They staged a strange off-hour dance in Council Chambers yesterday afternoon. Some City Council members were left scratching their puzzled minds.
Assemblyperson Karen Bass (D-Culver City), elected next Speaker of the Assembly last month, had asked to address the Council.
What followed will not make the history books.
For 30 quirky minutes, pronounced deferential sweet nothings were pitched back and forth.
Neither Ms. Bass’s speech nor the bumpy closing sailed smoothly.
What she said or why she said it remained clouded this morning in some sections of City Hall.
“I still don’t know why she wanted to talk to us,” Mayor Alan Corlin said.
“It was a very interesting non-event,” said Councilman Steve Rose.
Knowing that 7 o’clock is the Council’s meeting hour, Ms. Bass asked members to convene two hours earlier because that suited her itinerary. The scheduled 5 o’clock start assured a small audience of City Hall employees and the absence of television. Regardless of whether Culver City is regarded as working class, community meetings are not scheduled for 5 ‘clock in this town because the public does not turn out.
Tardy Entrance
Typically, Ms. Bass swept into Chambers 15 minutes late, resplendent in a black pants suit and a lavender, knee-length spring coat.
She delivered a meandering, repetitive three-minute speech. The first clue was an intended funny opening that went flat. Curiously, she stressed, several times, that she would be “available” to Culver City leaders — now that she is presumably about to ascend to one of the loftier political seats in California.
Council members went into the pseudo private meeting believing that theoretically Ms. Bass has been “available” to City Hall, and the community at-large, ever since she was elected to the Assembly four years ago to represent Culver City. That, however, may not be the reality. “In that time,” said a City Hall source, “she hardly has paid attention to Culver City.”
Ascension Day
The date on which Ms. Bass will ascend to the Speakership has not yet been determined for a complex of reasons. The Speaker’s chair presently is controlled by Assemblyman Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles). He will be term-limited in December. In Sacramento, the betting is he will not be quick to surrender his grip on a powerful position. In recent days, Mr. Nunez has demoted two committee heads who opposed Ms. Bass’s candidacy.
A further complication exists. Ms. Bass is thinking about her next job. Quietly, she has trained an eye on the June race to fill the retiring Yvonne Brathwaite Burke’s seat on the County Board of Supervisors. Ms. Bass is expected to lunge for the seat vacated by the winner, whether that will be Los Angeles City Councilman Bernie Parks or state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Culver City). A spot on the City Council is regarded as the more lucrative prize.
So it remains an open question how long Ms. Bass will hold an office in which she may offer herself as “available” to Culver City interests.
Short-Termers on the Council
A scouting trip by Ms. Bass’s office apparently failed to uncover the fact that three of the five members of the City Council will, themselves, will not be “available” much longer. In five weeks, Mayor Corlin, Vice Mayor Carol Gross and Mr. Rose will be leaving office.
In her address, Ms. Bass declared that the state has a budget deficit. She acknowledged that her audience probably was aware of it.
She said she did not know how the gap would be bridged, that cuts would be necessary but alone would be insufficient.
“What I hope is very different,” said Ms. Bass, “is that we all recognize that this is a crisis.”
Several glances were exchanged.
Culver City and Priority List
She did not demonstrate knowledge of or interest in Culver City issues.
“I look forward to working with you,” said Ms. Bass, and one person on the dais cracked that she had first made that statement in ’04.
“How can we best help you?” asked Vice Mayor Gross.
“All of you are active in the League of Cities,” Ms. Bass said. “Working in the League of Cities, I think we all need to come together.”
When Does a Meeting End?
The well-known friction between and among some Council members emerged near the end of the afternoon.
After 25 minutes, four members of the City Council had spoken, and Vice Mayor Gross signaled that the session was over.
“Thank you for coming,” Ms. Gross said.
“Thank you for having me,” Ms. Bass answered.
At which point, Mayor Corlin called upon Mr. Rose.
Feigning surprise, Mr. Rose hesitated before stepping in. “I am sorry,” he said. “I thought the meeting was over.”
“It’s not over until I say so,” said Mr. Corlin, cheerily playing along.
