On Local Government

Why is Vernon important?

Most people wouldn’t know the City of Vernon if they were in the midst of it. It is a city of 91 people, most of whom are either city workers or relatives of the elected officials who have been running the place for generations.

It is primarily an industrial city with the primary mode of transportation being 18-wheelers. It has its own power plant and is extraordinarily “rich.” Yet, there is a bill in the California Legislature to require that Vernon’s cityhood be “cancelled” and that the area return to the control of Los Angeles County.

Why? The City of Bell. Since the scandal in Bell became public last year, a greater focus has been put on Vernon, which has had its share of misuses of public funds and manipulation of elections. (That’s pretty easy when there are very few voters and nearly all of them are relatives or city employees.)

Here’s the problem. The City of Vernon is Charter City. So, here’s the civics lesson. California has two types of cities, charter and general law. About one quarter of California’s cities have a Charter.  Each type has its advantages and disadvantages.

According to the League of California Cities, in broad terms, the benefit of becoming a charter city is that they have supreme authority over “municipal affairs.”

There are some areas that courts have consistently classified as municipal affairs. These include, municipal election matters, land use and zoning decisions (with some exceptions, such as The Coastal Act), how a city spends its tax dollars, and municipal contracts, provided the charter or a city ordinance exempts the city from the Public Contract Code, and the subject matter of the bid constitutes a municipal affair. Thus, a charter may exempt a city from the State’s competitive bidding statutes.

Likewise, there are some areas that courts have consistently classified as areas of statewide concern, including traffic and vehicle regulation, tort claims against a governmental entity, and regulation of school systems.

Since Vernon is a Charter City, it has been given certain responsibilities that the State has agreed to stay out of. By overturning a charter by fiat, a dangerous precedent might be set for other charter cities should the State wish to reorganize them.

So, back to why Vernon? It is an appealing target for a County that is in desperate financial straits. Should the County gain control over not just the fees paid by all the businesses in the ity, but the revenue from their profitable power plant, it would certainly help the county coffers.

Vernon has long been under investigation for wrongdoing. The problems there are likely better handled by the District Attorney or, if he can’t do it right, the Attorney General.

However, the County’s Captain Renault act from “Casablanca” (“I’m shocked, shocked to discover there is gambling going on!”) has the stench of mendacity. Anyone around Vernon has known for years that something was rotten. Why now? And why threaten other Charter Cities? ER