KTLA News: "Mayor Tom Bradley announces appointees to the Board of Public Works" (1973)

[Tom Bradley] I think the range of experience which the  gentlemen bring to this board will help us to evaluate the whole structure of the Board of  Public Works and to recommend some revision to extend to the public at large, the kind of service  that is fair and equal to all. We are concerned that major construction firms get the kind of  treatment that's going to expedite projects for them. But at the same time I've indicated to these gentlemen we want every citizen of this community who has to deal with City Hall to have the same kind of treatment. That their projects, their efforts will be expedited just as though they were a multi-million dollar corporation. [Bradley] ...to announce the appointment... [Cameraman] Can you hold a moment there? [Cameraman] All set. [Bradley] Today I am submitting the names of group of men  to be appointed to the Board of Public Works. You may recall that we have a screening committee that is working on a whole list of recommendations to the various commissions. In as much as the Board of Public Work is the only full-time board and has more staff than has the usual commission, we have moved outside of that particular screening  committee for these appointments. I want to start to my right and identify the gentlemen for you. Mr. Ernest Webber, who has been a member of the  board for some time, since 1961. Mr. Warren Hollier, who has been a member of my City Council staff and has a considerable background in the field of construction prior to coming on City Council staff will be one of the other members. To my left, Mr. Sol Marcus, businessman, former president of the Hudson Company, was an executive with Carl's Shoes? - was- is a consultant to a number  of firms. And is a CPA - [Sol Marcus] No, I am not sir. [Bradley] Oh, I'm sorry, ha, worked for a CPA firm as a consultant. David Lozano who is a deputy probation officer and has considerable experience in the field of... ...administration, then the  direction which they have been given, and I fully expect that they're going to do an outstanding job for this city. You will notice that there is a fifth member who has not yet been named. That individual is out of the city and was not available today so we will have a further announcement for you on that party, sometime next week. [Reporter] [inaudible] and secondly what your reasons are for obtaining [inaudible] [Bradley] Mr. Webber is - has been serving for the past year  as the president of that board, represents the kind of experience that we'd like to retain for the purpose of transition. Furthermore, has been highly regarded by various members of the City Council and also, in our experience with him, I think, has done a good job. He is also highly recommended by many of the interests that are going to be directly affected, all the way from organized labor to the business community itself. [Reporter] How about the changes that you want to see [inaudible]? [Bradley] I have asked that they go in  and, and take a complete look at the board and its various bureaus as to how they operate and to have carte blanche in terms of recommending to me what changes ought to be made. Mr. Sol Marcus, for example, has been an expert in this field of reorganizing old businesses and establishing new ones, and I think his experience is going to be invaluable to us  as we assess the entire operation of that [...]. [Reporter] What ends projected do you have in making changes? What is it you perceive of the board to legitimize? [Bradley] Well, I've asked, for example, to have a look  at the duplication that now exists, where this board maintains its own personnel bureau,  maintains other duplicating kinds of activities. We want to look at the whole question of  how we can get better productivity out of the various bureaus and all city employees  who are employed in that department. [Reporter] What can you tell us... ...problem, as you well know, the procedure here is  to submit nominees and once they are confirmed by the City Council, the old commissions are terminated and the new ones take office. [Reporter] Has an offer been... [Marcus] ...stries was, when it existed, a company owning the Hudson Shoe Company and presumably was on the road to becoming a conglomerate. It failed in its efforts at that particular time and the company now no longer exists. [Bradley] Well, I can only give you some of the  initial discussion there. There was a question about what steps need to be taken, what answers are required, and the CAO, the City Attorney, I have advised as to the steps which they have taken to comply with the Cost of Living Council. They requested certain information and we have provided that and have submitted a letter giving the facts and details as to why that salary increase was recommended and finally authorized by the City Council. [Reporter] The 75% figure that was [inaudible] when the freeze went into effect seemed to me not to be very good public relations, as far as the public is concerned, because it was so high. What are your thoughts on that type of increase at this particular point of time? [Bradley] I think the real argument comes over whether or not over the course of the last eight years when there was no salary increase if not only were they entitled to the intervening increases that had come in terms of the cost of living but also to take into account the accumulation of what increases might have been justified if in fact say eight years ago or seven years ago they had been given  a five and a half percent increase in each subsequent year the increase had been added to that. I think those are the major arguments that are being raised. We simply sent a letter indicating the facts of the case and those facts will now be discussed by staff and by  the board and they will make the determination. [Cameramen] Rolling. Ready. [Bradley] In light of the serious unemployment problems in the Southern California area and in connection with the depressed state of the economy, I'm very pleased to report a new development in connection with a motion which I introduced in the Council in August of this year. I proposed that we ask President Nixon to appoint a joint reconversion board made up of representatives from each level of government from industry, from organized labor, and from the universities. The purpose of such a board would be to review the  possibilities of reconversion of the aerospace industry, the technology and the resources  there, to deal with our city problems. It would take advantage of that great pool of manpower and brains to deal with many of the serious problems that we face here in the cities. Only this week I finally received word from the President through his assistant, John Ehrlichman, who is in charge of domestic affairs, indicating that the President had asked him to arrange for Bob Finch, the counselor to the President, to get together with me for the purpose of working out details of this particular proposal. Now I expect within a very few days to have such a discussion with Mr. Finch and hopefully to arrange with a number of representatives from the industry in this area to meet with us for the purpose of talking about the details of such a plan. [Reporter] Mr. Bradley, just what would  that reconversion board do? [Reporter] ...buy this reconversion. [Bradley] Well we understand there are 250,000 unemployed in Los Angeles County alone. That's a pretty serious number. I can not tell you what the total number is in Southern California. One of the reasons we talked about Southern California rather than the city or the county of Los Angeles is that we believe that our problems and our resources are unique here in Southern California and it shouldn't be dealt with on a national level and certainly  cannot be dealt with solely on the basis of one city. [Reporter] So you feel that the reconversion board could provide...