval to cite Section 6255 as a basis for blocking the release of details of the City of Los Angeles' grant application seeking $5 million to help pay for the park deal. A media relations representative said the request had been forwarded to "our legal office" on same day, but no further information had been provided, as of press time.
Schwarzenegger will end his term in office later this year, and is not eligible for re-election due to term limits. Politicians nearing the end of their time in office sometimes see their influence over public officials and the machinery of government diminish, a status referred to as "lame duck" by some observers.
The question of whether state officials have obeyed Schwarzenegger's orders on public records has been prompted by 14th District Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar efforts to spend $6.6 million to buy a 0.7-acre parcel of land that is currently used as a parking lot at 9th and Hill streets and turn it into a small park.
The $5 million the city is seeking for the park deal would come from funds raised under the banner of Proposition 84, which passed in a statewide vote in 2006. Funds from the $5.4 billion statewide bond will eventually be repaid, with interest, by taxpayers.
Neither city officials nor their counterparts with the state have offered any details that would indicate how much of the grant from the state or the total budget of $6.6 million for the proposed park deal on Hill Street would go toward the purchase of the land and how much will be spent to would be used to pay for various amenities said to be included in plans for the site.
Critics say the lack of specifics leaves them with insufficient information to judge whether the plan is feasible or desirable.
Meanwhile, an open-government advocacy organization called Californians Aware has joined the Garment & Citizen in seeking a copy of the city's grant application (see related story, "CalAware Joins Probe of Downtown Park Deal").
Related articles:
• State Denies Request for Information on Downtown Park Proposal
• City, State Won't Say Price of Land for 'Pocket Park' at 9th & Hill
Jerry Sullivan is editor of the L.A. Garment & Citizen.
Photo of Governor Schwarzenegger from gov.ca.gov.
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